D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event ran August 9–11, 2024, in Anaheim, with daytime programming at the Anaheim Convention Center and three marquee evening showcases at the Honda Center. There was no official ranking of the “most anticipated” sessions, so this is a fresh selection of ten notable picks—not a definitive or fan-voted top ten. It includes both daytime panels and evening presentations, labeled by format.
Daytime panels and sessions
D23’s daytime program spanned five stages—the Premiere, Walt Disney Archives, Hyperion, Backlot, and Spotlight stages—and ranged across park design, food, games, entertainment, and Disney history. The official overview describes the breadth of the program at D23’s event page; session details below come from its panel preview.
1. Imagineering: Behind the Dreams
This session offered a close look at how Disney experiences take shape, with design models, interactive demonstrations, live prototypes, and presentations from artists, engineers, and craftspeople. It is the clearest choice for anyone curious about the work between an initial idea and a finished attraction or environment.
2. Bringing the Worlds of Disney Animation to Life in Disney Parks
The preview connected animated properties to park settings, naming World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland, Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland, Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. The appeal is the translation process: how a story’s characters and visual language become places visitors can enter.
#1 Best Overall
3. Magic After Dark—The Story of Disney’s Nighttime Spectaculars
Framed around the history and creative work behind nighttime shows, this session covered the mix of light, music, water, and fireworks that gives a park its after-dark identity. It suits readers interested in live entertainment and the technical craft behind large-scale spectacle.
4. Disneyland Foods—Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Disneyland Resort chefs and Pam Brandon, a coauthor of the Official Disney Parks Cookbook series, were set to discuss the park’s food history, menu development, and culinary future. This is the pick for visitors who see dining as part of a park’s storytelling rather than just a break between attractions.
Rank #2
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5. Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed—The Return of a Beloved Classic
Disney Games, creative director Warren Spector, and other guests were listed for a conversation about Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, which the preview described as due that fall. Among the daytime sessions in this selection, it has the most direct tie to a specific game release.
6. 60 Years of Disney Ambassadors—The Stories You’ve Never Heard
This retrospective brought ambassadors together to share stories from the program’s 60-year legacy. Its focus is people and institutional history, making it a different kind of Disney behind-the-scenes session from the production-oriented Imagineering panel.
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7. Walt Disney Archives sessions
The expanded Archives Stage covered Disney history, including a session on Walt Disney’s 1940s trip to Latin America and discussions with new Disney Legends. Rather than one single panel, this is a useful category for attendees whose main interest is archival material and the stories behind the company’s history.
Evening showcases—not daytime panels
The three remaining picks were marquee presentations at the Honda Center, not conventional daytime stage panels. D23’s schedule distinguished these evening events from the convention-center program; it also said schedules, guests, and presentations could change without notice. The official event schedule stated that Honda Center shows were for Ultimate Fan Pass holders, with no reservations or standby queues.
Rank #4
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8. Disney Entertainment Showcase
The Friday evening showcase brought franchise announcements and previews. D23’s recap names Zootopia 2, Toy Story 5, Moana 2, Frozen 3, The Mandalorian & Grogu, Daredevil: Born Again, and TRON: Ares among the properties featured. For a retrospective, that makes it the most direct choice for readers following Disney’s film and television slate at the time.
9. Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase
The Saturday evening presentation focused on projects in development across parks and other Disney experiences. Disney’s post-event roundup reported almost 50 announcements. That figure describes the showcase’s 2024 announcement slate; it does not establish the current status or schedule of every project discussed. Read the Disney Parks Blog roundup for the announcements as presented at the event.
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10. Disney Legends Ceremony
The Sunday showcase honored the 2024 class of Disney Legends, including filmmakers, Imagineers, artists, writers, and performers. It is a fitting choice for readers more interested in the people whose work shaped Disney than in a slate of upcoming projects.
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These ten selections reflect variety, not an official ranking: they cover parks, entertainment, archives, food, games, craft, and people. The event’s wider schedule also included exhibits and shopping, so the panels and showcases were only part of the three-day experience. For event scope and formats, see D23’s overview. For the precise timetable and access notes, consult the official schedule.
Quick Recap
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