D23 (Disney)
D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, also known as Disney D23 or simply D23, is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial[2] exposition event, the D23 Expo. The name D23 refers to D for Disney and 23 for 1923, which is the year Walt Disney founded the company.[3]
Industry
March 10, 2009
- Adam Sanderson (SVP, corporate communications)
- Michael Vargo (vice president)
Disney twenty-three magazine
History[edit]
Bob Iger introduced D23 on March 10, 2009, during the company's annual meeting.[3][5][6] D23 had a booth at San Diego Comic-Con in 2009 and held the first D23 Expo on September 10–13, 2009.[3] In March 2010, D23 announced that the expo would be biennial instead of annual, and Destination D events would be held in the off year.[2] In February 2013, the Walt Disney Company Japan announced the first D23 Expo Japan would be held on October 12–14, 2013.[7]
In April 2013, D23 and Turner Classic Movies Festival teamed up for the 75th anniversary showing of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Kirk Douglas hosted the showing of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea newly restored from original camera negatives.[8]
Steven Clark stepped down as head of D23 in late September 2013. In January 2014, Adam Sanderson took over as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications with oversight of the Disney Archives.[4][9] At the November 21, 2014 weekend event, Destination D, Sanderson indicated that the silver level of membership was being discontinued.[4]
In October 2018, Disney Cruise Line began showing Disney at Sea with D23, a 30-minute entertainment news show that covers the many Disney subsidiaries with input from D23, starting with the ship Disney Wonder.[10]
Events include: