The Travelears Podcast, Website and Blog, was invited to participate in Disney’s D23 conference call today with Steven Clark (head of D23 and Executive Editor of Disney twenty-three), Dave Smith (Disney Chief Archivist) and Marty Sklar (EVP & Walt Disney Imagineering Ambassador).
This carefully orchestrated conference call, was very well attended by the press and members on the online Disney community.
 As we all know by now, the D23 viral campaign was designed to launch an “official community for Disney Fansâ€, run by Disney.
Steven Clark confirmed today during the discussion that program was named D23 due to 1923 being the year that Walt Disney Company founded. He went on to say “that the initiative celebrates the roots, creativity and future of Walt Disney Company†and that the Disney company recognizes that the fans are important to the Disney legacy.
 
D23 membership is $74.95 which includes:
- One year subscription (four issues) to “Disney twenty-three†publication. D23’s exquisite collectible magazine is filled with stunning photography, dazzling illustrations and Disney insider perspective. It’s an all-access pass to discovering the magic of Disney’s past, present and future!
- Membership Card and Certificate. The membership card and personalized, suitable-for-framing charter member certificate, feature many of Disney’s most beloved characters as drawn by Disney Master Artist Dave Pacheco.
- Surprise Collectible Gift. Just for D23 members, an exclusive Charter Year collectible gift from the new Walt Disney Archives Collection.
- Exclusive Special Events and Merchandise. D23 offers its members unique special-event opportunities throughout the year, as well as access to member-exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles.
- Discounted admission to the D23 Expo the D23 – premier online destination for fans is free to everyone.
Access to the D23 web site is free.
From September 10–13, 2009, the D23 Expo comes to life at the Anaheim Convention Center. The Expo will be the single largest gathering of all things Disney.
The incredible experiences, exhibits and presentations at the Expo are another way D23 will connect fans to the timeless stories, characters and amazing worlds that we create here at Disney. Guests entering the main showroom floor of the recently renovated Convention Center will discover exciting pavilions from every part of The Walt Disney Company.
Each will offer unique immersive experiences the whole family can enjoy. Parks and Resorts, Walt Disney Records, Disney Consumer Products, ABC, ESPN and Walt Disney Imagineering — to name a few — will all be featured. There will be surprising gallery events, author appearances and signings and even a beautiful Disney Home to walk through. Radio Disney will rock the Expo every day, and you can expect favorite Disney talent to make appearances throughout the event. (We hear there may even be a wedding!)
Steven also commented that the D23 Expo web site, which will be coming soon, will give up-to-the-second breaking news about the Expo, including ticket information and online ordering, the latest event information and everything you need to know about the ultimate Disney fan experience!
Marty Sklar briefly spoke about his excitement in preparing articles for the new publication and Dave Smith gave a brief history of Disney Fandom.
 
After the formalities were completed, the queue was then opened for a limited number of questions to be asked to the Disney team.
Most of these questions came from the Disney online community and a few of the interesting points that were raised included:
- There may be the opportunity for the Online community to participate in D23
- The D23 Expo will be an annual event in Anaheim for the next 4 years and may visit other locations
- That planning for D23 started four years ago and ramped up over the past 12 months
- There are no immediate plans to hold in park events, but this maybe considered further
- There may be spin off benefits Annual Pass Holders, DVC Members and other Disney program members
- Marty Sklar stated, “This is not meant to be another means for Disney to sell merchandise. It is intended for Disney fans to feel connected to the company and each other.â€
So in a nutshell, there it is. Disney has decided to actively participate in its own fan base. Is this is good or bad, time will only tell, but it does appear that Disney is putting some of its best talent behind this program to make sure that it is successful.
Make sure that you listen to the next special edition of The Travelears Podcast, as we will be discussing D23, the press conference and our own personal opinions about this very interesting concept.
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And dont forget to check out our website for all of your D23 questions at www.thetravelears.comÂ
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10. March 2009 at 4:49 pm
Great run down of the new deal AJ but I have to say what I have heard about 23 so far isn’t thrilling me. I am seriously hoping that Chris is wrong about his Mousefest Theory. If I lose drinkin’ round the world with my buds for this I will not be a happy camper.
10. March 2009 at 5:36 pm
I’m with FromPA. I’m just not all that impressed with the offerings. A magazine that is $16 an issue? Better be very nice and high quality! I’ll be picking up the first issue just as a test, but if it’s as disappointing as everything else related to this announcement, I won’t be buying any other issues.
“Marty Sklar stated, “This is not meant to be another means for Disney to sell merchandise. It is intended for Disney fans to feel connected to the company and each other.—
I’m sorry, but I’m calling bulls**t with this one. If there wasn’t a way to milk money from its fans, do you really think Disney would be putting the time and effort into this? Just look at the D23 items that premiered on DisneyShopping.com today: 25 shirts, 10 fashion accessories, and 7 club-related collectibles available for purchase by members only. Also in “Boutique 23″: 13 art pieces, 20 tableware pieces and 11 stationary pieces (including an $850 pen), available for members and non-members alike. That doesn’t even include the memberships themselves or individual issues of the magazine! Now tell me again that they’re not using this to shake down their fans for even more money.
I’d also bet, dollars to donuts, that *IF* unofficial Disney online communities are allowed to participate in Expo, they will have to pay a hefty fee to participate or have a booth.
My dad once said, “Disney doesn’t want *SOME* of your money, they want *ALL* of your money.” Disney saw the buildup of fans on the internet and are now attempting to “cash-in” on us.
10. March 2009 at 7:08 pm
Matt,
Thanks for the feedback and I am sure that a number of people will share your feelings. I personally feel that we will never see Mousefest again, but that is only my personal thoughts. Aj
10. March 2009 at 7:13 pm
Spenceman,
Thanks for the passionate feedback. I agree that $16 is a very expensive magazine, but I believe that we need to see the first packages that are delivered before we make up our minds.
I had confidence today that Disney had faith that their members would get value foe money and I hope that they deliver on those promises.
I do believe however that D23 is a lot more than Disney cashing just cashing in on the community, and its more about having more control of the online and fan community.
Listen to tonight’s travelears podcast, as we openly discuss our thoughts on today’s announcement.
Aj
10. March 2009 at 9:37 pm
AJ,
I’ve been saying for a couple years now that I felt that Disney was eventually going to try and step in and reign in some control over the fan communities. After MouseFest 2007, the number of blogs, podcasts, and websites just exploded. I started to really believe they were going to do something after they worked with WDWCelebrations to help put together the EPCOT celebration.
Let’s face it, there is as much of a market to be tapped of uber Disney fans as there is for Pop Warner Football, Cheerleading championships, and Brazilian Tour Groups.
I joined D23 today as well and already heard that we cannot judge the entire D23 offering based on what was available on launch day and to wait to see what announcements come in the future
10. March 2009 at 9:38 pm
Spenceman,
The cost for the unofficial fan communities to have a presence at MouseFest and MagicMeets isn’t cheap either.
10. March 2009 at 10:12 pm
Ray,
I thought of that when I was typing my post. I tried to check for info on the Mousefest site, but it’s been locked down. Even the stuff for the old meets is not accessible.
AJ,
I believe that, as it was presented today, D23 isn’t much of a value. I will be keeping eyes and ears open throughout the year to see what else they throw into the mix. I already saw on the site that they’re trying to get D23-exclusive showings of UP. Good if its nationwide, worthless to most of us if it’s merely a private showing at the El Capitan.
I don’t believe that this is strictly a money grab. I guess I kind of came off that way in my earlier comment as I’ve been a tad disappointed today. I guess my expectations didn’t coincide with Disney’s plans for D23.
Like I said, I’ll be watching it to see how it forms. We have until the end of the year to become “Charter” members, so I’m not rushing.
Cheers,
Spence
10. March 2009 at 10:47 pm
Ray and Spence, the debate is great and I am sure that this is not the end of it.
I know that many of the Travelears Crew have signed up today a founding members and this will allow us to give our listeners a real review of he program, as it unfolds.
Thanks again for the feedback. And be sure to listen to this weeks show to hear more about this topic.
Aj
11. March 2009 at 2:25 pm
I think everyone makes great points on this subject. I’m really on the fence after the announcement though.
Some of the major factors that exist here for me are:
Positives:
a.) Disney Community Events – I envision a ComicCon-style event a la Disney. I’ve always wanted to see something of a larger scale than NFFC.
b.) Focus placed on Disney history or “roots”, it’s a very specific topic but caters to a large fan base and I’m a trivia nut. The tie-in to the archives is awesome!
c.) The magazine is amazing, extremely high quality. It’s almost like giving Disney a quarterly “DVD Features”. It will also be a great forum for Imagineers to showcase upcoming attractions and plans.
Negatives:
a.) It commercializes the online community, although I can’t fault Disney for wanting to own it; especially in the current economy.
b.) The price is high and the magazine distribution is low.
c.) Small benefit to non-collectors
I won’t be signing up, not now anyways. I don’t have the expendable income to “try” the membership to see if it’s worth it. I will however keep a close eye on it, get feedback through my fellow Travelears and the online community and hopefully make a decision on it by year end.
I can’t wait to hear what comes in the package!
-Ryan
16. March 2009 at 2:45 pm
http://mouseguest.com/podcast/index.php
On our show this week we interview Dave Smith, Steven Clark an dBecky Cline about D23 and the Walt Disney Archives. I believe they shed some light on many issues the online Disney community are confused/troubled about.
Interesting debate here. I was a day one member, and have no regrets. I think with the support D23 has throughout the Disney company, the best is yet to come.