I have been to a few D23 events in the past and, to be honest, they were nothing to get excited about. Although the event program for this event looked jam packed with all types of interesting panels, including a musical journey to close the program out, I still went in with low expectations.
The event was excellent. Although some panels were better than others, it was an extremely informative and entertaining two days, a perfect way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Walt Disney World. Two of my favorite presentations were:
- Weird Disney: Walt Disney World & Beyond, hosted by Becky Cline & Paul F. Anderson. First, Paul Anderson is hilarious. This panel basically made fun of a lot of pictures/videos from Walt Disney World, especially from the 70s. I hope someone in the audience filmed the Grad Night film from the 70's. Perhaps it was more funny in person, with the crowd laughing along and the commentary by the panelists, but it was one of the funniest bits of the day. I sure hope someone posts it to YouTube soon, or, even better, that a copy of it is in circulation.
- Walt Disney World Resort in Detail, hosted by Jason Surrell, Alex Wright, and Jason Grandt. Basically, this panel presented pictures of various odd details throughout the parks. It was highly entertaining and it really showcased how these guys love their jobs (and make us all envious).
Since this is a music site, I won't go into detail about some of the history and backstories that were told over the two days (there are better summaries already on the internet). Music wise, there isn't a lot to discuss, other than that River Country had its own theme song (who knew that?).
The doors to the event were opened three times each day, usually after a break, and were open for 30 minutes prior to the next panel starting. So, during these 30 minutes, some form of music was played (I made no playlists). In addition, short music clips were also played during a few of the presentations. I didn't hear a lot of unreleased music, or at least music that I don't already have in my personal collection, but the Innoventions BGM was played during a break (this would be a great addition to my collection, if anyone important is reading this...hint...hint).
The musical highlight was the concert by Richard M. Sherman that closed the program. Before he came out, we were treated to a few songs by Denny Zavett who used to perform on the now defunct Empress Lily, and a performance by the Walt Disney World Philharmonic marching band. Richard Sherman then hit the stage and, after performing several songs from various Disney movies, moved to the Walt Disney World portion of the performance:
- The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room (with backstory and guest sing along)
- The Orange Bird Song (which he says he hasn't sung in 40 years)
- It's a Small World (with backstory and guest sing along). The song was first performed the way the brothers originally presented the song to Walt, which was much more toned down and serious. Richard did acknowledge that everyone wanted "to either kiss us or kill us" for writing the song. The second half of the performance was how the song ended up (after Walt's suggestions), with the crowd signing along.
- There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow and Now is the Time (with backstory).
- Video presentation of the Glorious 4th of July from America on Parade.
- A request from the "chat rooms" - Video presentation of the World Showcase March. Does anyone know anything more about this song, or has anyone ever heard it before and, if so, where?
- Video presentation of New Horizons.
- Making Memories (with backstory)
- Magic Journeys
- One Little Spark (with guest sing along). Richard was joined onstage by the (original) Dreamfinder and Figment. When the Dreamfinder came out, the place went nuts. After some banter back and forth, the Dreamfinder did a duet with Richard. This was the last song Richard performed.
Golden Dream, performed by Billy Flanagan (who was Ken in the EPCOT Barbie show, among other roles), Laura Compton (not sure this is the correct spelling), and Carol Stein.
Encore, the cast member band and choir, closed out the program with several classic songs from EPCOT.