Come with Us to Disney’s BIGGEST Fan Event of the Year!

It’s finally happening!

Destination D23 begins TODAY at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, and we can’t wait to be at Disney’s exciting panels and hear all the news and announcements they share! We’re LIVE from the event right now to bring you all the latest news as this weekend goes along!

Friday

While the panels don’t start until tomorrow, it’s time to do some shopping! We’re getting the chance to see some of the exclusive merchandise at this year’s event, as well as check out what else is being offered.

Obviously, we had to check out the Lug bags. If you know anything about us, you know we love their incredible designs.

Look at this display. It’s incredible.

We also checked out all of the artwork. There were so many different pieces!

There was even an artist painting live.

We checked out some Lorcana cards, too. You’ll probably see us playing this fun Disney card game in our hotel room at night or in long queues.

Uh, did we mention the Muppets crashed D23? We’re Muppets fans at heart, so we may or may not have spent too much money here.

Just look how cool this sweatshirt is!

There were so many sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats, mugs, literally everything you can think of, all around. They were filled with our favorite characters, rides, and even a bunch from Walt Disney Imagineering.

Haunted Mansion sweatshirt? Say less!

Saturday

The first panel of the day was the Walt Disney Studios Showcase!

Here, Disney dropped big news for upcoming movies. We got a new look at Toy Story 5 and Hoppers. They also dropped a brand-new movie, Hexed. Ice Age 6 is also coming!

4 HUGE DISNEY MOVIE ANNOUNCEMENTS: WE HAVE A FULL RECAP

Then came the Welcome Back with Michael Vargo introduction.

For this session, we learned that the 2026 D23 Expo will take place on August 14th to 16th, 2026. Jodi Beson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, also received a name tag as an official D23 fan-bassador.

We then attended The Three Caballeros: From El Grupo to Goodwill Classics (Part 1) panel.

We love an archive session. They talked about Walt Disney’s trip to Latin America as part of a Goodwill Tour. He was able to learn more about different cultures and bring those ideas back to his stories.

Next was the X Atencio: The Untold Story of a Disney Legend presentation, which we were very excited for!

We learned more about the Imagineer X Atencio from his grandchild and granddaughter-in-law. The Atencia family has worked for Disney for 87 years. He did incredible work, including drawings, movies, and even did the final design of Figment.

Then it was time for Disney Around the Globe: India, and we couldn’t wait to learn all the presentation had to offer.

For this panel, we learned more about The Jungle Book and how Mowgli’s loincloth is the only costume from the live-action movie that made it into the archives.

Right before lunch, it was time for Be Our Guest with Disney on Broadway!

We saw some of our favorite actors perform on stage, and it was incredible. Susan Egan, who voiced Meg in Hercules, called for Disney to do a Tangled Broadway show so she could play Mother Gothel. Wouldn’t that be cool?

Then, after lunch, it was the What’Cha’ Doin’ with Phineas and Ferb‘s Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh.

We weren’t able to take any photos or videos for this one, but the creators gave us a little insight into the show. Did you know that for the new series for Disney+, Candace has a more modern phone, and Phineas has one more stripe on his shirt to show the passage of time? Pretty fun!

We went around the world again with Disney Around the Globe: Japan!

This panel explored how Japanese culture influenced other elements of movies and Disney Parks, such as San Fransokyo in Big Hero 6, which later made its way to Disneyland.

Then it was time for DK2 Animated Classics.

Ready for a throwback? We heard from the directors of Tarzan, Treasure Planet, Fantasia 2000, and Brother Bear. Did you know that Fantasia 2000 was edited between all of these other movies? Pretty cool!

They studied different animals, which is one of the reasons why the elephants are more than just gray in Tarzan.

One of the panels we were most excited for was up next: Creating the Happiest Place on Earth!

We got huge news that the Carousel of Progress in Magic Kingdom is going to get a major update. A Walt Disney animontronic is coming to the show! More details will be added, like what John, Sarah, and the rest of the family have been up to, so we’re excited to see this great, big, beautiful tomorrow.

After an afternoon break, it was time for What’s Cooking with Disney Eats?

Disney showed us new concept art coming to Napa Rose in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Disneyland. The patio just looks amazing!

We also learned about new drinks coming to Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Destiny, which just look spectacular.

There were also SO many popcorn buckets dropped. We’re not going to be able to pick the one, so we might just have to have them all.

Finally, it was time for Boom, Baby! 25 Years of The Emperor’s New Groove!

For the final presentation of the day, we got to find out that The Emperor’s New Groove is coming to the El Capitan theater with the restored dinner scene. BRB, gonna book a plane ticket to California immediately.

That’s a rap on Saturday! Check back for more panels and news on Sunday.

Sunday

On the second day of the event, we were even MORE excited for the panels to come! Today’s schedule includes:

• Disney Villains: Icons of Evil
• Part of our World
• The Three Caballeros: From El Grupo to Goodwill Classics (Part 2)
• The Disney Family Legacy with Roy P. Disney
• The Three Caballeros: From El Grupo to Goodwill Classics (Part 3)
• Down The Rabbit Hole with Walt Disney Archives
• Stay Tuned: You’re Watching Disney Channel
• Disney Around The Globe: China
• Beyond the Spires: An Insider Look at Disney Castles
• Disney Around The Globe: France
• A Goofy Movie: 30 Standout Years

We started off at Disney Villain: Icons of Evil, where we got some new details about the Villains Land at Magic Kingdom.

We learned about the architecture inspiration for the new land, which included a trip to Paris and Barcelona so the design team could be inspired.

BREAKING: NEW Villains Land Details Announced in Disney World

We also got some villainous news for the Disney Destiny, including a first look at Dr Facilier and Loki onboard, as well as the name of the Cruella de Vil show.

CONFIRMED: A SECRET Disney Villain Experience Is Coming to Disney Cruise Line

Disney also announced that a villains party called “Uninvited! A Villains Takeover Party” is coming to Hong Kong Disneyland starting September 19th.

The party will be part villains cavalcade, part street party, and part music spectacular as Disney’s most iconic villains take over Main Street.

BREAKING: A NEW Disney Villains PARTY Is Coming Soon!

During the “Beyond the Spires: An Insider Look at Disney Castles” panel, we got some big news, too! We learned that the World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris Resort will be opening in spring 2026.

This new land will also mark the transformation of Walt Disney Studios Park into Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris Resort.

Disney Reveals Opening Timeline for World of Frozen Addition, and It’s Sooner Than You Think

As well, the classic color palette will be returning to the Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom! The new makeover will feature grays, creams, blues, and hints of gold accents.

BREAKING: Cinderella Castle at Disney World Is Getting a NEW Makeover!

We also learned the answer to the question: what was Stitch’s toilet paper made out of when the Cinderella Castle was defaced on November 16th, 2004? We got the answer!

Spoiler alert: it was not actually toilet paper. But what was it actually?

I Was Today Years Old When I Learned THIS About Disney’s Infamous Cinderella Castle Overlay

Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for updates throughout the whole weekend so you don’t miss a single thing!

NEW Wine Bar George Discount and 35 MORE Announced for Destination D23 in Disney World

What panel are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: We were invited by Disney to attend Destination D23. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

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