Disney D23 Destination D 2012 to spotlight animation at Disneyland, more events announced including traveling ‘Fanniversary’

in Disney, Entertainment, Movies

Today the Disney D23 official fan club announced new events they will offer throughout 2012. Listening to fan requests, D23 is expanding events to not only be featured in California and Florida, but around the United States as part of a “Fanniversary” celebration.

Beginning in the spring, D23 will commemorate more than 40 Disney milestones, each celebrating an anniversary in 2012. The events will be hosted by Disney archivists and held in Orlando, New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles, surrounding Disney theme park attractions, animated and live-action films, TV series and more from 85 years of Disney history. They’ll be open to the public, with special admission and surprises created especially for D23 Members in attendance.

Then in the summer, D23 will offer their next “Destination D” event – Destination D: 75 Years of Disney Animation, to take place over two days at the Disneyland Resort in California, on Aug. 11-12, 2012. Disney marks the 75th anniversary of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by gathering renowned Disney animation legends along with top Disney animators, voice talent (past and present) and composers along with hosting demonstrations, presentations, autograph sessions and “animation rarities” from the Disney vaults.

Two other new D23 events are planned for 2012, Journey to Marceline and D23 Presents the Smoke Tree Ranch Roundup.

For the first time, a special tour of Walt’s boyhood hometown — Marceline, Missouri — will take place for D23 members on March 14. Led by Disney archivists, the daylong Journey to Marceline explores this small town (pop. 2,221) in ways that will resonate with Disney fans.

In his later life, Walt found unique inspiration at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, and during a three-day Smoke Tree Ranch Roundup (January 23-25), D23 Members can experience this exclusive retreat in a completely unique way. Disney fans will get to see what Walt called “my own laughing place,” taking part in screenings, presentations, activities and delectable meals, all while staying in a Smoke Tree Ranch cottage.

2012 will also include four special weekends of member-only tours of the Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Archives in Burbank, which are planned for February 11-12, April 28-29, September 8-9 and November 10-11 — doubling the capacity of these consistently sold-out D23 events.

In the fall, during Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival, D23’s popular Sip & Stroll event gets a Halloween twist and becomes Sip & Scream, taking place in October 2012. And during the holiday season D23 will again hold back-to-back presentations of its popular holiday offerings Disney & Dickens (in Burbank in December) and Magic & Merriment (at Walt Disney World Resort, tentative dates: December 7-8 and 9-10).

D23 is also planning an Epcot 30th anniversary celebration and a D23 third anniversary party at the Disneyland Resort, though details for those events are not available yet.

More information about the newly-announced D23 events for 2012 can be found at Disney.com/D23,

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