D23 Gold Members are invited to celebrate 20 years of friendship with Duffy and Friends! Born from an original story at Walt Disney Imagineering, Duffy and his Friends continue to be popular characters with fans around the world—bringing lots of happiness and storytelling to a variety of Disney Parks and Resorts!
This edition of the D23 Spotlight Series will feature a Walt Disney Imagineering panel including Imagineers Charlie Watanabe, Laura West, Xiao Qing Chen, and more, who will all share stories about the creation of adorable buddies Duffy, ShellieMay, Gelatoni, StellaLou, CookieAnn, ‘Olu Mel, and LinaBell, along with the rich storytelling behind these characters that makes them so beloved by fans.
In addition to the presentation, guests will have the opportunity to visit the Walt Disney Imagineering Preview Center and get some sneak peeks of attractions coming soon, along with a look into the technology that brings them to life! Plus, guests will be invited to shop at Mickey’s of Glendale, the Walt Disney Imagineering campus store—which carries a variety of specialty Imagineering and Disney Parks merchandise!
“D23 Spotlight Series & Walt Disney Imagineering: 20 Years of Duffy and Friends” will include:
- A special Walt Disney Imagineering presentation about Duffy and Friends featuring a panel of Imagineers at the historic Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale.
- A visit to the Walt Disney Imagineering Preview Center, including two new additions.
- Shopping opportunity at Mickey’s of Glendale on the Walt Disney Imagineering campus.
- A D23 Gold Member commemorative event gift.
- A Starbucks event-exclusive drink, available for purchase at the Walt Disney Imagineering location!
- Fan photo meet-up: Guests are encouraged to come dressed in theme and bring their Duffy and Friends plush to the event! At 11:15am, guests are encouraged to gather for a group photo in front of the Grand Central Air Terminal.
- Entry into the visitor center of the Grand Central Air Terminal, featuring historical exhibits curated by Walt Disney Imagineering.
Due to the nature of this experience, all guests attending must be ages 8 and up.
Join us for one of two (2) event itineraries for “D23 Spotlight Series & Walt Disney Imagineering: 20 Years of Duffy and Friends.”; click your preferred itinerary below on Friday, March 28th at 10am PT / 1pm ET to be brought directly to the ticketing page. Tickets for Gold Members are $33, plus a $3 Processing Fee, per ticket.
- Saturday, May 3 – Walt Disney Imagineering Campus visit first
- Guests with this itinerary will enter the Walt Disney Imagineering campus first, where—between the hours of 10am PT and 11:30am PT—they can enjoy the campus’ greenspace; receive a window of time to shop at Mickey’s of Glendale, as well as an assigned window of time for the Walt Disney Imagineering Preview Center; and have the opportunity to purchase a special themed Starbucks drink! Then, guests will head over to the Grand Central Air Terminal for the D23 Spotlight Series presentation.
- Saturday, May 3rd – Presentation first
- Guests with this itinerary will first attend the D23 Spotlight Series presentation at the Grand Central Air Terminal. Then, guests will head over to Walt Disney Imagineering, where—between the hours of 11:30am PT and 1pm PT—guests can enjoy the campus’ greenspace; receive an assigned window of time to shop at Mickey’s of Glendale as well as an assigned window of time for the Walt Disney Imagineering Preview Center; and have the opportunity to purchase a special themed Starbucks drink!
If you won’t be able to make it to this D23 event celebrating Duffy and Friends, Tokyo DisneySea is celebrating 20 Years of Duffy from April 8, 2025, through March 19, 2026. There will be themed merchandise, special menus, themed décor, entertainment, and more found throughout the park. The theme for the celebration is celebrating all things happy. This ranges from rainbows to bubbles. It comes from Duffy and Friends ability to find the joy in the small things. More information about this event can be found here.
DETAILS
ABOUT THE SPOTLIGHT SERIES
D23 is teaming up with partners across the company in 2025, including the Walt Disney Archives and Walt Disney Imagineering, for the new D23 Spotlight Series. These in-person events will take fans deeper into unique topics such as a celebration of the Walt Disney Archives’ 55th anniversary and a look into Indiana Jones attractions at Disney Parks past, present and future—along with more exciting topics throughout the year!
NOTES
Ticketing Requirements:
- D23 Gold Members may reserve a ticket for themselves and up to one (1) guest.
- All guests attending must be ages 8 and up. All guests under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to attend this D23 event and will require an event ticket for admission.
- All attendees over the age of 18 will be required to show a valid government-issued ID at registration. The names of the IDs MUST match the names on each event ticket.
- Each attendee must have a ticket in their possession for entry, and every ticket must match the name submitted at the time of purchase to the attendee’s valid government-issued ID.
- Entrance to the campus will not be permitted if the names do not match.
- Only confirmed ticketed attendees will be able to enter Disney’s Grand Central Creative Campus.
- Only confirmed ticketed attendees will be admitted—no additional guests or substitutions will be allowed.
- Due to limited parking capacity, only one (1) car will be permitted to park on premises; all D23 Gold Members and their pre-registered guests must arrive together in one vehicle.
- The event will take place rain or shine; please dress accordingly for outdoor portions of the event.
- There are a limited number of tickets available. D23 Gold Members must log in by using their D23 Gold Member account information when reserving tickets.
- D23 Gold Members who do not bring their membership card and tickets may not be admitted to the event. Membership card may be a physical card or a digital membership card found in the D23 App.
- Video or audio recording of any kind will not be permitted during the presentation or in the Walt Disney Imagineering Preview Center.
Any ticketed Members or their guests who do not personally attend the event forfeit their place, as well as all experiences, benefits, and gifts associated with the event. D23 Gold Members must be present or guests will not gain admittance to the event.
All D23 events are subject to change without notice. All ticket sales are final. There are strictly no cancellations or refunds regardless of reason (including, without limitation, due to illness, change in travel plans, etc.) and tickets are not transferable.
What do you think of this D23 event to celebrate 20 years of Duffy and Friends? Are you a fan of Duffy and Friends? Let us know in the comments.
