This last weekend, thousands of Disney fans descended on the Anaheim Convention Center and Honda Center to experience in person D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. The event was full of newsworthy moments. This ranged from experiences to panels to presentations to merchandise, and a whole lot more. For many Disney parks fans, the highlight of the weekend was Horizons: A Carousel of Progress. This took place on Saturday night at the Honda Center. It was this year’s Disney Experiences Showcase.
Throughout the showcase, fans were treated to a look at what was going on around Disney Experiences around the globe. This year, the showcase took the form of a late-night show that was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and friends. These friends included Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum, Walt Disney Imagineers, as well as other celebrities and performers. Together, they helped present a successful showcase.
This showcase had three elements that I thought helped make it successful (and no, there were no Muppets; I just liked the photo). Just like a delicious meal needs ingredients, so did this showcase. In this case and analogy, three main ingredients combined for a successful outcome. For this D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, these were the three ingredients that were necessary. These ingredients provide a bigger picture of where Disney Experiences is currently and what it is all about. It also offers the type of relationship that Disney wants to have with its fans moving forward.
1. What’s Completed
The first ingredient that helped make this showcase successful was the report on what has been completed that had been previously announced two years ago. This included three new ships for the Disney Cruise Line fleet, Disney Adventure World’s opening, the Disneyland 70th Celebration, and the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong Disneyland. This showed that things announced at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event are real projects that are taken seriously and acted upon by Disneyland.
2. What’s in Progress
Another crucial ingredient in this showcase was the progress report on what is being worked on around the globe. This ranged from Avengers Campus expansion at the Disneyland Resort to multiple project updates at Walt Disney World Resort, an update about Disney Believe, and other updates from around the globe. For the most part, this provided a progress report on projects announced at the last D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
3. What’s Coming
Finally, the third major ingredient was a look at what is to come. As is often the case, these things were light on details but very exciting. This included the Dreamfinder and Figment announcement, a new Tomorrowland for Disneyland, and even fixing the Yeti! In each case, there was a visual provided along with the brief announcement. This is often how these things are done, as the process of bringing these things to fruition often sees projects change along the way.
Why These Matter
These three types of announcements matter because they start showing a bigger picture of what Disney is doing. They provide a look at each phase of a Disney project, whether it is a Yeti or a full-on land. Past, present, and future, they provide a look at how things progress. They also allow guests to be a part of this journey. After all, the announcements at this D23 were all things that guests have been requesting for a very long time! As the project grows and gets nearer to completion, more information is available, and more information is shared.
Going back to the recipe analogy, when one starts making a dish in the kitchen, the beginning is not super exciting. Generally, there is a name of what is being made, and let’s say it is pasta; soon there is a pile of flour on the counter. As things progress and more ingredients are added, the dish begins to take shape. It becomes easier to envision what the final project will be. There is now substance to it as different elements are added. Finally, all of the ingredients come together and are plated for what is hopefully a delicious meal.
To use the Tomorrowland announcement for Disneyland or the Figment with Dreamfinder announcement for EPCOT as an analogy. This weekend, fans were shown what the recipe name is along with a brief image (either a graphic or Neil Patrick Harris in costume) to give an idea of what is coming. At this point, the recipes for both of these offerings are still being developed. There isn’t even flour on the table. That will come later. What there is instead is a vision for what could be coupled with core tenets to help guide each project. They are like names of dishes picked out of the index of a cookbook.
These projects will be developed in the coming years, and at a future D23 fan event, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a model of a new Tomorrowland for Disneyland, just like the Piston Peak model that was at this most recent one. There could also be new figures on display from a future Figment with Dreamfinder attraction as well, just like what was seen for the now-named Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto for the Tropical Americas or the Carousel of Progress. At this D23 event, there will hopefully be new projects that are announced, and others recognized as completed.
Ultimately, there will be a day when someone stands up on a stage somewhere and can showcase what was done with these two projects. They will have been completed, and guests will get to enjoy these new experiences. With the completion of these experiences, there will be new projects at different phases of development along the way. Some of these will still be piles of flour on a table; others will be taking shape in theme parks and ships around the world.
In a perfect world, this “circle of life” will hopefully continue, and fans will continue to benefit from it. Even more ideally, Disney will continue to communicate this way moving forward and provide updates that look at what has been completed, what’s in progress, and what is coming. As the cycle continues, guests will begin to trust the process because they know the outcome will be something they love (just like an amazing plate of lasagna!).
The Walt Disney Company is entering a new era under the leadership of Josh D’Amaro. This era builds on the previous era that former Disney CEO Bob Iger led. Josh D’Amaro, Thomas Mazloum, and other Disney leaders are now hard at work building the foundations for what will define this era. At this point, it seems to be an era that is defined by connection, trust, and hospitality. This is an era where Disney is seeking to grow and deepen its relationship with its fans. If they are successful and fans buy into this new relationship, everyone could really benefit greatly. This seems particularly true for fans of the parks.
This new era will face its own set of challenges, as does every era. There will be things that impact these initiatives in the coming years. However, if Disney faces these hurdles and continues to stick to the basic fundamentals that it is currently solidifying, both the Company and fans will weather them together, as both sides will feel that they are together and have common goals moving forward.
For 22 years, Daps Magic has been covering Disney. There have been ups and downs through those times. However, at THIS time, there seems to be a unique opportunity for Disney and its fans to be excited about the future together. Disney has been showing how willing it is to listen to and engage with guests. In doing so, they are also showing how they value guests.
Ultimately, this is still about running a successful business. However, in this era under Josh D’Amaro, Disney seems to recognize that investing in a relationship with its guests is a good investment. This is something that many guests have known would be true for many years. Now that it is being offered, it is on the guests to see if it is worth the risk of seeing if they were correct. That’s a very exciting proposition if it is taken!
Going back to the 3 things that made Horizons: A Carousel of Progress successful. These three things were part of a bigger strategy to make things win-win between Disney and guests. It is part of an olive branch that shows Disney knows what has happened in the past and that the future can be brighter. This is something that most everyone yearns for.
For years, I have heard Disney fans wish that Disney would listen to them. Now, they are getting what was wished for. Now, it is time to decide what to do with this opportune moment. There is the chance to be a part of the solution and make the future brighter by embracing this new approach. This new approach could also be rebuffed and discouraged from listening to fans because all that ends up happening is more complaints. Here at Daps Magic, we are hoping this new approach takes hold. We hope it leads to a more positive environment within the Disney community. We also hope it leads to more Disney wishes (ala Dreamfinder and Figment or a new Tomorrowland) coming true in the future.
These three ingredients of Horizons: A Carousel of Progress were about trust. Trust is something that is earned, and Disney is currently working on that. I have been in meetings this year with more than one Disneyland President or the Experiences Chairman where the curtain has been pulled back a little bit as to what is going on at Disney Experiences, who is doing these things, and why. These meetings have provided me with the chance to look into the eyes of Disney leaders, see their passions, see their strengths and weaknesses, and gauge where things are at. In these meetings, these three ingredients have been present. A back-and-forth dialogue has also been present. This is why I think this is an opportune moment for Disney fans. This is why I’m excited for the future. This is why I’m looking forward to future Disney Experiences Showcases at D23 events.
What did you think of Horizons: A Carousel of Progress? What do you think of my perspectives and food analogy? Would you like more thoughts and analysis on this matter in the future? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
