Thursday, before the Expo I had read on the Disney Commuter Assistance webpage that a shuttle was going to be available from the Cast Parking lot to the Convention Center, about 2 miles away, to allow Cast Members to avoid paying the $12 parking fee. It seemed like a good idea for us, and so we took Disney up on their offer.
As we arrived in the parking lot that Friday morning, we were hassled by a power tripping manager type who asked if we were Cast Members. We had our IDs at the ready and after looking at them, he asked if we were working at the Expo that day. I said no, but that the website had said that we could park there. He glared at us, but that was the end of it. Also, over the next three days we saw many people who were not working use the shuttle, so even if we were misinterpreting what Disney was saying, we were not the only ones.
We entered the Convention Center, got our wristbands and proceeded to wait until we were able to enter the Convention floor. Once the floor opened, we instantly went to queue up for the Dave Barry/Ridley Pearson book discussion, but unfortunately it had filled up with D23 members who were allowed on the floor an hour early. We weren't too upset, and decided to go and look very briefly at the exhibit from the Disney Archives before we joined the hordes waiting to enter the Disney Movie Magic presentation.
We turned in all of our electronics and were seated approximately 15 rows back and to the left side of the stage. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by a less-than-desirable people, but on a positive note, John Tartaglia, of "Avenue Q" fame stopped by talk to some people, which was sort of neat. After sitting for about an hour, the lights dimmed and the most impressive movie montage that I have ever been witness to began. Filled with mini-montages of various themes (pirates, love stories, action etc.) and accompanied by a live orchestra and amazing vocalists, the approximately 30 minute presentation was well worth the price of admission alone. Little was I to know that this was just the very tip of a most amazing iceberg.
First on the stage was Dick Cook, the now former head of the Walt Disney Studios to present some behind the scenes footage of Robert Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol," and when the lights came up, Cook introduced Zemeckis himself who spoke briefly on the film as well as officially announce the Disney remake of the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" film.
Next, Cook presented the trailer for the Robin Williams/John Travolta film, "Old Dogs." As the trailer came to a close, I was hoping for an appearance by newly-appointed Disney legend, Robin Williams. That was not to be, but John Travolta appeared, flanked by wife, Kelly Preston and daughter Ella Bleu Travolta, both of whom appear alongside John in the film.
Following the Travoltas was a 3-D trailer of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," which I thought would be the perfect opportunity for an appearance by Johnny Depp, rumored to be in attendance, but alas, it was not to be. Tim Burton was Cook's special guest, which was really cool in and of itself. He seemed like the type of person that I'd like to have a long chat with some time.
As Burton left the stage, Cook mentioned the upcoming Muppet movie, "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever," which showed up on the screen above the stage, handwritten on a crumpled sheet of notebook paper. A voice suddenly came from nowhere and Pepe, Gonzo and Fozzie appeared on the screen. After talking for a moment, the curtain on stage parted and the three Muppets appeared on a scale replica of Disneyland's Mark Twain riverboat. They began singing parodies of Disney songs and then introduced Miss Piggy, who sang a song as well. The four realized that it really wasn't much of a presentation without Kermit, who then appeared in the Twain pilot house, holding a banjo and began singing "The Rainbow Connection." At this point, Sweetums appeared, pushing the Twain further out on the stage, to reveal all of the significant Muppets of the past 50 years on board.
From the Electric Mayhem to Robin to Beaker to the orchestral penguins, they were all there. I literally began crying to see them all there in person, singing their most iconic song. It killed me that we had to turn in our cameras on the way in, but Lauren and I agreed that even if we walked out of the Expo at that moment, having seen the Muppets like that, didn't look back and never returned, we would consider the whole affair a huge success.
From the Electric Mayhem to Robin to Beaker to the orchestral penguins, they were all there. I literally began crying to see them all there in person, singing their most iconic song. It killed me that we had to turn in our cameras on the way in, but Lauren and I agreed that even if we walked out of the Expo at that moment, having seen the Muppets like that, didn't look back and never returned, we would consider the whole affair a huge success.
As we regained our composure, the lights dimmed again and we saw the trailer for "Prince of Persia," which I remember as an 8-bit computer game, and were then treated to an appearance by Jerry Bruckheimer. With a nice segue, we were next shown some behind the scenes footage of the Bruckheimer/Nicholas Cage's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." I had been unimpressed with the general idea of this film, but after seeing the footage, I decided that this looks like a fun romp of a movie that I am excited to see.
Disneynature and its beautiful film, "Oceans," was the next trailer to be shown and I, for one, cannot wait to see this film. Unfortunately there were no special guests for this presentation, though I was hoping for some sea turtles or otters or something.
The trend of absentee guests continued with Gullermo del Toro and his filmed message from New Zealand, where he is filming "The Hobbit," and he announced a new Disney label called "Double Dare You," which will feature some more mature family horror/suspense films, including the first film to be released, del Toro's own "Troll Hunters," his next project following "The Hobbit."
The next movie to be discussed is Nicholas Sparks' "The Last Song," starring Miley Cyrus, and, big shock, Ms. Cyrus stepped on stage, to the tepid response of the mostly adult audience, though the two pre-teen girls sitting in front of Lauren and I were awed. Cyrus told the audience that she had just finished principle photography on the film and had just picked up the book and was really excited to read it. Really? Are there any big surprises coming? Hey...psst....the Titanic sinks too.
Cyrus next performed the hit song, "The Climb," looking like she was either possessed by demons or having a seizure. Again, the performance received a tepid response and Cyrus exited the stage, looking relatively unhappy.
The next project presented was much better recieved, as "Tron: Legacy" is much more the adult audience's alley. This film looks like a lot of fun, and will be great when it finally comes out. As far as full trailers and behind the scenes looks are concerned, "Tron: Legacy" was the finale, but Cook continued to talk of some films that are not yet beyond the pre-production phase, such as "John Carter of Mars," and "The Lone Ranger."
As the presentation seemed to be winding down, many of the people in the arena began to sneak out early, but they would soon regret that decision. Cook stated that though he had discussed most of the movies, he felt like he was forgetting something, as the theme from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" began and the logo for "Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides" came on the screen, to the screams of the audience, which grew to a deafening roar as a pirate ship appeared on the stage with a familiar silhouette against the sail, and the ship turned to reveal Johnny Depp in full Captain Jack Sparrow regalia.
Johnny, in complete character, began asking the audience if they had seen a talking frog. He was finally lured off stage with promises from Cook about rum, and claimed that was why he was there.
Trying to leave the theater was a bit of a hassle as everyone tried to claim cameras and cell phones, but at least the hordes were polite and relatively decent to all of those waiting.
After grabbing our things, we realized how hungry we were and stepped out to grab some lunch at the BBQ stand, where we ran into a few friends and colleagues and joined our friend, Ross to eat. The food was good, but as was the theme all weekend, grossly overpriced. We chatted with Ross for a bit and briefly toured the "Parks and Resorts" pavilion, before hitting the floor and checking out all of the booths, including my friend, Lou Mongello's, where he gave me a copy of his magazine and invited me to write and article for him. Done deal!
As the floor closed at 5pm, Lauren and I decided that we were done for the day and headed back to the Cast lot for the car, with absolutely no incident. All in all, the first day was amazing and left us even more excited for day 2.
