D23

D23 is The Walt Disney Company’s official fan club, launched in 2009. Its name combines “Disney” with 1923, the year Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood. The organization was created to connect Disney enthusiasts with company history, productions, parks, products, and special events, rather than functioning as a separate entertainment studio or theme-park operator. A central D23 activity is its biennial D23 Expo, first held in Anaheim, California, in 2009. The convention has become a major venue for Disney announcements, exhibitions, screenings, merchandise, and fan presentations. Programming has covered Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Disney Parks, and other parts of the company’s portfolio. At different expos, Disney has used large presentations to preview films, series, attractions, and park projects, while attendees have also encountered costumes, props, concept art, and historical displays. D23 also operates through year-round programs and publications. Its official website publishes Disney-related news and archival features, and its members have received access to special offers, collectible merchandise, event opportunities, and the quarterly magazine Disney twenty-three. The magazine’s title refers to the same 1923 origin story. Its articles commonly combine interviews and previews with material about Disney archives, animation, filmmaking, and company history. The organization’s name and programming emphasize preservation as well as promotion. Through events such as member gatherings, studio tours, screenings, and presentations by Disney historians, D23 has highlighted artifacts and stories associated with figures including Walt Disney, the company’s animators, and performers. It has also organized events connected with Disney parks and attractions, giving fans opportunities to discuss both current projects and older experiences. D23’s public identity is therefore unusually tied to a large corporate archive and entertainment ecosystem. It is not simply a general fan convention: it is an official Disney membership organization with a deliberately historical brand, a recurring flagship expo, and direct connections to Disney’s studios, parks, consumer products, and archival initiatives. Its significance comes from making company announcements and institutional history part of an organized fan experience. For Disney followers, D23 provides a formal channel through which news, nostalgia, collectibles, and access to creators are presented under the company’s own name, while its 1923-based identity continually points back to the origins of the Disney enterprise.