Want to see where Walt Disney grew up & vacationed? D23 will take you there in 2012

You know what they say: the third time's the charm.

As D23 mapped out its plans for 2012 ... well, Steven Clark knew that it was going to take more than just charm to make the third year of operation for the Official Disney Fan Club memorable.

"Heading into Year No. 3, we felt that it was time that D23 did some different types of events," Clark explained in a recent phone call. "We wanted to create events that go 'beyond the berm' and really take Club members to places that they've never, ever been before."

Walt Disney got away from the grind of running the Studio by driving
out to Palm Springs and then vacationing Smoke Tree Ranch.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Which is why - during the first few months of very eventful 2012 - D23 is producing experiences that give its members the chance to literally walk in Walt Disney's shoes. The first of these special events is a journey back to Walt's boyhood home, Marceline, Missouri , for a daylong tour led by Disney archivists.  It's the first time Disney has led a tour of Marceline, which of course inspired Main Street, U.S.A.

And before that happens, D23 has also also made arrangements to get a select number of members into the Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, CA., which Walt loved so much.  "You're actually going to be able to vacation the way that Walt Disney did.  Walt called the Smoke Tree Ranch his 'own laughing place,' and we want to create amazing memories there for our members," Steven said.  "From January 23 to 25, D23 members will be able to spend the night in a genuine Smoke Tree Ranch bungalow, where they can try their hand at some of the very same things that Walt did when he came out to Palm Springs to relax, including lawn bowling and horseback riding, plus nights around the campfire where some very special guests will be providing the entertainment."

Steven added, "This Smoke Tree Ranch experience is going to be very, very different than a theme-park experience about Walt, but still completely, authentically Disney."

The same could be said about D23's Journey to Marceline event in March. Which will take D23 members via motorcoach to Walt's boyhood hometown for a full day of activities.

Marceline, Mo. The small town that is said to have provided the inspiration for Disneyland's
Main Street, U.S.A. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"We're working right now with the town of Marceline to plan out all of the details of the day, but we will plan to have a screening at the Uptown Theater - the only theater in Marceline - of a movie that meant an awful lot to Walt and has strong ties to his upbringing there," Clark continued.

And speaking of screenings ... Given that 2012 is the 75thanniversary of the world premiere of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," D23 is using that as an excuse to celebrate the animated feature with its next "Destination D" event. Which will be held at the Disneyland Hotel in August.

"We've really dug deep into the vaults to come up with the programming for next year's Destination D, whose theme is '75 Years of Disney Animation.' We've found some things that even the most avid Disney fans have never, ever seen before," Steven stated. "If you're a Disney animation fan, this is really an event that you won't want to miss, because we're putting together presentations and panels that will look at these films in really exciting ways."

But in addition to these ambitious new events, D23 will also be bringing back some of the more popular events from its past. Like its member-only tours of the Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Archives in Burbank.

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"These tours have been hugely popular with Club Members. The only complaint that we've ever gotten about them is that people have repeatedly tried to sign up for these Studios & Archives tours but keep missing out because their capacity is so small. We've grown it and grown it since we started, and now we're going to schedule four weekendsof tours, not four individual days.  We'll take D23 members around the Walt Disney Studios and the Archives on both Saturday and Sunday, which will double our capacity," Clark said.

There'll be all this ... plus the Official Disney Fan will supplementing its already-popular "50 and Fabulous" film series with a brand-new series of screenings, "From the Vault." Which will then allow D23 members to celebrate some of Walt Disney Studios' more contemporary productions like like "Newsies" and "Sister Act." They will also be doing seasonal events like "Disney and Dickens" and "Magic & Merriment" (which are both sold out for this year).  The "Sip & Stroll" event will take on a new guise this year, literally, when it moves to October and becomes "Sip & Scream."

Steven said that feedback from D23 members also helped them make a decision to take their events on the road this year.  Since it's D23's anniversary, and the anniversary of a number of Disney movies, theme-park attractions and TV shows, a D23 "Fanniversary" celebration will come to six different cities - Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Chicago, Boston and San Francisco.

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"If I had to sum up what it is about 2012 that's going to make this year really special for D23 members, it's that - in the coming year - we're going to give you the chance to get to know Walt Disney in ways that you never have before. You're going to get to visit his boyhood home. You're going to get to vacation like him and watch movies in the exact same theater where Walt viewed his studio's works-in-progress. We've always said being part of the official Disney fan club gets you insider access - and we want to really deliver on that promise like never before and provide what many longtime Disney fans have often dreamed about."

And the dream becomes reality in 2012. For further information on what D23 has in the works for next year, keep an eye out for the official press release for these upcoming Official Disney Fan Club events & activities.  Which is due to pop up on the Web sometime later today.

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