Well, WonderCon 2014 has come & gone. By now, the last
of the thousand or more cosplayers who attended this three day-long event have
hopefully cleared out of the Anaheim Convention
Center.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
And while there were a lot of reasons for someone like myself (who makes their
living these days writing about entertainment news & pop culture) to have
braved the crowds at WonderCon. For example — getting the chance to test-drive
Disney's new Magical World game …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… chatting with industry legends like Sergio Aragonés, the genuis artist
behind "Groo the Wanderer" …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… or getting the chance to see the first hour of that
highly anticipated DreamWorks Animation sequel, "How to Train Your Dragon
2."
Copyright Fox / DreamWorks Animation.
All rights
reserved
But for me, the very part of covering a show like this isn't
necessarily all of the wonders that you'll find on WonderCon's show floor …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… it's all of the amazing cosplayers that you get to meet in & around the
venue. Given that WonderCon is an event that supposedly celebrates comic books
… Well, it's not really a surprise to encounter folks dressed as DC favorites
like the Green Lantern …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… and Sinistro, …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… Wonder Woman & Plastic Man, …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… even Big Barda.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
Of course, the Marvel side of the comic universe was also well represented at
WonderCon as well. With the title star from their most recent "Captain America"
movie, the Winter Soldier on hand …
Photo of Noe Valladolid
… as well as another Marvel favorite, Doctor Strange. Who — rumor has it —
will also soon have a Marvel Studios production built around his exploits.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
There were also people at this year's event who wanted to pay tribute to their
favorite Saturday morning cartoon of the past
…
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… or their favorite hit film from the 1980s
…
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… or their favorite hit film from right now.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
Mind you, there were folks at this year's WonderCon who were
steam punk enthusiasts …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… or who marched to the beat of their own drummer.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
But given that I'm a longtime fan of "The Venture
Bros." …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… and "Adventure Time" …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… it was great to see how well represented these two long-running Cartoon
Network shows …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… were at this year's WonderCon.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
Mind you, it was also nice to see the cosplay community
giving Cartoon Network's newest hit, "Steven Universe" some love …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… as well as seeing people dressed up as their favorite Animal Crossing
characters.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
But given that the Anaheim Convention Center is right across the street from the Disneyland Resort, would it really surprise you to hear that there were a large number of cosplayers
wandering around WonderCon as Disney characters?
Photo by Noe Valladolid
As you might expect, given the popularity of
"Frozen
" & "Tangled
," Anna, Elsa …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… and Rapunzel put in appearances at this year's show.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
So which were my Disney-related favorites this time around? Well, I have to
admit that I was thoroughly charmed by these two cosplayers who came dressed as
young Ellie & Carl from Pixar's "Up
."
Photo by Noe Valladolid
Likewise this stylized take on Ursula the Sea Witch was fun.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
But hands down, my favorite from this year's WonderCon (at least in the Disney-related category) had to be Queen Ariel. Which is what one cosplayer imagined The Little Mermaid
would look like after she grew up and then took over for King Triton as the ruler of Atlantica.
Photo by Noe Valladolid
And given that I was smart enough to shake a chimney sweep's hand before I left
the Anaheim Convention
Center …
Photo by Noe Valladolid
… here's hoping that I'll be lucky enough to get the chance to attend
WonderCon again when it returns to Anaheim in 2015.