Disney presents dozens of panels at this year’s Comic-Con

Jim Hill

15 years ago

Good Lord?! Is it really just 10 days ‘til Comic-Con officially gets underway?

The folks at Comic-Con International have finally posted all four days of programming for
this year’s event. And given the huge number of Disney-related panels that are being presented this year … Well, San Diego is the place you really want to be July 22^nd – 25^th if you want to know what’s coming next from the Mouse House.

Mind you, you’re going to need to employ some strategy and/or make some hard choices if you intend on attending many of these panels. Take – for example – what you’ll need to do if you’re a “TRON” fan. Which is make your way to Hall H by 10 a.m. on Thursday and then grab a seat for
DreamWorks Animation’s “Megamind” presentation.

“And why would I want to do that?,” you ask. Because if you do , you’re then guaranteed to be inside of Hall H when the real fun begins at 11:15 a.m. Which is when “TRON: Legacy”
director Joe Kosinski and Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Bruce Boxleitner will be coming onstage to discuss this highly anticipated Walt Disney Pictures release. And yes, Disney plans on screening some footage from this “TRON” sequel as part of this panel.

After this “TRON: Legacy” presentation is done, you should probably head on out to the convention floor. Where you can then visit the interactive TRON display that Disney will have set up in the 3700 aisle at Booth 3712. Here you’ll be able to check out many of the “TRON: Legacy” toys, electronics and collectibles that Disney Consumer Products currently has in the works. Not to mention playtest that “TRON: Evolution” video game that Disney Interactive
Studios will be releasing to stores in early November.

And speaking of things that come out in November, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Tangled” will be rolled into theaters on November 24^th. Of course, if you’d like to learn more about WDAS’ next CG release, you need to be in Room 5AB at the San Diego Convention Center by 2 p.m. Which is when “Tangled” directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard will be sitting down with that film’s animation supervisor, Glen Keane, to discuss how they turned the tale of Rapunzel into a feature-length animated cartoon.

If – after listening to Nathan, Bryon & Glen talk – you’re then interested in learning more about what’s going on in the animation industry these days … Well, then you should probably make your way to Room 9 at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. Which is when Tim Sito will be moderating ASIFA-Hollywood’s annual State of the Animation Industry panel. Where industry vets like Joe Haidar, Raul Garcia and Sean Petrilak will be discussing issues like how 2D can survive in today’s CG-saturated world.

And speaking of animation … If you’d like to find out what The Walt Disney Company’s $4 billion acquisition is up to next, then make your way to Room 6BCF by 12:45 p.m. on Friday. Which is when Marvel Animation will be showcasing some of the shows that they currently have in the works for Disney XD and the like.

Berkeley Breathed

Of course, what’s tough about attending this particular Marvel Animation panel is that it means that you then won’t be able to attend the presentation that’s being held in Room 6A from 1 – 2 p.m. Which is when “Bloom County” creator Berkeley Breathed will be holding court. Showing test footage from that Opus movie that Miramax had in development a few years back but
ultimately never put into production. Not to mention talking up that new performance capture film that Berkeley has in the works for ImageMovers Digital, “Mars Needs Moms.”

And speaking of Miramax movies … Producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toro will be in Hall H from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m. Where he’ll then be showcasing Troy Nixey’s new movie, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.” Which Walt Disney Studios will be releasing to theaters on January 21, 2011.

And if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to work at Pixar Animation Studios, you should make a point of being in Room 26AB from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Which is when “Up” story supervisor Ronnie Del will be talking about staging, acting and all the other skills that are involved when it comes to storytelling on the big screen.

If – on the other hand – you prefer your storytelling done on the small screen, then you should grab a seat in Room 6DE from 8:15 – 9:15 p.m. Which is when Marvel Anime will be presenting the world premiere of the pilot episode of its highly anticipated new Iron Man TV series.

If you’ve come to Comic-Con to get some tips about how you can launch your career in animation … Well, a good place to start would be Room 8 on Saturday from 10 – 11 a.m. Which is when “Lilo & Stitch” ‘s Dean DeBlois and “The Little Mermaid” John Musker will discuss what’s involved with writing an animated feature film.

Of course, if you do that, you’ll then miss out on the panel that Harrison Ellenshaw will be talking part in Room 24ABC from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Which is when this “TRON” vet will be joining pros like Ricardo Delgado and Simeon Wilkins to discuss the important role that storyboards & concept art plays in film production.

And let’s not forget about all the great voice talent that’s featured in your favorite animated films. If you’d like to see what some of these folks look like, then come by Room 6BCF from 1:45-3:15 p.m. Which is when Mark Evanier and Earl Kress will be talking with veteran performers April Winchell, Jason Marsden and Gregg Berger.

Speaking of animation … Room 6DE is where you want to be from 4:15-5:15 p.m. if you want to get an early preview of that “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” series will be airing on Disney XD this fall. For the folks at Marvel Animation plan on screening two full episodes of this new animated series.

Mind you, if you attend this “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” preview, you’ll then miss out of Warren Spector’s “Epic Mickey” presentation. Which is going to be held from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Room 9. Which will include a demo of gameplay as well as some never-before-seen areas in this eagerly anticipated Wii game.

The tough choices continue on Sunday morning. You can either start off your day in Room 24ABC where – from 10 – 11 a.m. – where cartoonist Roger Langridge will be talking about how the critically acclaimed Muppet Show Comic Book is put together. Or you can make your way to Room 6BCF where Nathan Fillion –the star of ABC’s hit series, “Castle” – will be paneling with that show’s creators.

And if you’re a “Phineas and Ferb” fan, you’d be get on line for Room 6BCF early. For this is where that show’s creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh will be on hand from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. along with the voice talent from this super-popular Disney Channel & Disney XD series.

Mind you, if you’d like to walk away from this year’s Con with a really cool collectible, then be sure and be in Room 24ABC from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Which is when the folks from BOOM Kids! will be hosting their first-ever Get-a-Sketch panel. Which is where artists like James Silvani & Ramanda Kamarga will be drawing characters from BOOM comic books like “Dark Wing Duck,” “The Incredibles” & “Toy Story” and then handing them out to lucky attendees.

And if you didn’t get enough Phineas & Ferb while you were attending that 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. panel in Room 6DCF … Well, you then need to be in Room 6DE from 3 – 4 p.m. Which is where Disney XD will staging the world premiere of that new Phineas & Ferb hour-long special, “Summer Belongs to You.”

And speaking of Disney XD … Given that Comic-Con tends to kick a lot of people’s butts … Well, what better way is there to finish out this four-day-long event then by attending a Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil panel? Sandro Corsaro, the creator of this Disney XD series, will be on hand in Room 6A from 3:15-4:15 p.m.

You know what’s scary? These are only the Disney-related panels & presentations that I’ve listed here. There are literally hundreds of other events being held at this year’s Comic-Con. Not to mention dozens upon dozens of booths & displays to visit out on the convention floor.

In fact, if you’ve got a booth or an event that you’d like JHM readers to visit / attend at this year’s Con, please send that info along to jim@jimhillmedia.com and we’ll then include that as part of our annual Comic-Con tip sheet.

So is there something that I missed? If so, let me know.

Your thoughts?