WDI’s “Carousel of Projects” looks to put a new spin on the D23 EXPO’s Parks & Resort pavilion

Jim Hill

13 years ago

So what was the very best part of the original D23 EXPO? To
be honest, that depended on what aspect of the Walt Disney Company most excites
you.

For fans of Disney’s live-action movies, it would be hard to
top that moment from the Studio Showcase when the wreckage of a sailing ship
slowly rotated, revealing Johnny Depp in full Captain Jack Sparrow regalia.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM6Batk62cA&feature=relmfu]

For those who love Disney & Pixar’s animated features,
John Lasseter rolling clips from the then-still-in-production “The Princess and The Frog” and “Toy Story 3” was pretty amazing. While for theme park fans, when
that magic portal inside of the Disney Parks & Resort’s pavilion opened …

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyHhsGVGPak]

… and you could then make your way into this massive display
space and check out all manner of model for Cars Land at Disney California
Adventure theme park …

… that portion of the 2009 edition of the D23 EXPO will be
really hard to beat.

But the folks at Walt Disney Imagineering, they love a
challenge. Which is why they genuinely tried to step up their game with the
“Carousel of Projects.” Put a whole new spin on the Parks & Resort pavilion
for this year’s EXPO.

“So what sort of exhibits can Official Disney Fan Club
members expect to find when they visit the ‘Carousel of Projects’ later this
week?,” you ask. When I first spoke with David Fisher, the veteran Imagineer
who’s serving as Senior Show Producer on this D23 EXPO display, he was
deliberately coy. Sharing as few details as possible when it came to the Disney
Parks & Resorts pavilion.

Take – for example – what happened when I asked if this
WDI-produced exhibit would feature some Living Character Initiative figures
like Lucky the Dinosaur …

Photo by Angela Ragno

… and WALL-E for D23 members to interact with.

Photo by Angela Ragno

Fisher’s taciturn reply to my question was: “Yep. We’re
going to have something like that at this year’s EXPO. Something new, though.”

But over the course of yesterday’s phone call, I was
eventually able to pry some additional details out of David. In particular how
the “Carousel of Projects” will honor that classic theme park attraction, “Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.”

“Just like with the Carousel of Progress, the exhibits featured in the
‘Carousel of Projects’ will be presented in a circular space. And while it was
impossible for us to actually rotate the Anaheim Convention Center, we do have
an illusion in our pre-show that pays tribute to the way the original Carousel
changed scenes,” Fisher explained.

As for the exhibits that will be on display in this circular
space, David stressed that – this time around – D23 members should expect to
see more artifacts than art at Disney’s Parks & Resorts pavilion.

“You have to understand that we’re much further along with
the construction of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street than we were back in 2009.
So this time around, we’re not going to have just pieces of art and models on
display. We’re going to show D23 members full-sized figures & props from
these new DCA ‘Lands.’ Which will hopefully give Official Disney Fan Club
members a far better understanding of what to expect once Cars Land and Buena
Vista Street officially open for business next year,” Fisher continued.

Speaking of Buena Vista Street, David urged D23 members who
are theme park enthusiasts to check out Saturday’s presentation on Stage 28.
Which is where Imagineers Lisa Girolami, Ray Spencer, and Coulter Winn will be
discussing in depth Disney California Adventure’s new entrance. Which is this
idealized version of the Los Angeles that Walt Disney encountered when he first
arrived in Southern California in 1923.

“Stage 28 will also be where Lisa Girolami, Larry Nikolai
and Chris Crump will be talking about DCA’s newest attraction, ‘The Little
Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.’ Rather than talking about the history of
the development of this attraction, which has already been done to death on those “Little Mermaid” DVDs, Lisa, Larry and Chris are going to be talking about the
actual design choices that they made, how individual scenes for this attractions
were put together,” Fisher stated.

Getting back to the Disney Parks & Resorts pavilion now
… David promised that the ‘Carousel of Projects’ would be a deliberate
departure from the type of display that WDI created for the 2009 D23 EXPO.

“That exhibit was more of a linear experience. This time
around, we’ve partnered with the Disney Cruise Line, the Aulani Resort &
Spa and the Disney Vacation Club to create more of a free-form space at this year’s
EXPO that D23 members will genuinely feel compelled to explore. Then when you
factor in the art & models that we’ll have on display for Shanghai
Disneyland, WDI’s ‘Carousel of Projects’ is the one exhibit that every D23
member who’s into theme parks should visit while they’re at the EXPO.”

Mind you, when I pressed David for additional details (like
what sort of art & models from the Fantasyland expansion project that’s
currently underway at WDW‘s Magic Kingdom will be on display), he once again
clammed up. Closing out yesterday’s phone interview by saying:

“You have to understand that – as Imagineers – we’re big fans
of the Company’s history, culture and traditions too. Which is why – when we
went to put together the Parks & Resorts pavilion for this year’s D23 EXPO
– we deliberately set the bar very high. We wanted to top what WDI did back in
2009. And based on what I’ve seen so far, I think that we’ve actually
accomplished that.”

Later this week, you can decide for yourself whether the
Imagineers actually topped themselves by touring the “Carousel of Projects,”
the Disney Parks & Resorts pavilion at the D23 EXPO.

For further information on this three-day-long celebration
of The Walt Disney Company, be sure and drop by the Official Disney Fan Club
webpage & check out the master schedule for this soon-to-open event.