By Courtney Potter
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026 was truly incredible! Whether you were walking the show floor at the Anaheim Convention Center; marveling at the nightly showcases at Honda Center; or even following along at home—via Disney+ or on D23’s social channels—you know that this year’s event was an epic fan celebration for the ages...
So, there’s no time like the present to recap 23 standout moments from a weekend chockablock with excitement and exhilaration. From heartfelt acceptance speeches and mind-blowing announcements to amazing cosplay and everything in between, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event was bigger and better than ever—and created memories to last a lifetime.
This is by no means exhaustive (there’s SO MUCH to choose from!), and it’s in no particular order, but see if your fave(s) made the list:
1. Amy Adams Makes Surprise Appearance at “20 Years of Enchanted: A Love Letter to Disney” Panel
That’s how you know... it was an Ultimate Disney Fan Event to remember! At Friday’s panel celebrating two decades of the iconic Disney film, star Amy Adams made a surprise appearance on the Walt Disney Archives Stage—and even took part in a finale singalong with Enchanted composer and Disney Legend Alan Menken; director Kevin Lima; Disney Legends Paige O’Hara and Jodi Benson; Broadway star (and singing voice of Pocahontas) Judy Kuhn; and panel host Nina West!
2. The Incredible Pirates of the Caribbean LEGO® Build on the Show Floor
There be plunderin’ pirates lurkin’ in every cove... including at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event! Attendees at the Anaheim Convention Center couldn’t get enough of this truly spectacular LEGO version of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction—built by fans just like them! The attention to detail was amazing.
3. Disney Legend Jodi Benson Joins the Disney Princesses, Heroes, & Villains Cosplay Meetup
Benson surprised the assembled crowd at Saturday’s Princesses, Heroes, & Villains Cosplay Meetup—eliciting cheers, and even a few tears, before taking plenty of photos... including, of course, with attendees dressed in full Ariel regalia!
4. Cameos A-Plenty During “On the Open Road” at the Disney Rewind Concert
The nostalgia was strong during the Disney Rewind Concert—not just because of the incredible performances of favorite Disney ’80s and ’90s hits, but because of a fantastic version of “On the Open Road” from A Goofy Movie performed by the voice of Goofy and Disney Legend Bill Farmer alongside Broadway performer Andrew Barth Feldman... which featured a host of amazing cameos, including director Kevin Lima, veteran Disney voice actor Jim Cummings, voice of Mickey Mouse Bret Iwan, voice of Minnie Mouse Kaitlyn Robrock, and Disney Legends Benson and Susan Egan.
5. ... and Mikayla from Make-A-Wish® Takes the Disney Rewind Concert Stage!
We had to go double with the Disney Rewind Concert on this list, in order to highlight the amazing Mikayla: This Make-A-Wish alum became Disney's 150,000th wish granted after performing at Walt Disney World Resort. Now a college theater student, her wish truly came full circle when Disney Legend Susan Egan invited her to sing at the past weekend’s concert! Go behind the scenes of Mikayla’s experience, above.
6. Disney Legend Bob Gurr Trips a Little Light Fantastic at “Walt Disney: 125 Years of Inspiration” Panel
Friday’s panel on the Premiere Stage was notable for so many reasons... Fans got to hear directly from Joanna Miller, Walt Disney’s granddaughter, as well as others who were inspired by him including Disney Legends Bob Gurr and Floyd Norman and iconic former Imagineer Tania Norris—but at the end of the panel, Gurr wowed the crowd with some totally epic dance moves, as the panel (and the room) took part in a swinging singalong rendition of the Sherman Brothers’ classic “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.”
7. A Visit from Judy Hopps and Gary De’Snake!
The Walt Disney Archives Stage was hopping (pun intended) on Saturday afternoon when Judy Hopps and Gary De’Snake—otherwise known as Ginnifer Goodwin and Oscar® winner Ke Huy Quan—surprised the crowd and joined the “Zootopia: Ten Years in the Mammal Metropolis” panel... sharing all sorts of memories from their time spent in Zootopia with filmmakers Byron Howard, Jared Bush, Yvett Merino, Clark Spencer, composer Michael Giacchino, and moderator Yvette Nicole Brown.
8. D23 Mousequerade: Meet the Winners
The results are nothing short of magical when Disney magic meets high fashion! The creativity and craftmanship at this year’s D23 Mousequerade was remarkable—and it’s always one of our favorite panels of the weekend!
2026’s categories and their winners were:
- “Solo Entry” – “A Jest of a Carrousel Ride”: Julieanna Trinidade
- “Cast of Characters” – “The Muppet Gala”: Glimmerwood
- Innovation & Technology Award – “A Jest of a Carrousel Ride”: Julieanna Trinidade
- Audience Choice Award – “To Pizza and Beyond”: Charlotte Kryska and friend
9. Thrilling Announcements at the Friday’s Disney Entertainment Showcase
The excitement inside the Honda Center was fully palpable on Friday night, as announcement after announcement—not to mention surprise appearance after surprise appearance!—electrified the crowd. Among the memorable moments were Ryan Gosling chatting about the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter; the cast reveal for the brand-new X-Men film; and fan favorite Kathryn Hahn bringing a behind-the-scenes peek at the live-action Tangled!
10. Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration at Disney California Adventure Park
Bringing together the largest collection of Disney Princess talent ever assembled, the unforgettable event last Thursday—kicking off World Princess Week—honored the beloved stories and music across Disney animation, live-action films, and the stage. Seeing each princess sing in front of the iconic World of Color fountains? Goosebumps! And the best part? You can watch the whole thing right now on Disney+...
11. Disney Legend Joe Rohde Chats About Tropical Americas
Rohde took the stage at the Imagineering Pavilion, with moderator and Imagineer Joan Hartwig, and delighted the assembled crowd with news about the upcoming Tropical Americas land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.
12. Ned Takes D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event by Storm!
At Saturday’s “Celebrate 65 Years of Marvel's Spider-Man!” panel, inside the Premiere Stage, Ned himself—actor Jacob Batalon—surprised the crowd for a chat with producer and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and moderator Brandon Davis.
13. Sauce Sorcery at the Kraft Heinz Booth
It was a flavorful world at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event... were you able to experience the fun? Fans just couldn’t get enough of the HEINZ Flavor Ferry all weekend long! The booth featured 4,000+ HEINZ ReMIX sauce combinations and classic sauces at the memorable HEINZ Tap—as well as a limited special-edition giveaway to take home.
14. Disney Legend Alan Menken Performs New Song from Tangled Stage Adaptation
While performing his one-man concert “A Whole New World of Alan Menken” at the Premiere Stage on Sunday night, Menken stunned the crowd by performing a snippet from a brand-new song written for a Tangled stage musical adaptation. It was just one of many musical moments from the Disney Legend that proved particularly memorable... and a magical way to wrap up D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event for those in attendance!
15. Hey Jonas! Podcast Welcomes Special Guests
After receiving their Disney Legends Awards at the Honda Center on Sunday, Joe, Kevin, and Nick Jonas made their way back to the Anaheim Convention Center for a live taping of their Hey Jonas! iHeart podcast. The crowd went wild—not just for the JoBros, naturally, but for their amazing surprise special guests: actor and singer Jesse McCartney, and David Henrie, star and executive producer of Disney’s Wizards Beyond Waverly Place!
16. Disney Experiences Showcase Wows the Crowd on Saturday
There were attraction reveals a-plenty and incredible performances all night long at the Honda Center on Saturday night, during the magical Disney Experiences Showcase hosted by Neil Patrick Harris... Memorable moments—ones legitimately for the record books!—included the reveal (helped along by Harris, natch) that Dreamfinder and Figment are returning to Epcot; Oscar winner Glenn Close in full Cruella de Vil regalia, delighting the audience; and the news that the Expedition Everest yeti will indeed come to life once more!
17. Big Talent at the “Disney and The Grammys®: A Musical Legacy” Panel
Sunday’s panel at the Backlot Stage featured a host of amazing musical icons—including composers David Zippel, Michael Giacchino, and Germaine Franco, and the CEO of the Recording Academy himself, Harvey Mason, Jr. But that’s not all: During the panel, an amazing piece of art was revealed, created by Adrienne Brown Norman, commemorating the posthumous Grammy that Walt Disney received for the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio.
18. Surprise Proposal on the Spotlight Stage
Love was in the air! During Saturday’s “Greeking Out with Hercules” chat on the Spotlight Stage—which featured the hosts of National Geographic’s Greeking Out podcast chatting with Ron Clements and Disney Legend Susan Egan—the crowd was tickled pink when a pair of Disney fans took the stage and a proposal took place live for all and sundry to witness. (As you see in the above image, she did indeed say yes.) Congrats to the happy couple!
19. “Making Disney Magic with Ron Clements” Really Made Disney Magic!
Speaking of Clements, his very own panel on Friday, at the Walt Disney Archives Stage, was full of magical special guests—including Moana’s Auli’I Cravalho, Disney Legends and fellow animators Mark Henn and Eric Goldberg; Disney Legends Susan Egan, Jodi Benson, and Anika Noni Rose; Walt Disney Animation Studios producer Roy Conli; and voice actor Jim Cummings. And the whole thing was hosted by D23 favorite Leonard Maltin!
20. Amazingly Adorable Encounters at the Imagineering Pavilion
If you made it over to Imagineering: Horizons pavilion on the show floor, you may have been among the lucky guests to see demonstrations of both the next-generation Olaf robotic character, as well as the free-roaming BDX droids. Take a gander at both in the clips above!
21. Disney Legends Ceremony Dazzles on Sunday Afternoon
Lin-Manuel Miranda gave his speech to the tune of “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid... Dwayne Johnson led the entire Honda Center crowd in a rendition of “Happy Birthday” for his daughter Simone... KATSEYE surprised and delighted everyone with their version of “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from Hercules, celebrating Susan Egan... four Disney Legends, plus an iconic sportscaster, took the stage to honor Bob Iger... the list goes on. It was truly one of the most memorable Disney Legends ceremonies in history—and you can still watch it, right now on Disney+!
22. Disney Lorcana Brings the Magic to the Anaheim Convention Center
Yes, the Illumineers were on hand and ready for fun! A special Disney Lorcana D23 Challenge Championship Qualifier (CCQ)* took place at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, giving players the chance to compete in an official Disney Lorcana Challenge program tournament. In fact, there was Disney Lorcana excitement from Ravensburger all weekend long—including signings by artists; a store full of products; a gaming area which hosted speed puzzling events; and so much more.
23. Walt Disney Archives: Uncrated—All-New Stage and Never-Before-Seen Items
This year’s Archives exhibit at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event welcomed fans to uncover an unforgettable journey into their vast and hidden warehouses... and it featured over 200 items—many of which had never before been seen by the public! Plus, for the very first time, a live stage presentation—which happened four times daily—featured a live unboxing or uncrating of an archival treasure. And at select presentations, guests helped choose which mystery box was opened next. Talk about getting in on the action!