D23 Member Gift for 2016 Highlights Disney’s Rich Legacy

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club didn’t have to look far for inspiration for its 2016 Gold Member gift, “From the Office of Walt Disney.” To celebrate the restoration of Walt Disney’s office suite on the Studios’ Burbank lot, the Walt Disney Archives worked with D23 to meticulously reproduce 23 unique pieces from Walt’s career that trace his path from America’s heartland to the world stage.

Included in the assortment are items from Walt’s early years in business such as his 1923 Laugh-O-gram Films Inc. business card and the famous 1928 “Everything OK” telegram, which Walt cryptically wired his brother Roy when he lost the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Also in the collection are the 1955 Disneyland invitational press preview pass and Walt’s notes on pages from the “EPCOT Film” script from 1966. Pieces representing animation, live action, television, and theme parks—as well as Walt’s own personal life—make up this one-of-a-kind set.

The gift comes in a “book” designed specifically to hold all the items and will be sent to all D23 Gold and Gold Family Members who join or renew from January 1 through December 31, 2016. Guests can see images from the gift—and learn more about the 23 rare items—at D23.com/OfficeOfWaltDisney. As previously announced, D23 Gold Members will have the opportunity to tour Walt Disney’s restored office during tours and select special events throughout 2016.

Fans can join D23 at Gold Membership ($74.99), Gold Family Membership ($99.99), and General Membership (complimentary) levels at D23.com and at DisneyStore.com/D23. D23 Members save when renewing their membership and may renew up to 90 days prior to their membership expiration.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2016 MEMBER GIFT.

D23’s Top 15 of 2015

2015 was truly amazing in so many ways… a phenomenal D23 EXPO 2015 (chock full of thrilling announcements); the launch of Disneyland Resort’s dazzling Diamond Celebration; and, of course, the mega-huge premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Join us for a look back at 15 moments that captivated D23 Members and fans, in the order they occurred.

Disney Wins Big at 2015 Oscars®

From the splashy opening number created by Frozen songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, to Big Hero 6’s win for Best Animated Feature, there was a lot for Disney fans to love about the 2015 telecast.

Cinderella Goes to the Ball

Disney’s live-action Cinderella took theaters by storm in March, introducing the classic fairy tale to a modern audience.

Frozen 2 is on the Horizon

The cold never bothered us anyway—especially after we heard Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger’s announcement that Frozen 2 is officially in development at Walt Disney Animation Studios!

Disneyland Resort Shines Bright

Our friends at the Disneyland Resort kicked off their shimmering 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration back in May; the party continues, and includes the new Paint the Night parade and the Disneyland Forever fireworks spectacular.

Emotional Escapades with Inside Out

Disney•Pixar’s heartfelt and hilarious look at what goes on inside the head of an 11-year-old girl became both a critical and commercial success.

Ant-Man Was Marvel-ous

Ant-Man, starring Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, made a huge summer splash—proving big heroes can indeed come in small packages.

Good vs. Evil in Disney’s Descendants

Ever wondered what happened after the “happily ever after” of your favorite fairy tale? The Disney Channel movie musical, directed by Kenny Ortega, aimed to answer that very question. (Bonus ’15 Moment: A sequel has already been announced.)

Shanghai Disney Resort Announcements

We learned a lot more about Shanghai Disneyland and its surrounding hotels and attractions this year; we’re particularly excited about the new Tomorrowland attraction TRON Lightcycle Power Run, and Treasure Cove—the first pirate-themed land in a Disney park!

D23 EXPO Surprises

D23 EXPO 2015 unleashed some of this year’s biggest pop culture news—including the Star Wars Lands coming to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts; Johnny Depp’s induction as a Disney Legend; and the announcement of Gigantic, an animated retelling of the “Jack and the Beanstalk” fable.

Force Friday Goes Galactic

On Friday, September 4, millions of fans watched online as brand-new Star Wars: The Force Awakens merchandise debuted at striking sites around the globe—and then headed out to retail stores to purchase some themselves. Star Wars mania hasn’t waned since!

The Muppets Got Things Started

All our favorite Jim Henson creatures—Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear, among others—returned to primetime with ABC’s The Muppets. This time around, the “sensational, inspirational, celebrational” crew is producing Piggy’s late night talk show.

Play Evolves with Playmation

Disney’s Playmation is a groundbreaking system of toys and other “wearables” that use smart technology to spark kids’ imaginations. The Playmation Marvel’s Avengers Starter Pack hit store shelves this past October.

The Lion Guard Roars to Life

Disney Junior’s latest animated adventure—which began with a TV movie in November—takes us back to the world of The Lion King as young Kion (Simba and Nala’s second-born cub) leads a team of his bravest friends as they keep watch over the Pride Lands. The series premieres next month.

Walt’s Office Returns

Walt Disney’s newly restored office suite on the Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California, made its historic debut in early December. D23 Gold and Gold Family Members can be among the first to tour the permanent exhibit this January!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

You didn’t think we’d forget this little film’s debut, did you?! The world practically stopped on December 18, as it collectively reconnected with Han Solo, Princess (now General) Leia, and Luke Skywalker—and was finally introduced to Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren.

Disney Details: Perfect Holiday Surprise

December 24, 2015January 11, 2017

Discover a suitable-for-holiday-card scene of a gorgeous Christmas tree embroidered with ornaments and powdered with snow. Passersby seem genuinely amused by the appearance of all this white stuff—which is only natural. After all, it’s rare that a snowfall of this magnitude occurs at Disneyland Paris, where the picture was taken in December 2010. More than four inches of snow fell that day, blanketing the entire region and even closing the Eiffel Tower. But for these holiday revelers, the blanket of snow—like an unexpected gift—was a perfect holiday surprise.

Holiday High Notes

On Friday, September 18, 2015, a volunteer group of 75 dedicated members of the Disney Employee Choir had the chance to partake in a unique (and rare) opportunity—to record new show music for the annual Disneyland Candlelight Processional and Ceremony (the event that they perform in annually).

After trekking to the 20^th Century Fox Studio lot in Century City, the choir convened at the the historic Newman Scoring Stage (named, in part, after legendary film composer, Alfred Newman), where under the direction of Candlelight conductor Nancy Sulahian, and longtime Disney Entertainment music director and producer Bruce Healey, they recorded new renditions of classic carols for the show’s opening processional.

The choir can now say they have the distinction of having professionally recorded where such recent Disney classics as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Bolt (2008), WALL•E (2008) and Saving Mr. Banks (2013) also laid down their scores. Historic company, indeed!

The newly recorded music debuted with this year’s installment of the Candlelight show. Choir members and their colleagues are honored to know that their collaborative spirit, in the form of beautiful holiday carols, will continue to live on in Walt’s original Magic Kingdom, hopefully for years to come.

Happy D23 Days of Christmas!

December 23, 2015November 27, 2017

In appreciation of all our D23 Members and fans, we have one last video to share with you! From all of us to all of you, thank you for spending this special time of year with us. Happy D23 Days of Christmas!

Christmas Candy Cane Heart Pops

This year, instead of thanking Santa with milk and cookies, why not make him some peppermint candy cane pops? Be sure to make a few extra batches for the reindeer—all are sure to love this easy, no-bake treat!

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup crushed mini candy canes, divided
2 pounds white chocolate chips
Optional: peppermint extract

Special Materials

4-inch lollipop sticks

Directions

Place candy canes in a re-sealable sandwich bag, and crush into quarter-inch chunks. Set aside.
Lay wax paper on a cookie sheet then arrange on the wax paper two mini candy canes in the shape of a heart. Position lollipop stick between the two halves of the heart so that the stick runs through the entire heart right down the middle. Lay out as many hearts as you’d like. Set aside.
Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler. Once chocolate is melted, pour 1 cup of the candy cane chunks into the chocolate. Optional: add a few drops of peppermint extract if desired.
With a teaspoon, slowly spoon melted chocolate between the two halves of the candy cane hearts, making sure to completely cover the lollipop stick within the heart. Even out the surface as much as possible.
Top each lollipop with the remaining crushed candy canes.

Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until lollipops firm up. Remove from cookie sheet, wrap each pop in cellophane, and leave a few out for Santa and his reindeer!

Create Santa Cookie Placemat, Cup, and Coaster Decorations

Can you believe it’s our last D23 Days of Christmas day? Thank you so much for spending some time with us this holiday season. As our final craft, we’re helping get you ready for the yearly visit from the big guy himself: Santa Claus!

With this vintage-inspired Santa Cookie Placemat, Cup, and Coaster—designed by D23 and featuring Tinker Bell, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto—Santa will feel right at home… before he has to dash off to his next stop, of course.

Happy Holidays from all of us at D23: The Official Disney Fan Club!

Supplies:
8.5 x 11-inch white cardstock (printable)
Scissors
Tape or glue stick
Medium-size cup or glass

Download and print out your Santa Cookie Placemat, Cup, and Coaster sheets (Pages 1 and 2) onto your cardstock.

Using scissors, cut along each image’s black outline.

Display your placemat where you’re planning to leave out Santa’s milk and cookies (and some carrots for the reindeer, if you’re feeling especially festive).

Wrap the cup decoration (from Page 2) around your cup or glass. If it’s not too big, apply glue to the shorter tab (marked by a dotted line) on the left-hand side, and close the two ends at the back of the cup—affixing them together to form a sleeve. (If the decoration is a little too long, feel free to trim to size.)

When the big night comes, set your tray of cookies on top of the placemat (you could even use the Mad Hatter Top Hat Cookie Tray from Day 22!) and set the cup of milk, with its sleeve, on top of the round coaster from Page 2.

Lie in bed and listen for the clatter of reindeer hooves…

Lightspeed to Box Office History—Plus More in News Briefs

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Breaks Records!

The Force is ridiculously strong with this one… and we’re not surprised! Star Wars: The Force Awakens set a new all-time domestic debut record this weekend with an estimated $248 million—and with a five-day international debut of $281 million, the film has taken in a whopping $529 million globally!

Among the records shattered by Episode VII are: The biggest opening weekend of all time in the United Kingdom (four-day weekend) Australia, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria, Poland (three-day weekend), Denmark (five-day weekend), Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine, Iceland, Serbia, and New Zealand; the biggest IMAX global debut; the biggest December debut; the biggest Thursday night preview gross; the biggest Friday gross; and the fastest film to $100 million and $200 million!

But it’s not just a success financially; the film has garnered an amazing 95 percent Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Talk about an “awakening”… have you felt it yet?

Save the Date!
Be sure to mark these upcoming Disney events on your calendar:

D23 and Walt Disney Archives
January 29
D23 Behind-the-Scenes Experience: Walt Disney’s Office Suite
April 20
D23 Member Night at Newsies—On Tour in Portland, Oregon
June 8
D23 Member Night at Newsies—On Tour in Salt Lake City, Utah
Studios
January 29
The Finest Hours opens in theaters.
March 4
Zootopia opens in theaters.
April 15
The Jungle Book opens in theaters.
May 6
Captain America: Civil War opens in theaters.
May 27
Alice Through the Looking Glass opens in theaters.

Parks
January 16
Club Villain at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
March 2—May 30, 2016
Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
Television
December 25
32nd Annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade airs at 10 a.m. ET on ABC
January 15
The Lion Guard series premieres on Disney Channel at 9:30 a.m. ET/PT
January 19
Marvel’s Agent Carter returns to ABC at 9 p.m. ET

New Poster For 2016’s The Jungle Book

Chances are you saw the very cool trailer for 2016’s The Jungle Book before launching into the Star Wars galaxy at a cineplex near you this past weekend. Now take a gander at the film’s brand-new “living” poster! Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories, and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, The Jungle Book is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he’s no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba)—who bears the scars of Man—promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley) and free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures that don’t exactly have his best interests at heart—including hypnotizing python Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson) and smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken). Look for The Jungle Book to swing into theatres on April 15, 2016!

The Force Awakens for Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition

On the same day as its film counterpart’s big debut, Disney Interactive and Lucasfilm launched their huge Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set, the third Star Wars Play Set for Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition—which gives fans the opportunity to play with Finn, Rey, Kylo Ren, and Poe Dameron in the latest chapter of the Star Wars saga!

In addition to the characters native to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set, players will be able to unlock and use all Star Wars characters from Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic and Star Wars: Rise Against The Empire, as well as from Star Wars Rebels’ universe.

Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re gonna spend some of our Christmas vacation looking for scrap metal with Rey on Jakku… Happy Holidays!

More Disney Artists Share Their Fandom in Holiday Cards!

December 22, 2015November 14, 2016

On December 3, we presented exclusive artwork created just for D23 Members by Disney artists Dave Pacheco (Disney Consumer Products), Alex Maher (Disney Design Group), and Brian Crosby (Marvel Themed Entertainment). Today, three more artists present holiday cards to share the spirit of the season in unique Disney fashion.

From all of us to all of you, we hope you enjoy the yuletide charm of these special pieces!

In this piece, artist Bret Iwan, who provides the voice of Mickey Mouse, pays tribute to the legacy of Disney Character Voices and the Academy Award-nominated Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983). Here, Mickey dons his Bob Cratchit wardrobe to deliver lines from the beloved holiday classic, for which Disney Legend Wayne Allwine, the former and longtime voice of Mickey, performed the role.

Alex Wright, Creative Director, Walt Disney Imagineering, helps elucidate what goes on at Sleepy Hollow, New York State… When wintry weather spreads ’cross the land, a snowman holds his noggin in his hand! (Let’s just say the snowman seems much friendlier than his Halloween counterpart.)

This adorable sketch of Mickey Mouse by Monty Maldovan, Senior Designer, Disney Store, reminds us that Christmas is just around the corner. It looks like Mickey hasn’t forgotten to get gifts for a special friend—perhaps they’re for you!

Oysters Rockefeller

Served on the half shell, these luscious oysters are topped with butter, Parmesan and bread crumbs and baked until golden. A big thanks to our friends at ABC’s The Chew for this delicious recipe.

For more recipes and crafts, visit TheChew.com and tune in WEEKDAYS 1e|12c|p on ABC.

Servings: 6
30 to 60 min

Ingredients
16 large oysters (shucked and chilled in half shell)
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
4 cups fresh spinach
2 teaspoons anise flavored liquor (optional)
½ cup panko bread crumbs
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
hot sauce (to taste)
salt
freshly cracked black pepper
rock salt (to line baking sheet)

Step-by-step Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Melt butter in a saute pan over medium. Add the onions and season with salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the spinach and toss to combine with onions. Drizzle the anise liquor over spinach and cook until wilted.
Remove pan from heat and stir in bread crumbs, cheese and hot sauce. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Place a heaping tablespoon of spinach mixture on top of each oyster and arrange on a baking sheet lined with rock salt. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until light golden on top. Serve warm with a glass of cold champagne.