Marc Jacobs and Damien Hirst Release Limited-Edition Mickey T-shirt

Other Criteria and Marc Jacobs International announce the release of a limited-edition Mickey T-shirt produced as a collaboration between Marc Jacobs and artist Damien Hirst.

The T-shirt features the artwork of Hirst’s unique representation of Mickey Mouse, using his characteristic spot motif to interpret one of Disney’s most loved characters.

The limited edition T-shirt is available exclusively from Other Criteria and Marc Jacobs, with 2,500 units available in white and black.

All proceeds will be donated to Kids Company, a U.K. charity Hirst has long supported. Based in London and established in 1996, Kids Company provides practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children and young people.

The T-Shirt is available in available in Marc Jacobs stores across the U.S., U.K. and Europe, along with Other Criteria stores in New York, London, Ilfracombe and online at MarcJacobs.com and OtherCriteria.com.

Alan Menken and the Music of The Little Mermaid

December 12, 2014October 9, 2019

Disney Legend Alan Menken has composed the music for scores of beloved Disney musicals, from Beauty and the Beast to Tangled,

. . . but Disney fans first came to know his work in 1989, when he and the late lyricist Howard Ashman wrote the music for The Little Mermaid. This year, The Little Mermaid celebrated its 25^th anniversary, and with that came the release of Walt Disney Records’ The Legacy Collection The Little Mermaid album.

Pre-Order Walt Disney Records’ The Legacy Collection and get an exclusive lithograph set ►

In this new video, which Walt Disney Records wanted to share with D23 Members first, Alan shares the inspiration behind the score for The Little Mermaid, including where the inspiration for those tinkling piano keystrokes in “Part of Your World” came from.

Marvel Brings Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to Life

The writers and artists at Marvel are bringing a beloved Disney Parks attraction to life in their latest Disney Kingdoms series—Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

—and D23 is pleased to debut the first cover, created by Pasqual Ferry, above.

In this never-before-told saga, readers will learn how Big Thunder Mountain’s dangerous gold mine became the haunted legend it is today. Here’s what we know about the story:

“Malevolent mine owner Barnabas T. Bullion is determined to shelter his teen daughter Abigail from the dangers of the Wild West, but this brave young hero has other ideas… which include robbing her own father’s mine as a masked bandit.”

This action-packed series from the acclaimed duo of Dennis Hopeless (Spider-Woman) and Tigh Walker (Avengers Undercover) promises action, romance, mystery, and of course, adventure. Hang on for an exciting ride!

Q&A With the Witch From Into the Woods

Why is this Witch different from those that have come before?
I changed my mind when this role came along because this Witch is quite different. First of all, she transforms. Her whole reason for being is to reverse a curse that has been placed on her; she sets in motion all sorts of devices and causes a dramatic upheaval in everybody’s lives.

How is Into the Woods different from other musicals?
This is a musical with a brain. There is an intelligence at work because it is Sondheim and Lapine. It is visually fun and emotionally satisfying, but it also has this other element that engages us as artists and makes us want to bring everything we can to it.

How do you feel about the idea that fairy tales evolved as cautionary tales?
They were told to scare children away from the dangers they would encounter in their lives and to encourage young women to marry rich men. Everyone is encouraged to find a prince and live happily ever after, and sometimes it doesn’t work that way.

What was it like working with Director Rob Marshall on the film?
Rob has a percussive sense of the movement of the piece, like a conductor. He has got the rhythm of it in his body.

Costume Designer Colleen Atwood, who won Oscars® for Alice in Wonderland, Chicago, and Memoirs of a Geisha, had the chance to design for characters who are all from different fairy tales. What makes her work so appealing?
Colleen is a tornado. Her work is so imaginative, free, and dramatic, and at the same time, she is well known for her attention to detail and some of the work is so carefully thought out, delicate, and beautifully made.

Were you familiar with the stage show and Sondheim’s work when you were approached about the film?
I went to see the musical when it was on Broadway, with the great Bernadette Peters playing the Witch, and I thought it was fantastic. There is no one like Stephen Sondheim. There is no one who writes sing-able, character-driven music that tells a story. The wit, the intelligence, and the daring in his music is unparalleled, so I was really happy to have the chance to work on it. Musically it is challenging and thrilling, and so this is what I hope for the audience: that they, too, will be thrilled and challenged.

Meet the Characters and Cast of Into the Woods

Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) — **Cinderella** (Anna Kendrick): As in most versions of the Cinderella story, she just would like to go to the ball… and, you know, maybe marry the prince. At first fragile and unsure, this Cinderella learns that getting your wish means learning to stand on your own.

Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) — **Little Red Riding Hood** (Lilla Crawford): Just loading up with a few sweets (which appear to be more for her than her ill grandmother in the woods), Red learns that straying from the path has consequences—like meeting up with a hungry wolf.

Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) — **Jack** (Daniel Huttlestone): Jack is best friends with his cow, Milky White, who hasn’t lived up to her name in a long time. His irritable mother (Tracy Ullman) insists he sell the cow at market so they can afford food. He finds another way out (and up).

Cinderella's Prince (Chris Pine) — **Cinderella’s Prince** (Chris Pine): As narcissistic as he is handsome, the Prince faces the “agony” of longing for a beautiful maiden who continues to elude his grasp.

Witch (Meryl Streep) — **Witch** (Meryl Streep): Yes, she’s ugly and seemingly evil, but we learn she was once just your average “witch next door” until something awful happened to her. She has never been the same since.

Baker (James Corden) — **Baker** (James Corden): Following the death of his mother, the Baker’s father abandoned home, leaving the Baker to fend for himself, and leaving him uncertain of his own capabilities as a parent.

The Baker's Wife (Emily Blunt) — **The Baker’s** **Wife** (Emily Blunt): Headstrong and determined, the Baker’s Wife loves children and desperately wants one of her own. Only when she realizes how far she is willing to go, does she understand how much it really means.

Wolf (Johnny Depp) — **Wolf** (Johnny Depp): He’s hungry. And really, if you (were a wolf and) saw a cherubic, young girl—freshly full of sweets—wouldn’t you want a taste? He’s not really bad. He’s just… insatiable.

Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy) — **Rapunzel** (MacKenzie Mauzy): Trapped in a tower by a hideous witch who forces her to grow out her hair so that it can be used as a ladder—it’s enough to make anyone a little crazy. Right?

Rapunzel's Prince (Billy Magnussen) — **Rapunzel’s Prince** (Billy Magnussen): While perhaps slightly less self-involved than his brother, he, too, is puzzled why a lovely maiden (this one in a door-less tower) might be…out of his reach.

Cinderella's Stepmother and Stepsisters (Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch) — **Cinderella’s Stepmother and Stepsisters** (Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch): Let’s just say, these girls make the women in Disney’s version of the animated classic look positively polite. And watch your toes around the Stepmother.

Happy T-REXmas

December 11, 2014January 11, 2017

One of my favorite aspects of the Walt Disney Archives collection is the rich amount of material related to the Disney Studio’s early days, information which helps to shed light on how our very own studio’s “ghosts of Christmas past” interacted and what their “everyday life” was like.

One of the more enlightening in-house publications of olde (which were sometimes referred to as a “house organ”) is The Bulletin. While chronicling the daily issues and eccentricities of life on a bustling studio lot, the publication also features the sometimes over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek humor one would come to expect from the group who effortlessly brought a talking mouse and duck to magical life.

The holidays, of course, were no exception for such a chronicle. The excerpt in the image below comes from the December 23, 1939 issue of The Bulletin, and highlights just how outrageous holiday humor can be.

From all of us here in the Walt Disney Archives, to all of you at home, Happy Holidays!

Disneyland Resort Will Get Frozen This Winter and Much More in News Briefs for December 9, 2014

**Disneyland Resort Will Get Frozen This Winter…**

When we think “winter,” we think “snow.” And when we think “snow,” we, of course, think Frozen—so we’re going to be spending a lot more time at the Disneyland Resort this winter, now that they’ve announced a slew of new Frozen experiences! Frozen Fun will open at Disney California Adventure beginning January 7, 2015, when For the First Time in Forever—A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration takes over the Muppet*Vision 3D theater in Hollywood Land. Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff will be on hand for this fun and comedic interpretation of Arendelle’s history, and best of all, we get to “let it go” and sing along, too! Hollywood Land’s Stage 17 will be home to a winter wonderland—hosted by our favorite snowman—with Olaf’s Snow Fest. We don’t know if we’ll be able to buy carrots at Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post, but we have a hunch it’ll our go-to store for just about everything else that Frozen fans might need. And this is just the tip of an Arendelle iceberg! For all of the new experiences (like Freeze the Night! A Family Dance Party) and new additions (Arendelle will be a stop on the Storybook Land Canal Boats cruise!), visit the Disney Parks Blog.

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

D23 and Walt Disney Archives
Fall 2014-2015
D23 Member Nights at Newsies—On Tour
December 13, 2014
Disney’s Into the Woods Advance Screening
Through January 4, 2015
Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, presented by D23: The Official Disney Fan Club at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
August 14-16, 2015
D23 Expo 2015 returns to Anaheim, California
Television
December 1–25
ABC Family’s “25 Days of Christmas”
December 14
Backstage with Disney on Broadway: Celebrating 20 Years airs at 7 p.m. ET.
January 6
Marvel’sAgent Carter premieres on ABC at 9 p.m. ET

Parks
November 7, 10, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, and 30; and December 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 19
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties at Magic Kingdom Park
Studios
December 25
Into the Woods opens in theaters.
February 20, 2015
MacFarland, USA opens in theaters.
March 13, 2015
Cinderella opens in theaters.
April 17, 2015
Disneynature’s Monkey Kingdom opens in theaters.
May 1, 2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron opens in theaters.
May 22, 2015
Tomorrowland opens in theaters.
June 19, 2015
Inside Out opens in theaters (along with the short Lava).

**And Cinderella Is Getting Frozen Fever This Spring…**

You could probably argue that we already have Frozen Fever, we’re so excited about a new adventure for Arendelle’s royal highnesses (and Kristoff and Olaf, too)! But the film, an all-new short directed by Frozen directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee—with an original song by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez—has been officially announced to open in theaters March 13, 2015, in front of Cinderella, the live-action feature from Walt Disney Studios. In the short from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Elsa and Kristoff are determined to give Anna the best birthday celebration ever, but Elsa’s icy powers may put more than just the party at risk. It might be Anna’s birthday, but we feel like we’re the ones who’ll be receiving a gift!

Disneynature Isn’t Just Monkey-ing Around

There are quite a few reasons why we’ll be lining up to see Monkey Kingdom. First of all, we can think of no more “Disney” way to celebrate Earth Day than to see Disneynature’s latest release, which follows in the tradition of Bears, African Cats, and Chimpanzee, to name but a few. Then there’s the fact that Disneynature will make a donation to Conservation International in honor of everyone who sees Monkey Kingdom opening week, to help protect monkeys and other endangered species in their natural habitats. But watch the trailer above and you’ll want to see Monkey Kingdom because Maya, the clever and blonde-bobbed monkey, and her infant son, Kip, are just so darned cute. The film opens in theaters on April 17, 2015.

Ella and the Prince, the Fairy Godmother and the Wicked Stepmother from the live-action Cinderella movie

Ella and the Prince from Disney's live-action "Cinderella"

The Fairy Godmother from Disney's live-action "Cinderella"

The Wicked Stepmother and her daughters from Disney's live-action "Cinderella"

Since the debut of the trailer for Cinderella, we’ve decided that our “happily-ever-after” will arrive on March 13, 2015, when the film opens in theaters. But in the meantime, we’re studying the character posters Walt Disney Studios released last week, which provide a closer look at the actors and their breathtaking costumes, designed for the film by Academy Award®-winning costume designer Sandy Powell. The butterflies on Cinderella’s gown… the funky florals worn by her stepmother and stepsisters… the Fairy Godmother and her magical white dress. The posters don’t leave us counting how many times the clock is striking so much as we’re counting how many days are still left until March 13.

Star Wars Weekends Are Not So Far, Far Away

Sometimes it feels like an eternity until Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters, just over a year from now. But there is “a new hope” to make that year go by a little more quickly. Dates have been announced for 2015’s Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. The dates are as follows—Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays:

Weekend I: May 15–17, 2015
Weekend II: May 22–24, 2015
Weekend III: May 29–31, 2015
Weekend IV: June 5–7, 2015
Weekend V: June 12–14, 2015

Stay tuned to D23.com for more details as they’re announced this spring.

Meet Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange officially has its star: Benedict Cumberbatch has been announced to play the title role of Doctor Stephen Strange, who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions. The film, which will be directed by Scott Derrickson with Jon Spaihts writing the screenplay, is scheduled for release November 4, 2016.

Crystal Mickey Brings the Magic To Disney Infinity

The Disney Infinity Team is continuing to fill the game’s Toy Boxes with the characters we all know and love, and the newest addition is the character we know best of all: Mickey Mouse. Crystal Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey is playable in both Toy Box 2.0 and Toy Box 1.0, bringing the magic to the game with his magic bursts and spell-casting powers, and the figure is available at retailers nationwide.

**Watch Backstage with Disney on Broadway: Celebrating 20 Years This Weekend**

Disney Theatrical Productions is celebrating 20 years on Broadway with a special that looks back at the creation of Disney’s eight Broadway musicals: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King AIDA, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Newsies, and Aladdin. And whether you’re a frequent Broadway denizen or seeing a Disney production on Broadway is still on your bucket list, you’ll love the behind-the-scenes access the special offers, including cameras showing you what it’s like backstage during an actual performance of Aladdin, a special rehearsal of The Lion King, and a glimpse at how Disney Theatrical takes the show on the road with the cast of the North American tour of Newsies. Backstage with Disney on Broadway: Celebrating 20 Years is hosted by Modern Family‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson—a Broadway vet himself—and airs Sunday, December 14 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Walt Disney Archives Christmas Countdown

The countdown has begun!

On December 1, the Walt Disney Archives “unwrapped” the first of 23 unique present boxes that are being displayed in the lobby of the Frank G. Wells Building on the Disney Studio lot.

Every day (until Christmas) a new holiday-related piece from the Archives collection will be revealed. Most of these very special 23 items have never been displayed by the Archives before. If you miss out on seeing the exhibit in person, check back here for a daily update!

Walt Disney Mickey Mouse Christmas Plush Toy — Day 1: Mickey Mouse Christmas plush manufactured by Applause toy company

Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol Crew Sweatshirt — Day 2: *Mickey’s Christmas Carol* crew sweatshirt

Day 3: Tins of hard candy from Disneyland

Day 4: Original Christmas card artwork for The Walt Disney Studios from 1965, featuring Sleeping Beauty Castle with Mickey Mouse in the entrance

Character Christmas stockings from Good Luck Charlie — Day 5: Character Christmas stockings from the *Good Luck Charlie* cast, including Charlie, Grandpa, Grandma, Amy, Bob, Gabe, PJ, and Teddy

Photos of Disney Holiday Album Covers — Day 6: Holiday albums The Muppets’ “A Green and Red Christmas,” The Cheetah Girls’ “Cheetah-licious Christmas,” Disney Karaoke Series’ “Christmas Favorites,” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for *Ernest Saves Christmas*, and “Noel a Disneyland Paris”

Photos of Disney 45 rpm Record Covers — Day 7: An Adaption of Dickens’ Christmas Carol,” presented by the Popular Repertory Company, a 45 rpm record of “Walt Disney’s Original Chipmunks Chip and Dale with Clarice,” and four complete 45 rpm records of “Mickey Mouse’s Christmas Party”

Photos of 1934 Book Covers Inspired by Walt Disney's Silly Symponies — Day 8: Two 1934 books inspired by Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies, including *Santa’s Workshop* and *The Night Before Christmas*

Disney Inspired Grolier Christmas Ornaments — Day 9: Grolier Christmas ornaments, including Jiminy Cricket, Dopey, and Mickey Mouse

Christmas Sleigh Reins from The Chronicles of Narnia — Day 10: Father Christmas sleigh reins from *The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe*

Disney Glow in the dark sweatshirt — Day 11: A 2002 glow-in-the-dark sweatshirt from the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in Walt Disney World Resort

Minnie Mouse Artwork — Day 12: Artwork of Minnie Mouse wearing a Christmas Holiday costume

Walt Disney Nightmare Before Christmas Mouseketeer Hat — Day 13: Mickey Mouse ears hat themed to *Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas*

Poster for Walt Disney's One Hour in Wonderland TV Show — Day 14: *One Hour In Wonderland* Coca-Cola poster

Miniature model of Disneyland Christmas Fantasy Parade — Day 15: *Disneyland Christmas Fantasy Parade* float model

Miniature model of a Muppet Christmas Carol village house — Day 16: A model of village houses from *A Muppet Christmas Carol*

Goofy Christmas Home Video Art — Day 17: Home Video art for *Have Yourself A Goofy Little* *Christmas*

Day 18: Teddi Barra’s skis from Country Bear Christmas Special at Disneyland Park

Day 19: Scrooge maquette from Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Day 20: Set of Christmas stockings, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Dumbo

Large Pluto plush doll — Day 21: Large Pluto plush

Day 22: Grolier limited-edition “Checking It Twice” collectibles, including a Christmas plate and figurine with Mickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck

Day 23: A letter from Walt Disney to the world, written during the Korean War

Remembering Danny Lee

Danny Lee was one of the most talented special-effects men in the history of the Disney Studio.

He worked on 47 Disney films, was nominated for an Academy Award® for his work on The Black Hole, and won an Academy Award for Best Effects, Best Special Effects for his innovative work on Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

From 1946–1969, Lee worked as an independent—working frequently with Disney but also traveling the world to work on such special effects-intensive films as It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World for United Artists and The Great Race for Warner Bros. Soon after beginning work on The Love Bug, Lee joined the Disney Studio, accepting a position as head of the special effects department. He masterminded mechanical effects—a specialty branch of effects work that involves rigging objects that move—a car, robot, airplane, spacecraft, Herbie the Volkswagen.

“It doesn’t get any easier no matter how long you’ve been in the business,” Lee once said. “With the Herbie films, each sequel tries to outdo the last. In our department the word “impossible” doesn’t exist.”

Some of the other classic Disney films Lee worked on are Swiss Family Robinson, Freaky Friday, The Shaggy D.A., and Pete’s Dragon. His final film for Disney was Dragonslayer in 1981.

“I remember watching Danny Lee on my lunch hour as he worked on effects shots for Disney films in the 1970s,” says Dave Smith, Walt Disney Archives founder and chief archivist emeritus. “It was such a treat to watch him direct the clothes and armor that magically came to life in Bedknobs and Broomsticks.”

D23 Member Patrick Johnson Shares His One-of-a-Kind Destination D: Attraction Rewind Experience

One of the Victorian-themed attractions from the never-built Discovery Bay.

D23 Member Patrick Johnson shares his Destination D: Attraction Rewind experience with caricatures of the presenters and attractions shown throughout the two-day event.

Participants at this year’s Destination D: Attraction Rewind were restricted from taking photos at the presentations because Imagineering shared many unpublished and unreleased images and videos, including some virtual ride-throughs of attractions that were never realized. I’ve always been fascinated by the history of WED/WDI and their work at the 1964 World’s Fair, and I love learning about Disney attractions that never came to be. I wanted to remember as much about the panels as possible.

Mickey’s of Glendale came to the rescue. I purchased Marty Sklar’s The Most Frightening Thing in the World, a hardcover spiral-bound sketchbook, and filled the pages (sometimes front and back) with more than 100 ballpoint pen sketches of the presentations. I drew caricatures of all the presenters and sketched of as many of the slides as I could.

Acting like a courtroom sketch artist was enjoyable, and it enriched my Destination D experience.

I loved drawing the various pavilions from the 1964 World’s Fair. Their graphic shapes and clean lines made them easy to capture with a few pen strokes. The most challenging work to draw was Tony Baxter’s presentation of Discovery Bay. The artwork was so rich and detailed, and there were so many slides. The moment I’d look down to sketch the Hyperion in its hangar, the slide would change to a Nautilus-themed restaurant or a whimsical dragon dangling from a large balloon.

D23 Member Patrick Johnson Sketch of Zorro and Mother Goose — Zorro and Mother Goose

D23 Member sketch of Exterior of the Dwarfs' house from the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. — Exterior of the Dwarfs’ house from the *Seven Dwarfs Mine Train* ride.

D23 Member sketch of A never-realized themed attraction featuring a cast of singing birds and an erupting volcano designed for the Coca Cola pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair — A never-realized themed attraction featuring a cast of singing birds and an erupting volcano designed for the Coca Cola pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair.

D23 Member Patrick Johnson sketch of A never-realized themed attraction designed by Marc Davis and loosely based on the story of The Snow Queen — A never-realized themed attraction designed by Marc Davis and loosely based on the story of *The Snow Queen*. The ride made heavy use of air conditioning.

D23 member sketch of early Figment character — Early renderings of Figment had a much longer snout and really buggy eyes. It’s always fun to see where beloved characters begin.

D23 member sketch of Dinosaurs lurking in the swamps of the Ford pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair — Dinosaurs lurk in the swamps of the Ford pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair, before they made their way to Disneyland.

D23 member sketch of unused concepts of pavilions for the 1964 World's Fair — Even the unused concepts for the pavilions for the 1964 World’s Fair inspire a sense of wonder and promise for the future.

Sketch of Imagineer Gary Landrum — Imagineer Gary Landrum discusses the *Carousel of Progress* with Disney Legend Marty Sklar.

Sketch of Bob Gurr and Marty Sklar — Disney Legends Bob Gurr and Marty Sklar riff and ramble about Walt Disney’s contribution to the 1964 World’s Fair. Bob Gurr was nice enough to sign my unflattering sketch of him.

D23 member sketch of Minnie Mouse — Before she became a poodle trainer at Storybook Circus, Minnie was going to work with some much larger animals wearing a costume inspired by *The Three Caballeros*.

Sketch of attraction at Discovery Bay, the never-built expansion for Disneyland — One of the major attractions at Discovery Bay, the never-built expansion for Disneyland. The Hyperion would take guests to the fabled Island at the Top of the World.

Sketch of Rover from The Carousel of Progress — Rover from *The Carousel of Progress* listens to his technophile owner prattle on about General Electric.

Sketch of Skull Rock and Rainbow Caverns — Skull Rock and Rainbow Caverns are two lost treasures from Disneyland.

Sketch of Ron Logan — Ron Logan’s dry humor brought the house down as he described some of the most outrageous extravaganzas from Disney’s past, including the epic Skyleidoscope.

Sketch of light up float in Spectromagic parade — The carousel was one of the more ambitious light-up floats from *Spectromagic*, a beloved nighttime parade.

Sketch of Tony Baxter — Disney Legend Tony Baxter wowed the crowd with his vision of the unbuilt Discovery Bay, making us wish we could all go there.

Sketch of Tower of the Four Winds designed by Rolly Crump — Tower of the Four Winds, the marvelous, massive mobile designed by Rolly Crump that graced the entrance of *it’s a small world*, at the 1964 World’s Fair.

Patrick Johnson is a D23 Member, professional puppeteer and puppet builder, and the co-owner of Glendale, California-based puppet company Swazzle. Patrick was an additional Muppet performer for the Disney feature films The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted. He puppeteered on Disney XD’s Team Smithereen, The Pee-wee Herman Show, and a special holiday episode of The Simpsons featuring Katy Perry.