It's time to don your mouse ears, because Disney's D23 Expo is returning in 2022. The Expo, billed by the company as "The Ultimate Disney Fan Event" will return to its usual home, the Anaheim Convention Center, from September 9 to 11, 2022.
Tickets to the D23 Expo go on special presale on January 19, 2022 at 10 am PST for Visa cardholders who are members of D23, the official Disney fan club. They will then become available to everyone else the next day, January 20, at 12 pm PST. Anyone wishing to purchase a ticket must be a registered member of D23, either at the General level, which is complimentary, or at the paid Gold level.
This year, Disney is adding a "Preferred Seating Pricing" option for their Gold members, which includes tickets for all three days, as well as reserved seats to the Hall 23 panels. As enticing as the offer is, it won't come cheap. This limited quantity option will set fans back $899, over $600 more than a General member 3-day ticket.
Rather than running on a mixture of industry presentations and fan-led panels, the D23 Expo is where the Walt Disney company unites all their "worlds" — Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars — as well as different areas of operation including theme parks, to present their upcoming slate of offerings directly to fans. The last Expo in August 2019 was where Ewan McGregor finally confirmed he would be reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi for the Disney+ series of the same name. It was also where fans got their first look at Disney's Raya and The Last Dragon, which was simultaneously released to theaters and streaming in 2021.
For the 2022 edition of the Expo, Disney is looking both to the past and the future of the company. In addition to panels for upcoming projects, the event will serve to kick off Disney100, the centennial celebration of The Walt Disney Company with a special exhibit, and will also once again host the Disney Legends ceremony, honoring those who have made significant contributions to the company. The most recent class of honorees included Ming-Na Wen, Robert Downey Jr., and Jon Favreau.
Other staples of the Expo are expected to return, including the boutiques and pop-up shops carrying exclusive merchandise, as well as the "Mousequerade" costume contest featuring celebrity judges Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Ashley Eckstein (The Clone Wars), and Ally Maki (Home Sweet Home Alone).
Full details on the expo are available at D23expo.com.