Tuesday, June 11, 2013

D23 Expo 2013 Announces "Broadway and Beyond"


DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS TO PRESENT
BROADWAY AND BEYOND”
A MUSICAL JOURNEY INTO DISNEY’S HISTORY ON BROADWAY AND BEYOND

BURBANK, Calif. – June 11, 2013 – D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is thrilled to announce a special theatrical performance, Broadway and Beyond.Thomas Schumacher, president and producer, Disney Theatrical Productions will host a musical journey into Disney's history on Broadway and beyond at the D23 Expo: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event

Heidi Blickenstaff
The performance features an all-star line-up, including Heidi Blickenstaff (THE LITTLE MERMAID), Ashley Brown(MARY POPPINS and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), Merle Dandridge (TARZAN® and AIDA), Josh Strickland (TARZAN®) and Alton Fitzgerald White (THE LION KING), who sing beloved songs from the award-winning musicals they starred in as well as classic tunes from the Disney on Broadway catalogue.

The one night only performance will take place on Friday, August 9, 2013 at 6:30pm on Stage 23 inside the Anaheim Convention Center.

Ashley Brown
DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS, a division of The Walt Disney Studios, was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher.  Worldwide, its eight Broadway titles have been seen by over 124 million theatergoers, grossed over $8.9 billion and have cumulatively run a staggering 195 years.  With 15 productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day. 

Alton Fitzgerald White
The company’s inaugural production, Beauty and the Beast, opened in 1994. It played a remarkable 13 year run on Broadway and has been produced in 28 countries worldwide. In November 1997, Disney opened The Lion King, which received six 1998 Tony® Awards including Best Musical and is now the highest grossing show in Broadway history.  The show continues in its 16th smash year, having welcomed over 68 million visitors worldwide.  The Lion King can also currently be seen on tour across North America, the U.K., and Japan, and in London’s West End, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, and Sao Paulo.

Merle Dandridge
Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida opened on Broadway next, winning four 2000 Tony® Awards, and spawning productions around the world.  Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, opened in London in 2004 and established itself as one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge in recent years. The Tony Award®-winning Broadway production played more than six years at Disney’s New Amsterdam Theatre and can now be seen on tour across North America and in Mexico City.

Josh Strickland
Tarzan®which opened on Broadway in 2006, is now an international hit with an award-winning production in its 6th year in Germany.  In January 2008, The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway and was the #1-selling new musical of that year.  Its success continues with three new productions around the world: Holland, Russia and Japan.

Two new critically acclaimed productions opened on Broadway in 2012, receiving seven Tony® Awards between them: Newsies, in its second year at the Nederlander Theatre, and Peter and the Starcatcher, now playing at New World Stages.

Other successful stage musical ventures have included King David in concert, the national tour of On The Record, several touring versions of Disney’s High School Musical, and Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin.

Its new musical, Aladdin, will open in Toronto in fall 2013.

About D23 Expo 2013
The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented access to Disney films, television and theme parks. For the latest D23 Expo 2013 news, visit www.D23Expo.com. To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Looking Back: Goofy & Wilbur

In October, 2007 the Walt Disney Classics Collection, in honor of Goofy's 75th Anniversary released Goofy & Wilbur.

This is probably my favorite WDCC sculpt of Goofy. So many things that I like about this piece .. the interaction between Goofy and Wilbur and the sculpture being more than just them in a boat but includes some environment with the water and cattails.

The piece also includes a lot of plussing elements .. Wilbur is made of bronze, Goofy's ears are made of pewter and his hair strands are a nylon fiber. The motor handle and reed stems are brass and the handle on the fishing net is pewter. A special anniversary backstamp was added in honor of his 75th Anniversary

"Fishing Follies" a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 1,000 was sculpted by Bruce Lau.

Goofy and Wilbur is a cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures on March 17, 1939. It was the first cartoon which featured Goofy in his first solo role without Mickey Mouse and/or Donald Duck. 

In this cartoon Goofy goes fishing with his pet grasshopper, Wilbur, only for persistent bad luck to befall the duo. The cartoon is notable for its high level of japery throughout, and its remarkable sequence of 13 consecutive pratfalls.


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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Music, Movement are New Realms for Classic 'Fantasia'

The creators of the Rock Band and Dance Centralvideo games are teaming up with Disney for a game that inserts you into the world of Fantasia.
As apprentice to sorcerer Yen Sid, Mickey Mouse experimented with magic in the 1940 animated classic. In Fantasia: Music Evolved,Yen Sid tutors the player's fledgling skills using Fantasia's magical realms.
"You are the new sorcerer's apprentice," says John Drake of the Boston game development studio Harmonix, which pioneered the music and dance game genres. Yen Sid, which is "Disney" spelled backwards (a nod to studio head Walt), thinks that "you have musical potential," he says, "and the power to become a great musical sorcerer."
The game also seeks to inject some magic into the muted music game category, which approached $2 billion in sales in 2008, when games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band were most popular. Fantasia: Music Evolved "is different," says Harmonix project lead Daniel Sussman. "We're trying to build something accessible and creative."
Players use their body movements to — like magic — transform a colorful, vivid interactive world inspired by the original film. Like theDance Central video games, Fantasia: Music Evolved makes use of the Kinect motion sensor; its camera captures the player's body and puts their silhouette on screen.Fantasia: Music Evolved is expected to be released next year for Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
By reaching out toward the screen, players direct their magical "muse" across the landscape, transforming the objects they linger on. An oceanic level has a circle of spinning seahorses that make music as you hover over them and a playable calliope made of coral. An industrial newspaper plant level requires you to command repair droids and resurrect the production process.
You unlock 25-plus songs as you progress through more than one dozen realms. As songs play, you use your arms, as if you are casting magical spells, to match rhythmic cues on screen, just as players matched beats on guitar and drum controllers inGuitar Hero and Rock Band.
Instead of tapping buttons on the plastic guitar neck or hitting drums in those games, players swipe one or two hands up or down or left to right, based on the on-screen pattern. Other times, you push toward the screen — as if you are wielding the Force — and trace curvy designs. All the while, you are amassing magical energy points, although the designers expect to make the game essentially a no-fail adventure.
At certain points during the songs, you can choose one of three different mixes. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, for instance, had an original mix, an orchestral mix and an '80s heavy-metal ballad mix.
Each decision is reflected through the entirety of the song, resulting in a new mix. Designers plan to let players save and share their mixes with others.
Magical energy is used to further transform the landscapes. In the world called The Shoal, you can unlock a set of clams that come to life as a playable jazz drum set, complete with snare, toms and cymbals. Record a series of notes and the loop plays as part of the score during the rest of the game.
"You as the magician are casting out your energy to great affect and great impact in this world," says Sussman. "The reward basically is to use tools we give you to mold (the game world) in your own image."
Once you unlock areas in the game, they will be available for arcade and party play. The game designers also plan to have a two-player mode.
Disney Interactive approached Harmonix three years ago about the project. "We wanted to create a new experience for Fantasia," says Chris Nicholls, executive producer at Disney Interactive. "Not just take the film and make it interactive so you could dance with hippos, pretend to be a crocodile or fight dinosaurs."
He and the Harmonix team went through an archive of Fantasia production notes and early storyboards searching for core principles to build the game around. The game designers connected with the scene where Mickey is on a mountaintop manipulating the heavens and weather, and with it, the orchestral backdrop.
Thus, in the game "you do reach out and grab music and change it," Sussman says."You take very familiar pieces of music and art and transform it into something very personal."
Fantasia: Music Evolved is an interactive successor to the original film, which Walt Disney described as "an adventure in color, sound and motion," Nicholls says. The game "takes you on an adventure through color, sound and motion (and) lets you experience that rush and interaction with creativity that many games don't."

Saturday, June 1, 2013

EXCLUSIVE: Disney Insider Animated GIF Offers Exclusive Progression of the Making of Monsters University

A scene from Monsters University in the third step of
Pixar’s progressive animation process, digital modeling.

In the latest exclusive from Disney InsiderDisney•Pixar fans have a chance to get a behind the scenes look at the making of Monsters University. Using an animated GIF, Disney Insider is giving fans an inside look at Pixar’s six-step progressive animation process, showing one scene from the film as it is transformed from an initial sketch into the final frame that will appear on the big screen. Head to Disney Insider to check it out now!

Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer.  The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, Disney•Pixar’s “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”), produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and features music from future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”). 

Check out disney.com/MonstersU, like us at facebook.com/PixarMonstersUniversity, and follow us on twitter.com/disneypixar. Rated G by the MPAA, the film opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013, and will be shown in 3D in select theaters.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Looking Back: Fishing Mickey

A recent purchase was Mickey Mouse from The Simple Things, also the subject of my recent blog entry on crazing.

I have always liked this piece but there was always something else ahead of it at the time of its release. Now I'm going back and adding pieces I either passed or missed on. In spite of the crazing, I am very happy with the piece. It's both a fun and simple piece with a lot of great elements to it.

The pail handle is made of metal as the fishing pole. The pole also has real fishing line and a metal hook. Really like the detail of the bait inside the pail.

'Something Fishy' was an Open Edition release sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons and released in March 1999. The sculpture was honored with retirement April, 2001. 

The Simple Things is a 1953 animated short subject, part of the Mickey Mouse Seriesproduced by Walt Disney Productions. Released by RKO Radio Pictures on April 18, 1953, the short is notable as the final regular entry in the Mickey Mouse theatrical cartoon series. Following this short, three special one-shot Mickey shorts were produced: Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), The Prince and The Pauper (1990) and Runaway Brain (1995).


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Crazing

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Mickey's Glove/Hand Shows Signs of Crazing
Over the years, I have had many collectors email regarding crazing. Fortunately, I've never had it happen to one of my own.

I recently purchased Fishing Mickey from The Simple Things. At first glance, didn't even notice any signs of it. It wasn't until I began to photograph the sculpt that I could see crazing had begun on Mickey's hands/gloves.

What is Crazing? Crazing is the fine crackling one often sees on many fired porcelain pieces. Crazing is in the glaze and is not detectable when one rubs his or her fingernail over the crazing. Crazing occurs during production when the clay body and glaze cool at different rates. Crazing is a very common condition with virtually all glazed porcelain. Normal crazing or crackling that cannot be seen at a few feet does not typically affect the value of most very high quality art pottery pieces. Buyers should expect some crazing on all glazed or hand-painted art pottery.

Because the clay and glaze of a piece have different chemical compositions, they respond differently when heated in the fire or a kiln. Both clay and glaze will expand under heat, but they do so at different rates.  They also contract when cooled, again, at different rates. If the rates of contraction are too different, and the glaze contracts more than the clay, the glaze will crack under tension.

Most crazing occurs after the final firing of a piece, when the piece has cooled. Some crazing occurs at other times, during thermal stress or if the pottery is left exposed to extremely cold weather.

'Crazing' or 'craze lines' are not cracks. Crazing effects only the shiny glaze on the porcelain, leaving it with a cracked appearance or what looks like tiny lines running in random directions. Age and temperature conditions can cause crazing to occur in various degrees. It typically does not detract much from the value of a piece unless it has become stained beyond what the buyer considers appropriate or the crazing is so severe that it over shadows the beauty of the piece.  Normal crazing is usually an acceptable characteristic found in older porcelain.

This is the one disadvantage of buying a piece through eBay vs. an Authorized Dealer as you don't know how a piece was stored and can't always go by photos. Thankfully not too noticeable and hopefully won't get any worse.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Dream Store and Silent Auction Return to D23 Expo 2013



D23 EXPO DREAM STORE AND SILENT AUCTION RETURN TO THE ULTIMATE DISNEY FAN EVENT ONE-OF-A-KIND ITEMS AND UNIQUE COLLECTIBLES

Special logo apparel, product debuts, artist signings, and a new silent auction
will highlight the Ultimate Disney Event for Fans and Families August 9-11

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BURBANK and ANAHEIM, Calif. – May 30, 2013 – Bursting with D23 Expo-themed official merchandise and other specialty items from Disney Theme Park Merchandise, the D23 Expo Dream Store returns with something magical for Disney fans of all ages. From Disney-inspired apparel, art and collectibles, accessories, books and more, the D23 Expo Dream Store is a Disney enthusiast’s dream come true.  Highlights include:

Official D23 Expo Merchandise will allow Disney fans to take home a piece of the magic from this year’s expo, with an assortment of official D23 Expo inspired merchandise including tees, baseball cap, fleece, jewelry, drink ware, accessories, pins, and Vinylmation™.

Harvey Seatbeltbags
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HARVEYS Seatbeltbags® are sure to make a statement at this year’s D23 Expo.  This new collection which features Sorcerer Mickey, classic D’s and more on some of HARVEYS most popular silhouettes, were created especially for this year’s 2013 Expo.

Disney Theme Park Merchandise will showcase some of its newest releases from Disney licensees and artists, including ACME Archives Limited, Dave Avanzino, Disney Design Group, Dooney & Bourke, Duffy the Disney Bear, Noah, Robert Olszewski, Precious Moments, Linda Rick, Jim Shore, and more.

Jim Shore
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ACME Archives Limited invites guests to make the magic come alive in your home with the latest releases from Disney•Pixar, Disney Studio Art, Disney Limited, Disney Underground and more.

Disney Design Group highlights a new Signature Collection of artwork including four captivating pieces filled with imagination, which bring to life Sorcerer Mickey and some of Disney’s most beloved characters.

Disney Dream Collection and D23 Expo-Exclusive Jewelry will dazzle audiences with a sparkling new selection of fine jewelry debuting as part of this year’s D23 Expo and featuring classic Disney icons and characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Tinker Bell, among others.

Dream Store Autograph Sessions will give Disney fans the opportunity to meet and greet some of their favorite authors, artists, Disney Legends and other notable celebrities. Autograph sessions will be posted daily at the D23 Expo Dream Store.

D23 Expo 2013 Silent Auction offers Disney enthusiasts the rare opportunity to bid on unique artifacts, artwork, experiences, props and more. The D23 Expo 2013 Silent Auction takes place Saturday, August 10, 2013. Tickets for the Silent Auction go on sale June 11, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. (Pacific) viawww.ArtofDisneyParks.com. Separate D23 Expo admission is required.

Please continue to watch as we release more details about Dream Store merchandise offerings, silent auction lots, and more on www.Disney.com/D23 and www.ArtofDisneyParks.com and on Facebook and Twitter at “DisneyD23”.

About D23 Expo 2013
The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented access to Disney films, television and theme parks. For the latest D23 Expo 2013 news, visit www.D23Expo.com. To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Looking Back: Pedro from 'Saludos Amigos'

As many of family and friends know, I am a HUGE Cars fan! Not to mention, a HUGE fan of Susie, the Blue Coupe, the inspiration behind Cars and Cars 2

Why didn't Susie have a cameo? The flashback scene in Radiator Springs in Cars would have been the perfect spot for this. A missed opportunity to say the least :(

The Walt Disney Classics Collection released Susie, along with Casey, Jr. from Dumbo and Lil' Toot from Melody Time in November 2001. Though the series was never officially called the Transportation Series, its the name that was associated with this specific group of releases. 

Just as the Transportation Series was making their debut, the Walt Disney Collectors Society announced a Members Only release for 2002, Pedro from Saludos Amigos (picture above).

This group of releases has always been a favorite of mine. Crazy as it might sound, have three sculptures of Susie. One in my main collection, one on display in my garage (totally themed in Cars) and one in my office, along with a framed 78 RPM of the classic short narrated by Sterling Holloway.

With the upcoming release of Disney/Pixar Planes, had me looking at my sculpture of Pedro and decided to add a second one to my collection, to display along with Susie in my office at work. He landed yesterday!

Pedro is plussed with a pewter propeller (that actually spins) and leather strap on his mail bag. Notice the detail etched in his wings. This is what made the Walt Disney Classics Collection stand out, releasing some of the more obscure characters like Susie and Pedro.  


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Friday, May 24, 2013

Enesco Announces Additional Sell-Throughs!

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The Walt Disney Classics Collection just announced the Sell-Through Status on the following releases:

Pegasus FamilyWalt Disney’s masterpiece Fantasia is a universe of animated treasures, including the celebrated segment that beautifully animates “The Pastoral Symphony.” 

Soaring serenely over the Olympian landscape is a majestic mother Pegasus who, once settled, tends to her multicolored babies in an elegant nest. 

The Pegasus Family ("Mythic Menagerie"), released in June, 2010, is a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 500 and sculpted by Kent Melton. 


The Pegasus Family was the topic of one of my recent Looking Back blog entries.

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Robin Hood and Maid Marian - From one of the least portrayed weddings in all of Disney animation, dashing Robin Hood and lovely Maid Marian walk arm-in-arm after having tied the knot.

Robin Hood and Maid Marian ("Merry Matrimony"), an Open Edition release, were released in May 2009 with Skippy Rabbit ("Attentive Attendant") and Toby Turtle ("Peering Page").  Skippy Rabbit and Toby Turtle were Limited to Production Year 2009.

Joining them in May, 2011 and June, 2011 respectively were Friar Tuck ("Bemused Badger") and Allan-a-Dale ("Rural Raconteur") both Limited to that Production Year.

Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Skippy, Toby and Friar Tuck were sculpted by Bruce Lau.  Alan-a-Dale was sculpted by Jacquline Perreault Gonzales.

Robin Hood and Maid Marian were retired in May, 2012. Skippy Rabbit and Toby Turtle sold through in August, 2009.  Friar Tuck and Allan-a-Dale are both still available.
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Brer Rabbit and Brer FoxWalt Disney loved the animal fables penned by Joel Chandler Harris in which clever Brer Rabbit constantly outfoxed crafty Brer Fox—but this time it looks like it’s the hungry fox who has the upper hand.

But never fear, quick-thinking Brer Rabbit will have the last laugh. First brought to life through Disney animation, these fanciful folklore critters have been immortalized in the classic Disney Theme Park attraction Splash Mountain.

These fun-filled sculptures are plussed with a bronze fork and pewter neck on Brer Fox and a pewter pole for Brer Rabbit.

"Cooking Up a Plan" (Brer Rabbit) and "Last Laugh" (Brer Fox) are a two-piece box set, sculpted by Ruben Procopio and were Limited to Production Year 2010.

They were joined in June, 2011 by Brer Bear ("A Hankering for Hare"), sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons.  Brer Bear, still available was Limited to Production Year 2011.


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Babette - In November, 2009, the Walt Disney Classics Collection released miniatures of the Enchanted Objects (Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts & Chip and Babette).  They were all initially introduced in full-size figurines but this release they were specifically designed to be in exact scale to Belle and Beast.

"Flirtatious Feather Duster" sculpted by Jacqueline Perreault Gonzales, an Open Edition release was plussed with pewter face and neck (feather portion of body is porcelain) and brass wire handle on back of her head.

Babette was retired in December, 2012.

Please check Authorized Walt Disney Classic Collection Retailers for availability.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Richard Sherman and Alan Menken Concert at D23 Expo 2013!



DISNEY LEGENDS RICHARD M. SHERMAN AND ALAN MENKEN
JOIN FORCES FOR A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CONCERT
The two Academy Award®-winning composers share the stage for one night only performing “The Disney Songbook” at the D23 Expo 2013, Saturday, August 10

BURBANK, Calif. – May 23, 2013 – For one night only, two of the world’s most celebrated songwriters and composers will take to the stage for “Richard M. Sherman and Alan Menken: The Disney Songbook.” The concert will take place at the D23 Expo 2013 at the Anaheim Convention Center in the D23 Expo Arena on Saturday, August 10.

Together Sherman and Menken have won a combined 10 Academy Awards for their work with Disney, and have composed music and songs for more than three dozen Disney feature films, over two dozen Disney Park attractions and half a dozen Disney musicals on Broadway.

“I can’t express how excited I am that my esteemed friend Alan Menken and I will be sharing the same bill for the very first time,” said Sherman. “Alan is an incredible talent, and I know we’re both thrilled to be performing for Disney’s most ardent fans—they’re the best and I can’t wait to be a part of what promises to be a very special night for all of us.”

“Richard Sherman and I share so many things; our cherished association with The Walt Disney Company, the blessing of having the opportunity to share our musical talents with "children of all ages" and a genuine mutual admiration—but one thing we've never gotten to share is a concert stage,” said Menken. “This summer at the D23 Expo 2013, we will do just that. And I can't think of anyone I'd prefer to share that stage with. Richard, along with his brother Robert, wrote songs that filled my formative years with joy and fantasy. And, all these years later, I can say with complete honesty that there is no one I've met in our business who is more warm and generous than my friend and fellow songwriter, Richard Sherman.”

Admission to the concert will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is included in the price of a ticket to the D23 Expo. In addition to the 4,000-seat D23 Expo Arena, the concert will be simulcast into a 2,000-seat overflow theater inside the Convention Center.

Richard M. Sherman and his brother Robert B. Sherman composed some of the most beloved songs in the Disney canon. The Disney Legends won two Oscars® for their work on Mary Poppins, and during their decades–long association with Disney they wrote more than 200 songs for 27 films and two dozen television productions. They made unforgettable contributions to such Disney films as The Parent Trap, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and the entire Winnie the Pooh series, as well as the family classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They also penned beloved songs for Disney Parks including the theme songs for Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, it’s a small world, and Carousel of Progress. Richard wrote the song “Make Way for Tomorrow Today” for the blockbuster film Iron Man 2, and is working on a new stage musical based on Walt Disney’s 1967 animated film classic The Jungle Book, premiering this June at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.

With eight Academy Awards, Alan Menken has received more Oscars than any living person. He has written songs and scores for some of the world’s most beloved films: Tangled (Oscar nominee), Enchanted (three Oscar nominations) The Little Mermaid (two Oscar wins), Beauty and the Beast (two Oscar wins), Aladdin (two Oscar wins), Pocahontas (two Oscar wins), Hercules (Oscar nominee), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Oscar nominee), Little Shop of Horrors (Oscar nominee), Home on the Range and Newsies. His song “Star Spangled Man,” was the patriotic anthem of the 2011 hit film Captain America: The First Avenger.

Menken’s Broadway successes include his 2012 Tony Award® for Newsies, plus The Little Mermaid (Tony Award nominee), Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, and Sister Act (Tony Award nominee). His other stage productions include King David, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and his latest stage production Aladdin: The New Musical, opening next year. At Disney Parks, Menken added an exclusive ballad (“To Be Free”) to his song score for Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular at Disney California Adventure and penned “Compass of Your Heart,” the catchy theme song for the attraction Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage at Tokyo DisneySea.

Tickets for the D23 Expo are available at a discounted price for a limited time. Though June 15, tickets are $52 for a one-day adult admission and $42 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club are $45 for a one-day adult admission and $37 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available for both D23 Members and the general public, and D23 Members can save as much as $144 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate before June 15. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for members and general admission, visit D23Expo.com.

About D23 Expo 2013
The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented access to Disney films, television, and theme parks. For the latest D23 Expo 2013 news, visit D23Expo.com. To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo.