Avengers Assemble in Disney twenty-three Magazine's Summer Issue!

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE ON THREE COLLECTIBLE COVERS
OF DISNEY TWENTY-THREE MAGAZINE’S ALL-NEW SUMMER ISSUE

Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hulk,
Hawkeye and Nick Fury Unite as D23: The Official Disney Fan Club
Celebrates the Eagerly Awaited Release of Marvel’s The Avengers

BURBANK, Calif. – April 19, 2012 – Marvel’s The Avengers is so big, Disney twenty-three magazine needs not one, not two, but three eye-popping collectible covers to do it justice … and that’s what D23: The Official Disney Fan Club has planned for the summer issue, which is available nationwide on May 1.

Coinciding with the worldwide theatrical release of Marvel’s The Avengers, the summer issue of Disney twenty-three features a 10-page story on the creation of the biggest superhero film ever produced. Author and Disney Imagineer Jason Surrell spoke with the film’s acclaimed writer-director Joss Whedon, as well as stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg, and producer Kevin Feige to get the behind-the-scenes details on the explosive film, from the complexities of bringing many of the world’s most famous heroes together to nights out dancing in downtown Albuquerque.

Each of the magazine’s three front and back covers feature different characters:

• Iron Man and Nick Fury on front; Hulk and Captain America on back
• Thor and Black Widow on front; Iron Man and Hawkeye on back
• Captain America on front; Hulk and Hawkeye on back

“Marvel’s The Avengers is a groundbreaking film, so we had to do something equally exceptional with our flagship magazine that would thrill both Disney and Marvel fans alike,” says Steven Clark, head of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club. Along with the new issue, D23 Gold Members will receive a special member-only gift: one of seven collectible patches featuring the insignias of each Avenger.

Marvel’s The Avengers is only part of what’s in store in the summer issue of Disney twenty-three, which explores the most exciting new developments throughout Disney – while offering new insight into fan favorites. Among the articles in the summer issue:

• A Brave New World: Readers will travel to Pixar Animation Studios and meet the team bringing to life the mystical world of ancient Scotland in Pixar’s 13th animated feature, Brave;
• A World of Fantasy: Climb aboard the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet and explore what makes the Disney Fantasy unlike any other vessel to set sail;
• To Annette, With Love: An in-depth interview with Glen Holt, the devoted husband of everyone’s favorite Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello;
• Bon Anniversaire, Disneyland Paris: As Disney’s only European theme park turns 20, Disney twenty-three looks back at its creation and ahead to its magical future;
• The World Will Know and Written in the Stars: Two articles that take closer looks at Disney’s latest, critically acclaimed Broadway productions: Newsies and Peter and the Starcatcher.
• He Wrote the Songs: A touching remembrance of legendary Disney songwriter Robert B. Sherman;

The summer issue of Disney twenty-three also offers an exclusive interview with Newsies film director Kenny Ortega; a celebration of the history of the Disney Store, which first opened its doors 25 years ago; photos from the latest D23 events across the country – and rarely seen photos from the Walt Disney Archives in the magazine’s popular PHOTOfiles section.