Welcome to Disney’s Top 5.
People ask me, “Why don’t you move to Florida so you can be close to Disney at all times?””Inevitably, my answer takes into account the weather and the great change of seasons to which I am accustomed here in New York. I know there are a lot of other people who will think I’m crazy about this next statement, but I love snow. I’ve been skiing since I was 4 years old and snow is a major component of my life, in addition to snow plows and shovels. I also love the spring thaw, the transition to summer, and perhaps my favorite season, fall. I couldn’t afford to live near Walt Disney World and give up those different seasons. Some of you may say, “Orlando has its seasons. “TRUE. I went to Disney when it was 40 degrees outside and I had to buy a fleece jacket to go to the parks. But I’m not going to overlook those big snowstorms and fall days driving all the way to New England to see the stunning foliage, am I?
Of course, with fall every year comes one of my favorite things, and no, it’s not all pumpkin spice that starts popping up all over the place. It’s the world’s largest pop culture and comedy e-book convention, New York Comic. Don’t forget when Disney mailed you your magic bracelets before your next stay?You’d go to the mailbox and see this big package. We’d open it and see all of our brightly colored bracelets. with our names engraved on them. It was a way to get excited about your vacation at Walt Disney World. Well, I feel the same way when I check the mail and there’s a ReedPop envelope waiting for me, especially when it feels a little heavy. That means my Comic Con badges have arrived and the big occasion has to be approaching.
For several years now, I’ve been covering New York Comic Con for MousePlanet, and my purpose has been the same: to explore the massive conference for any Disney reference. In the past, that meant bringing together artists, authors, collectors, celebrities, and most importantly, the ever-fascinating crowd of enthusiasts who visit the home of the Jacob Javits Center on Manhattan’s West Side for four crazy days. As the years go by, I love this crowd more and more for one and both years. In fact, a fantastic organization of people, both more artistic than the previous one. What did I find in my search this year? Check out my annual Disney Top Five at the New York Comic Con: 2023 Edition.
This year, I was walking the halls of the conference center with one of my 21-year-old twins, Casey. We’ve been seeing those kinds of events for quite some time now, since it was around nine or ten o’clock in the morning. clock. It’s a long day when you’re with young children, and they visit regularly to provide a separate area where you can attract more enthusiastic young people and enjoy entertainment aimed at their age group. Disney had the wisdom to jump on the bandwagon, and create an entire children’s entertainment room while selling some of its featured Disney Channel and Disney Junior characters and shows.
As soon as they entered the room, each child won a loose goodie bag containing comic books, pages of drawings, and a Moon Girl Pop figure. Not that I asked for it, but despite my press credential, they insisted that I can only look inside and not take a bag with me.
Young attendees can simply check out Disney systems in comfy beanbag chairs, play games, read comic books, and even meet characters like Marvel’s Moon Girl.
When I visited EnterTOONment’s headquarters, enthusiasts lined up to meet Bluey and Bingo.
In fact, this part of the lecture wasn’t meant for me, but it’s worth mentioning. If you think an event like New York Comic Con might be too overwhelming for younger people, know that they have enough distractions planned to make them worth tagging. especially on Sundays when tickets for children aged 6 to 12 are only 27. Deer. The back line? Disney has done a wonderful job with the EnterTOONment headquarters.
Growing up, my brother Michael was a big fan of style exercises. Downstairs in the basement of the area we grew up in, it took up much of the area near our father’s workbench and built an amazing exercise system. bridges, buildings, trees, grass, people and even a Parisian mountain plaster, complete with a railway tunnel. This rubbed off on me a bit because, for over 20 years now, I’ve been installing an old Lionel exercise under my Christmas tree each and every year. So when I saw Lionel Trains’ booth at this year’s Comic Con, it was a pleasant surprise. There hasn’t been a Lionel Train booth at any comic book conference I’ve attended.
The biggest surprise was finding the booth full of Disney exercises!Anyone who’s been to the Magic Kingdom or Disneyland since they opened knows that Walt was a workout freak, so it’s essentially the first thing that greets you when you arrive. For 115 years, Lionel has been making the best style exercises available. This year, the two venerable corporations joined forces to celebrate Disney’s centennial with exercises. If you had a child with you or are more of a fan of casual exercise, there are more easy-to-use ready-to-play games that can cost anywhere from $50 to around $100.
However, if you’re a fitness enthusiast (and I’m being great here and don’t use the words enthusiast or geek), Lionel and Disney have some awesome outfits that will set you back around $500. However, the article I liked the most about Lionel’s booth, this recreation of a Mickey and Minnie Mouse raisin from 1934.
This had to be one of the most perfect collectibles I found at Comic Con this year. By the time I arrived on Saturday, the third day of the convention, Lionel had completely sold out of raisins. I’m not sure I did. I would have gone for the price of $200, but it would have been tempting. When I checked Lionel’s official website, I discovered that the original Mickey and Minnie handcart sold over 250,000 sets in the 1934 holiday season. This remarkable good fortune alone was worth it. the company’s debts and propelled it to the highest level of the exercise style market. If you want one, head over to Lionel’s official online store and get yours today. I hope Santa has one under my tree this year!
I saw a lot of Disney merchandise this year at New York Comic Con. These are just two of my favorites.
There are tons of statues and characters on display at Comic Con, but few things literally hold me back like this collectible Buzz Lightyear figure did. That’s because it’s not just a collectible figure. It’s essentially your own private animatronic buzz. I don’t think my written words do it justice. If you need to understand what I mean, head over to Robosen’s online page to see what this does. It is remarkable and also remarkably beloved. While you’re there, check out the Transformers lineup and check out the long series of remote-controlled collectible figures. Actually, you have to take care of it.
Super 7 is quickly becoming a big player in the world of collectible figures. Are you a fan of Clash? Do you want a Joe Strummer action figure?Head over to the Super 7 online store. Need a figure of Dr. Teeth and all of The Electric Mayhem?Same place. The tagline on their website says it all: “We grew up with giant monsters, comic books, punk, sci-fi, skateboarding, robots, and rebellion. Nobody did what we wanted. So we did it ourselves. “Discuss with this corporate philosophy. Super 7’s booth was impressive this year and their demo case filled with their so-called SuperSize line caught my eye.
If he had the space, he’d already own the Ben Ali Gator of Fantasia. And on a non-Disney note, if you read the books like I did when you were a kid, those Richard Scarry figures are great!
One of the most productive aspects of Comic Con is seeing all the art produced by professionals and enthusiasts alike. At each and every comic convention, there’s often a domain called Artist Alley. This is where wonderful mainstream comic book artists showcase their creations and meet their enthusiasts. But it is also the place where young artists and independent authors visit to present their paintings to the public. I’ve tried to meet and help emerging artists at each and every convention I attend, especially at a big show like New York Comic Con. These grieving artists want all the help they can get when they’re in the room with all the big names in media like Marvel and DC, and I’ve met some amazing artists and storytellers over the years.
The main terrain of the exhibition is where you can locate all of your products, books, collectibles, and booths from industry giants like Marvel, Funko, and Dragonball, but interspersed in the sea with anime figures and Funko Pops, there are booths full of fans. art. . Here are some of my favorite examples of fan art from this year’s exhibition.
I’m a big fan of the Amourable Art gang. I’ve noticed that their booth and collection grow over the years, and they never disappoint with their amazing style of fan art. Here’s a great example of one of my favorite scenes of all time. in any Disney movie: the lantern scene in Tangled.
I realize it’s not Disney, but I had to mention the fact that, regardless, someone is paying homage to one of the most important comics of all time, Calvin and Hobbes. Rarely, if ever, do I see anything committed to this fantastic duo. , and I made sure one of them made it home as well.
When you attend enough conventions like I do, you see a lot of the same vendors. So when something turns out to be new, I avoid it and take note. I first saw the “Simba symbol” and then I was drawn to Oswald. The big revelation came when the artist, whose company is called Sew Much Thread, told me that his art was made entirely of nails and thread. Extremely impressive, that’s for sure. Head over to the artist’s Instagram if you’re interested.
Of course, it’s not just the little ones that attract me. Last year, I spent some time interviewing Disney’s official artist, James C. Mulligan. You can consult that article here. It’s wonderful to catch up with him this year and see some of his most recent creations, adding this very existing Splash Mountain print. . .
. . . and this copy of Remy’s New York Comic Con on Broadway, with tongue-in-cheek references to rats strewn in the background.
It’s evident in his work, and it’s evident in the enthusiasts at his booth who smile from ear to ear as they look at his creations and listen to his warm, enthusiastic words, that he’s one of us. It’s like a big Disney fan talking to other big Disney enthusiasts. Seeing it this year was the highlight of the day for me. Follow James online to learn more about James and learn more about his work. Maybe even do some holiday shopping for your favorite Disney fan. An absolute treasure.
Speaking of safe, if you’re looking for the best animated collectibles, head to what’s pretty much the center of the New York Comic Con exhibit and you’ll spot the Choice Fine Art booth. It’s more like a maze of animation art. That’s old and new. You probably won’t find little things or fan art here. Instead, you’ll find real drawings and original animation cells from Disney, Warner Brothers, DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Hanna Barbera, and every other major. user in the history of the art of animation. Make sure you show up with huge sums of cash to spend. Don’t come here looking for a $40 print for your child’s bedroom walls. These are investments. Most of us are simply there to appreciate the greatness, although I’m sure some were there to make a purchase. Peter Pan has been my favorite Disney vintage, so I was immediately drawn to this hand-painted cel of Peter and Wendy in the Darling nativity scene.
What I like to find are comic strips through Disney artists. Something that was potentially concept art or a painting in progress. Case in point: this charming artistic production of The Fox and The Hound starring Vixey and Todd. I’ve had a comfortable place for this movie and I’d love to make this comic strip my own.
But, for the second year in a row, I once again stopped dead in my tracks at The Choice Fine Art booth with not one but two original conceptual artworks through Disney legend Mary Blair.
Last year, I wrote about turning the corner from the Disney segment and discovering an undeniable but striking little portrait of Mary’s portraits in Song of the South. If you’re a Disney fan, you know who Mary Blair is. She is a Disney artist and color expert and portrayed in classics such as Dumbo, Saludos Amigos, Los Tres Caballeros, and Canción del Sur, among others. It was her taste for color in a number of films such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan that made her the legend she is today. Mary’s sublime art direction gave birth to the look and feel of those three formidable classics. Fans of Disney parks notice his portraits every day. She, the color designer and stylist of “It’s a Small World,” and visitors to the Contemporary Resort can appreciate her 90-foot-tall mural, which serves as the centerpiece of the hotel’s Grand Canyon Concourse.
I’m a big fan of Mary’s paintings and her specific style, and for the second year in a row, I dreamed of having around $25,000 more to bring home a true masterpiece by one of Disney’s most no-nonsense artists. Cinderella and her castle? Or Alice and the White Rabbit?A little less than $60,000 and I may have both!
New York Comic Con never disappoints. Throughout the year, I’ve made it a point to attend similar protests, smaller or in neighboring states, but New York is the biggest. It’s a network of other people I’ve come to love deeply.
There’s a line in the song Woodstock through Crosthrough, Stills, Nash and Young that sums up how I feel about the event as a whole.
This song was written through Joni Mitchell, who was Graham Nash’s friend at the time. Unfortunately, she stayed to appear on The Dick Cavett Show instead of attending and performing at the defining concert of her generation. In the song, she recounts the verbal telephone exchange she had with Graham, describing how, once she arrived at the music and art festival, she learned how extensive this movement and its network were.
That’s how I feel one and both year when, despite one and both, I arrive at the Jacob Javits Center for New York Comic Con. You start to feel it on the platform of networked exercise, where some other people, usually the ones you know from the city, wait in the crisp autumn morning air for their trip to the city. It becomes more and more prominent in the activity as other people climb onto the same stop, many of them in costume. Then you arrive at Penn Station, businesses are replaced by superheroes, and you sign up for the crowd heading to the west side. With both of you on a block, your network grows bigger and bigger until all that’s left is us walking the streets. Once there, you realize how gigantic this network of fascinating, like-minded Americans is. And you smile and you know you’re home again.
If you like that networked feeling you get when you finally return to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, then you deserve to go to New York Comic Con next year. Head over to their official online page for more information and to sign up. Sign up for their mailing list. Let me know if you go, I know I’ll be there!
That’s it for this once. As always, I’d like to hear what you have to say. Click the link below to share your opinion and see you next time with Disney Top 5.
 
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