ScoopsPins Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 Did you ever feel like you're rewinding or fast-forwarding through time? You know, like bouncing back and forth between Main Street and Tomorrowland? D23 was a little like that, with something new (and old) around every turn. Let me show you some of the cool things I discovered in the short time I had to walk through the Convention Center before the crowds arrived! When I found these Cars Land-themed Buzz and Woody, I had no idea of the cars to come! Leading up to my trip to D23, I didn't get any advance info, so I stumbled onto what turns out was one of the most publicized displays at the Expo, the Great Big Beautiful Car Show, presented by the Disney Archives. There were some of the most gigantic displays I'd ever seen (and I've seen a lot), but this took up the kind of acreage as a parking lot would. Featuring 32 vehicles in 24,000 square feet, it took visitors from the days of Ford's Model T all the way into a galaxy far, far away, and was everything and more than you'd expect it to be! Here's the "Flying Flivver"! Otherwise known as the 1915 Ford Model T Touring car used by Fred MacMurray in The Absent-Minded Professor (1961). This reminded me of the cars that can be seen on Main Street, USA. Random Fact: There were three Model T cars used in the film. One was completely drivable. One had all inner mechanisms removed to make it light-weight and was lifted on wires to film the flying scenes. And the last one was also a stripped-down version that was mounted to a lift from below for more flying shots. Next is Walt's "Roundabout" that he used while touring Disneyland in the early 1960s. There's one like this at Hollywood Studios in WDW. The Citizens of Hollywood used to use it to drive up and down Hollywood Boulevard. The bright red sports car there was Mickey's 1939 Bantam Roadster that was seen in Disneyland's "Cruisin' the Kingdom Cavalcade" in the mid-1990s. One of the highlights of the exhibit had to be Walt Disney’s 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL. The car was also featured in the 1965 film, That Darn Cat. "According to Disney legend, Walt bought the vehicle for himself but felt guilty for making such an extravagant purchase, so he decided to rent it out to the studio to be used as a picture car." The next vehicle was a Disneyland Parking Tram used between 1968 and 1997! Moving forward in the century, there were some Muppets vehicles. The taxi was used in the 1981 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I'm sure most of you recognize the Tron Lightcycle! This 20-foot-wide tunnel was lined in more than 200 color-changing lights that "transported" you into the "Worlds Beyond" area of the exhibit. Through the tunnel on the other side there was a galaxy far, far away . . . and I was standing in front of Rey's costume and Speeder from the 2015 film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And someone was kind enough to take the photo for me this time! Right around the corner from here was the impressive Lucasfilm display. There was no way with the limited time I had I could do it justice, so I encourage you to find it in action elsewhere on line. Check out that screen in the background of this picture. That's one of the LED immersive sound stages that's revolutionized film making, particularly in some far off galaxies, transported here for those of us who'll never make it onto a sound stage. If you've enjoyed the many planets and terrains seen in The Mandalorian, it's this technology that brought them to your screen. Whether they soar through hyperspace or pass over the Krill ponds of Sorgan, the actors never need to leave the sound stage. They also had this neat display featuring Kuiil's costume, originally worn by actress Misty Rosas. And take a look at the display case . . . that's the animatronic puppet of Murley, Sabine Wren's Loth-cat. This puppet was made by Legacy (the same team who crafted Grogu) and actually features a complete skeleton inside to allow minute and realistic movements. Look closely and you can see the puppeteering rod on Murley's back! If posing in front of all the props wasn't enough, there was this great photo-op spot with flat Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO inside the Millennium Falcon. It's pretty much impossible to wrap up this entry after seeing Walt's vehicles and Sabine's Loth-cat, but I got some help from Annika and @TheTwins to feature one last vehicle . . . Grogu's Pod! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more D23 fun. As they say in that galaxy far, far away . . . This is the way. If you've enjoyed these photos and would like to find out more about this great exhibit, check out these great articles and photos: https://d23.com/gallery-every-car-from-a-great-big-beautiful-car-show-at-d23-the-ultimate-disney-fan-event/ https://www.laughingplace.com/w/disney-entertainment/d23-walt-disney-archives-car-show-2/ https://d23.com/drive-in-to-a-great-big-beautiful-car-show-at-d23-the-ultimate-disney-fan-event/ View full record 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchinj Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 Wow! Thanks for sharing! Looked like an amazing time! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwins Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 So thrilled to see the picture of Sabine's Loth-cat. Wow! That's really made our week! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelo97 Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 Wow! Getting to see all the fun retro and vintage vehicles are so cool! The storage for these items must be crazy! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwins Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 1 hour ago, angelo97 said: Wow! Getting to see all the fun retro and vintage vehicles are so cool! The storage for these items must be crazy! Apparently, the parking tram has been in storage since retirement in the late 1990s and has been too large to display anywhere until this display! I can't imagine that a number of the other vehicles haven't suffered from the same issue. They had one there that was built on top of a Military Tank, and it's gigantic! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaltFan1928 Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 Thanks for sharing. Really would like to know more about the Muppet cab. That looks like a really neat car. I had a 1961 Morris Minor, looks similar to the beetle except the engine was in the front. It was made by the MG company 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyanne Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Love this post!!!!!!!! I love the Mary Poppins shoes and hat!! Thank you for sharing all of this @ScoopsPins Holland! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hart Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 I Love this post! I kinda liked seeing the old parking tram, light cycle, Kuiil’s costume and cat! Also…was that the Grogu that mollyanne said she was talking to as she video-ed it? Because I’d probably have done the same thing after seeing him lol! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwins Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 1 hour ago, Hart said: I Love this post! I kinda liked seeing the old parking tram, light cycle, Kuiil’s costume and cat! Also…was that the Grogu that mollyanne said she was talking to as she video-ed it? Because I’d probably have done the same thing after seeing him lol! Yes, that was the Grogu! He's so cute. Glad to see someone else appreciating Sabine's cat. It was so exciting to see this picture. I think I screeched when we first saw it. Sis and I were that excited!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astara Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Thank you for taking time out of the convention to take pictures and share this! That parking tram would have been a highlight. For myself, I'd like to say how much I appreciated seeing display pictures and info and not just the pin releases. Looking forward to seeing more, if you feel like sharing more Disney magic. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoopsPins Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 On 8/16/2024 at 11:54 AM, WaltFan1928 said: Thanks for sharing. Really would like to know more about the Muppet cab. That looks like a really neat car. I had a 1961 Morris Minor, looks similar to the beetle except the engine was in the front. It was made by the MG company Thanks for mentioning this, Judy, and here’s what we could find for ya'! The Muppet cab in this display is actually a 1959 Austin A35 that was first used in 1981 for Beauregard's taxi in The Great Muppet Caper. There wasn't much left of the inside of the car, because the puppeteers had to fit down inside with a stunt driver! The taxi showed up in 1996 as a display at Disney's MGM Studios / Hollywood Studios, in the queue for the "Studio Backlot Tour" where it was displayed for eighteen years. The Muppets' van was open for the D23 display, so you could see how much of the car had been removed (including all the floorboards) to make room for the puppeteers. There's a very interesting blog entry about everything Muppets that appeared at D23, and they shared this picture. If you want to check out this blog entry to see more about the Muppets vehicles, here's the link: https://muppet-stuff.blogspot.com/2024/08/muppets-at-d23.html And just for fun, here's a picture showing the Muppet taxi in the 1981 Macy's Parade! I’m especially glad to talk more about the Muppets, because my friend, Joey Mazzarino, was the head writer for Sesame Street until it was bought by HBO. He was also a Muppeteer of many years and many Macy’s Parades. We loved seeing the Muppets float, because we knew Joey was hard at work, volunteering just like everyone else in the parade. And you want to guess how I met Joey? Trading pins with him on Main Street! You never know who you’re going to meet trading on the street! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwins Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 Had to respond to this post because we've had two pins listed this week that actually feature two of the displayed items! The first one is a Loth-cat from the Ahsoka show. They probably meant to release a pin of Sabine's cat, though this one is slightly different in coloring. https://www.pinpics.com/pin/167519 And the second pin is actually Rey's speeder! https://www.pinpics.com/pin/167577 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaltFan1928 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 On 8/19/2024 at 7:53 PM, ScoopsPins said: Thanks for mentioning this, Judy, and here’s what we could find for ya'! The Muppet cab in this display is actually a 1959 Austin A35 that was first used in 1981 for Beauregard's taxi in The Great Muppet Caper. There wasn't much left of the inside of the car, because the puppeteers had to fit down inside with a stunt driver! The taxi showed up in 1996 as a display at Disney's MGM Studios / Hollywood Studios, in the queue for the "Studio Backlot Tour" where it was displayed for eighteen years. The Muppets' van was open for the D23 display, so you could see how much of the car had been removed (including all the floorboards) to make room for the puppeteers. There's a very interesting blog entry about everything Muppets that appeared at D23, and they shared this picture. If you want to check out this blog entry to see more about the Muppets vehicles, here's the link: https://muppet-stuff.blogspot.com/2024/08/muppets-at-d23.html And just for fun, here's a picture showing the Muppet taxi in the 1981 Macy's Parade! I’m especially glad to talk more about the Muppets, because my friend, Joey Mazzarino, was the head writer for Sesame Street until it was bought by HBO. He was also a Muppeteer of many years and many Macy’s Parades. We loved seeing the Muppets float, because we knew Joey was hard at work, volunteering just like everyone else in the parade. And you want to guess how I met Joey? Trading pins with him on Main Street! You never know who you’re going to meet trading on the street! Thanks I am up set they are getting rid of the Attraction at Hollywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwins Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 Just found out that the Muppets' Mayhem van is actually featured on a pin! It was a WDI pin released last year to D23 Gold Members. This is the great thing about the pin trading hobby . . . pretty much every fun Disney-related interest can relate to a pin somehow. Here's the pin: https://www.pinpics.com/pin/156207 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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