A Mom (and Son’s) Take on Disney’s D23 Expo

This post originally appeared on Comm Couture as “The Happiest [convention center] on Earth!” by Jessica Stonefield-Fantin, our Pop Culture Geek cub reporter and mother of 2 boys. I asked her to join me at the D23 Expo to give a mom’s (and her oldest boy’s) perspective on the show and here’s what she had to say….

So – before I even get into the details, I have to admit: I’m not really a Disney girl. I was 32 years old before I visited a Disney theme park of any kind, and I am fairly certain I’ve never dressed up like a princess in my entire life. My son (perhaps suffering from his mother’s gross lack of Disney knowledge) is so Disney-starved that he actually insists Mickey Mouse is a monkey. So when I had the chance to visit the D23 Expo this year, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The most promising aspect: the presence of Pixar (Cars = major score from Blake Dean), and the rumored presence of my boyfriend (er, Captain America). I decided to take advantage of the press pass and take Blake Dean for the day.

Clearly, from the above, I am sure there are lots of Disney details that were lost on me at D23. I didn’t stop for the Cinderella booths or anything related to Mickey Mouse. I didn’t wear mouse ears. Or even try them on. Marvel and Pixar opps were my main focus, and at least in the latter, the event did not disappoint.

Besides the life-size Lightning and Mater that greeted us as we walked in the convention hall, there was a Lego-made Lightning that Blake couldn’t take his eyes off of.

We were also super lucky to meet an amazing Pixar/Disney comic artist, Allen Gladfelter, who did a sketch of Mater for BD.

Outside of the Cars toys (FYI: if you have a child in love with cars or trucks, I can guarantee the Cars Action Agents line will win their hearts in a blink) and remote controlled … cars (can you sense a theme here?)… there was a lot of swag, and (perhaps not surprisingly) children’s birthday party ideas. My fave were the Lightning cupcakes, which are gorgeous … albeit not likely to be baked by this mama any time soon.

All in all, we spent about four hours at D23, and my son didn’t want to leave. For the most part, the highlight was Lightning McQueen, rather than the monkey – er, mouse – that most people likely attend D23 for. Whatever the case, it made him super happy. And that always makes me happy, too.