Movie Review: Frozen II

Rated PG for action/peril and some thematic elements

I remember 6 years ago being hyped for Frozen, after the 2013 D23 Expo gave us some exciting sneaks and imagery beyond the hackneyed American marketing campaign.

Next thing we knew, Elsa dolls were flying off the shelves, Idina Menzel’s Let It Go drove parents insane, and it looked like Walt Disney Feature Animation was back on top.

While the studio’s micro-managers during the “Eisner Era” sequelized as much as they could with cheaply-done animation, sequels made within the big-budget Burbank Disney Studios were few-and-far-between. The company recently embraced big-screen sequels again with Ralph Breaks the Internet, and now are hoping it’s icy cash-cow still has what it takes to fill seats and sell merchandise.

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When the kingdom of Arendelle is threatened by magical forces beyond their borders, Anna (Kristin Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Olaf (Josh Gad), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), and Sven set off to find out what is going on.

L to R: Sven, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), Anna (Kristin Bell), and Elsa (Idina Menzel)

Their journey leads them into an enchanted forest, cut off from the rest of the countryside. Within it’s shrouded wilderness, the group finds new creatures, humans, and the chance to learn a little more about Anna and Elsa’s royal heritage.

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Frozen II attempts to do what most sequels do, which is send it’s characters off on a bigger and more eye-popping journey than the first foray. Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck return to the director’s chairs, while caught in a quandary: how to continue telling the story, when they can’t seem to escape the shadow of the first film.

The filmmakers try to utilize some connective tissue to the Arendelle royal family and expand our knowledge of them, but we get a few too many winks to the audience’s knowledge of Frozen (even Toy Story 2 was able to reference it’s predecessor more sparingly than what we see here).

After 6 years (and two animated shorts), we see that there have been a few changes to our main cast of characters. There’s still a small wedge between the two sisters on how to handle certain situations, with Elsa wanting to do things by herself, and Anna still wanting to be there for her older sister.

Most of the film’s humor comes from Olaf, who seems to be entering the “motor-mouthed kid” portion of his being alive. This time around, Kristoff is pushed to the back, with a running-gag “proposition” narrative that seems to be a continuation from what we saw in the 2015 animated short, Frozen Fever.

L to R: Destin Mattias (Sterling K Brown), Anna (Kristin Bell)

The film does expand on it’s cast once we get to the enchanted forest. From the introduction of a native tribe, to Arendelle Lieutenant Destin Mattias (Sterling K Brown), it at first seems like we’re going to get a larger cast of characters to go on this new journey. In the end however, they feel like minor bumps in the road.

While the first film focused on Anna learning more about life and coming into her own, this film gives over much of it’s character development time to Elsa. There also is the added mystery as to how the enchanted forest came to be, but it never feels like we really get a concrete understanding about this new location. Still, the visuals do show that Disney’s R&D team have taken some amazing leaps when it comes to real-world environments and lighting.

What also doesn’t help the film, is it’s pacing. From the beginning, the film feels like it’s in a hurry to get us to Elsa’s story. There are some moments where the film could take the time to slow down and allow us to catch our breath, but by the end of it all, you feel like stuff has happened…but how much of what you experienced do you actually comprehend, or care about?

Elsa (Idina Menzel)

Songwriters Robert and Kristen Anderson Lopez are back, with plenty of new music that hits the big Broadway sound, while also dipping into the power ballad arena. Idina Menzel delivers the two big show-stopper pieces, while Kristin Bell and Josh Gad are given songs that just don’t hold much water. I don’t see any of the music becoming the new “Let it Go,” though a song sung by Jonathan Groff will either have you in stitches, or leave you scratching your head.

Frozen II gives us a chance to catch up with old friends, but it feels a little too invested in connecting itself to the first film, and too eager to give us more time with Elsa than to focus on keeping us just as emotionally invested in the rest of it’s cast, both old and new. We’re fortunate that it’s not just a “re-skinned” sequel like Mary Poppins Returns, but it just comes off as a good story, that could have been something far greater (like The Incredibles 2!).

Final Grade: B-

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2017’s D23 Expo – The Place to be for Disney Cosplay

Back when I attended my first D23 Expo in 2013, I was surprised by the amount of Disney-related cosplays that I saw. While there were the familiar mainstays like Snow White or Aladdin, I was very surprised to see cosplays of characters I probably would never see in other, non-Disney venues!

This year, I decided to do another blog post like I did in 2013, and chronicle over 30 different cosplays I took pictures of, during the three-day event. Like last time, I ended up taking a lot of pictures, so I had to whittle my choices down to the ones below.

And trust me, there were plenty of great ones to choose from!

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One character I don’t often see much of, is Giselle from the live-action/animated feature, Enchanted. This cosplayer did a nice rendition of the dress she made from Robert Philip’s curtains.

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Sometimes, people dress up as representations of things related to Disney, and that’s what this couple did! Taking their cues from Pixar Animation Studios, the girl’s dress is a representation of the famous Pixar ball, while her partner is an interpretation of it’s famous hopping lamp, Luxo, Jr.

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This year marked the 15th anniversary of the release of Lilo & Stitch. While I did see a lot of girls and women wearing Lilo’s red dress with white leaf imprints, I was very surprised to come across Mertle Edmonds. Mertle was the bossy little redhead in Lilo’s hula class, and like in the film, she had to flaunt some attitude when I took her picture.

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“Abigail! Amelia! My two favorite gooses!”
I hadn’t seen The Aristocats in years, but upon seeing these two girls, Uncle Waldo’s declaration rang through my head, as I saw some nearby expo-goers, trying to figure out just who they were! It was fun to see that to simulate their webbed feet, they were wearing orange shoes!

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“Name’s Hades, Lord of the Dead, hi how’ya doin?”
Some cosplays will make me just rush over to snap a picture, and seeing this guy from the back, was one of those times! He REALLY put a lot of effort into this, as that is actually a facial prosthetic he’s wearing! He’s also got spiked dentures, contact lenses covering his eyeballs, and he was even in ‘lifts’ to give him some extra height! He even wore gloves to give his fingers the spindly, ‘Scarfe’ look of the character!

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One of the reasons I went to the expo this year, was to attend the events related to a recent DisneyXD series I watch: Star vs the Forces of Evil. While there were plenty of ‘ordinary’ cosplays of title characters Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz, this couple to me, beat them all! They were not only wearing the disguises Marco and Star wore to infiltrate St Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses, but the girl portraying Star here, also hand-crafted the Flying Princess Pony Head figure her boyfriend was holding!

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Many of us know Merlin from The Sword in the Stone wearing his blue robes, but how often do you see him in his 20th century vacation duds, that he wore while in Bermuda?

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I saw a few people dressed up as Indiana Jones on the expo floor, but this was the first time I had seen an Indy, with Marion Ravenwood! It wasn’t enough that she made a version of Marion’s outfit from Cairo, but she was also wearing her medallion, AND carrying around that two-timing little monkey spy!

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“Can you turn yourself into a fly?” I asked this guy, in my best Mickey Mouse voice.
“Are you sure you don’t want a, pink bunny?” he asked, smiling that I recognized him.
This fellow is dressed as Willie the Giant, from the Mickey and the Beanstalk short. And just like Willie in the short, he had a little Mickey in his hand, to pose with.

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I’m always on the lookout for cosplays of my favorite modern-day Disney shorts, Paperman! This couple was one of several walking around the expo. Word was, the other had painted themselves grey to more closely resemble their animated counterparts.

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I saw quite a few Edna Modes from The Incredibles, but this little woman captured her larger-than-life attitude perfectly!

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Tron: Legacy has somewhat faded from most people’s minds, but it was neat to see Quorra and two of the Sirens from the film, off-the-grid.

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I definitely didn’t expect to encounter Percival McLeach from The Rescuers Down Under, but it was an even bigger surprise to see his monitor lizard Joanna, trying to purloin a few of his eggs (again).

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This Centaurette from Fantasia’s Pastoral Symphony, was part of a mother/daughter duo, that I saw outside the convention center. There was also a blue Centaurette who entered into the Mousequerade contest.

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I saw a few Maui’s on the floor, but this one had the physique and facial features, to really sell that demigod look (plus, his hook lit up!). It was also humorous, that everyone who thanked him for a picture, was greeted with a “you’re welcome” from him!

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Like an older woman I saw dressed as Mulan from the 2013 expo, these two are examples that you’re never too old to cosplay! It’s not often I see Anna, AND a snow-caked Christof from Frozen.

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While I’ve seen plenty of Ariel’s roaming the floor, this was the first time I had seen her daughter Melody, from Little Mermaid 2. Her ‘tail’ is actually a skirt that she could raise and lower.

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There were quite a number of ‘mash-ups’ regarding various properties and characters (I saw a Spider-Ariel at one point), but this was rather unique: a number of leading ladies, crossed over with the villains of their respective films!

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I saw a few people cosplaying characters from 1995’s A Goofy Movie, but there was only one Powerline, who was walking the floor with a boombox, blasting the film’s soundtrack. He was accompanied by a girl dressed as Stacey, the character Roxanne’s best friend from the film.

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The opening day of the Expo, had the most cosplayers there, due to the Mousequerade costume contest. When it was all said-and-done, these two girls, dressed as Te Fiti and Te Ka from Moana, were the big winners! Word is Te Ka’s volcano form was made from sculpted foam, and actual smoke emitted from it!

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With the announcement of a new Kingdom Hearts game, there were plenty of Sora’s around, though this guy really captured the character (especially with his huge shoes, and spiked hair!).

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Given that Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch was at the Expo on Friday, there were a number of GF cosplays to be seen that day. Before the day was up, I managed to snap this pick of Mabel, and “Grunkle” Stan Pines.

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“DARLA!!!” Yes, the Australian dentist’s niece from Finding Nemo finally made an appearance at the Expo!  Poor Chuckles, though.

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It often amazes me how beloved Tangled is by a number of fans, and I was surprised to see several of the thugs from The Snuggly Duckling. Here, we have Hook Hand, and Atilla (with his cupcakes)!

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The evil Madam Medusa from The Rescuers, was seen on the floor taking Nero for a walk, with the Devil’s Eye Diamond in his mouth. “Brutus is at home,” she informed me, of her other pet crocodile.

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This costume mash-up I almost passed by. This girl is playing a combination of Lilo and Rey (from The Force Awakens). What caught my eye, was her BB-8, that is actually made up as Lilo’s doll, Scrump!

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“So, what’s the sitch?”
Hard to believe Kim Possible debuted on The Disney Channel 15 years ago! I also saw Shego walking around, but really…where’s Ron Stoppable!?

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There were a number of people needing wheelchairs or scooters to get around, and this guy took his scooter, and decided to become Captain Jack Sparrow, steering his own Black Pearl around the expo floor!

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No, it isn’t “Showgirl Gadget,” it’s Miss Kitty, who performed “Let Me Be Good To You” at the Rat Trap Pub, in The Great Mouse Detective.  Sadly, she was the only Great Mouse cosplay I saw, walking the expo floor.

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Like the 2013 Expo, I saved my favorite cosplay for last, and this year, it was this woman, dressed up as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, from the Disney Parks! What was even more impressive, is that the train on her dress worked, and could complete a full trip all the way around her! Sadly, she didn’t win the Mousequerade contest’s big prize, but she did win for the “Inspired by Disney” sub-category! 

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And those were 30 of the many cosplays I saw at this year’s D23 Expo!  There were plenty of other amazing ones, such as a male version of Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, with a pink/blue splattered dress suit, Tinkerbell as a Rebel pilot from Star Wars, and even Vanellope Von Schweetz in her candy kart (that had to be specially taken through the security area!). There was even a woman dressed up as the pub thug Shorty from Tangled, in his “cupid” getup.

If any of you readers are the cosplayers I snapped pics of, please leave a comment! Any tidbits about making your costumes, or stories about their creation, are always welcome!

Movie Review: Frozen

…and I thought those days were gone forever.

Continuing with my reminiscences of the past, many of us who were kids in the late 80’s/early 90’s, can’t help but remember “The Second Golden Age” of Disney Animation. This was the time period, when the men who had come of age from 1940-1980, finally turned the keys to the (magic) kingdom over to a bunch of young kids. However, these weren’t kids wanting to go hog-wild: they wanted to live up to the legacy that had been set by their peers, as well as the man whose name was on the company.

And boy, did they do well! Those times created stories and characters that have stuck in our subconscious for years. Little girls leaned on couch cushions while pretending to be mermaids, and boys pretended to be fearsome beasts, skulking in their dark castles.

And then…came “the Dark Times.” The stories that captured our imaginations were subjected to scrutiny by executives and marketing people. They became safer, and less memorable. Many of us were beside ourselves: where was the great house that had taken us under the sea, to enchanted castles, and into Arabian nights of fantasy and whimsy?

The latest rebirth began in 2006, when after acquiring PIXAR Animation Studios, The Walt Disney Company welcomed John Lasseter and Ed Catmull through the doors of the company’s Feature Animation Studio. I remember it was too late to save Chicken Little by the time John arrived, but this scene at the end of Meet the Robinsons brought a tear to my eye:

To me, that quote was a promise: a promise that what we would be seeing from this great studio, was going to once again be material that would not just entertain us, but also make us “feel.”

I didn’t have long to wait, as the studio’s films over the next several years would continue to escalate in story quality. However, it wasn’t until 2012’s Wreck-It-Ralph, did they finally blow my socks off. But, there was another film that was waiting in the wings to 1-up Ralph.

For years, rumor had been swirling that the company was working on an interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. The eventual result would end up becoming the film we know today, as Frozen.

My first encounter with this film’s material, happened at a Destination D event in Anaheim, in 2012. We were introduced to myriad concept art, along with a small hand-puppet of Olaf. But, it was in the performance of a demo of the song Let It Go, that I began to take notice. The song was a”declarative lament,” and haunted me long after the event was held.

For the next year, many of us were stunned by what happened. In the normal “rules of engagement” known to marketing, we should have been blessed with a teaser trailer for Frozen when Wreck-It-Ralph appeared. However, months passed…and nothing. Toys were not even shown at that February’s Toy Fair in New York! Rumors swirled that the production was in serious trouble, and this had led to a bottle-neck of any information coming out of Disney.

And then in June, we got our first teaser trailer, which featured…a snowman, battling a reindeer for a carrot. Many of those who were keeping the faith were caught with our jaws open: what was going on here!? It looked like Disney’s marketing team was shooting themselves not just in the foot, but in both feet!

Needless to say, I approached 2013’s D23 Expo with some trepidation. Would the cutesy trailer footage we saw a few months ago be swirled around our heads? In two words: heck no! We saw moving images that made our eyes pop open! And, in a showstopper to the first day’s main festivities, Idina Menzel sang the final version of Let It Go, which only made me (and hundreds there) love it even more!

There are often a few things that I will believe in very deeply, and in something like Frozen, I was willing to throw aside the marketing that was being shown to the myriad of common American audiences, and believe that what The Walt Disney Studios had created, was something that would cement my faith that they were continuing, to “Keep Moving Forward.”

And last night…they proved my faith rightly!

This is the animated fairy tale story many of us have been waiting for for years! The Princess and the Frog came close, as did Tangled,  but Frozen is magic: the kind that feels familiar, yet also moves us into new territories of storytelling!

Taking place in the Kingdom of Arrendelle,  the kingdom is eager to celebrate the crowning of Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel). Also in attendance, is her younger-yet-more-playful sister, Anna (Kristen Bell). The ceremony should be a time for celebration, but it is during these events, that a power within Elsa manifests itself, plunging the kingdom into a wintry peril. After her sister flees the kingdom, Anna volunteers to find her, and end the wintry events that are plaguing the land.

Regarding the story’s plot, that’s all I dare tell you, as the film is far too grand for me to spoil any more.

One of the most surprising features of the story, is that the filmmakers have created “Princess Sisters,” albeit estranged. While Anna seems a little more free-spirited, Elsa is moreso regal and “bottled-up.”

Many have eagerly awaited more information on Menzel’s Elsa, who has a more subdued, yet important role to the story. Given her powers and nature, she may seem “cold” and uncaring, but once she is given the chance to unleash herself, she begins to come alive. I think those of us who have had our creativity bottled up, may see a little of ourselves in her.

I must admit that as the story went on, I was more captivated by the character of Anna. While socially awkward and a little naive, the film feels moreso like it is her story. She may seem a tad ‘girlish’ in the beginning, but we see that when the chips are down, she is more than willing to roll up her sleeves and try and set things right. As well, Kristen Bell endows Anna with a personality that is very hard to forget.

Speaking of hard-to-forget personalities, I defy anyone who sees this film, to walk away and NOT be moved by Olaf, the snowman. With Olaf taking up the brunt of marketing material images, I’ve heard many figuring him to be an annoying sidekick. But, if we’ve learned anything from Maximus the horse and Vanellope Von Schweetz, we know the current filmmakers at Disney are not going to overplay their hands.

Olaf is a sidekick that is not only funny, but doesn’t overstay his welcome. Created by way of Elsa’s magic, he is a little naive and childish at times, but never grows as annoying as one would imagine. In fact, he provided several of my biggest guffaws during the film. I’m chuckling right now remembering my  favorite one.

In my earlier paragraphs, you may have heard my hope for this film stemmed on a song, and I’m sure by the time this film is over, many will have sought out the film’s soundtrack, along with further information on Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. This husband/wife duo crafted the memorable songs for 2011’s Winnie the Pooh (anyone other than me see it opening weekend?), and have proven their mettle with Frozen, as a dynamic duo that can stand alongside Richard and Robert Sherman, as well as Howard Ashman & Alan Menken.

The songs in Frozen run the gamut from syrupy young love (Love is an Open Door), to a declarative lament (Let It Go), and even a shanty-style work song (Frozen Heart). To me, it’s been ages since I wanted an entire soundtrack to a film, and the Lopez family shines through in all the different endeavors they have provided.

The songs are quite catchy, but a few may throw the audience, such as in a reprise of For the First Time in Forever. The song starts out as spoken-word, and juxtaposes into song. I have a feeling this may sit well with several of my “theater-nerd” friends, but I’m not so sure about the majority of the public.

Given how much was great about this film, it is not without its flaws. There are a few areas where it feels like the story “stops,” and then quickly ramps back up to speed. But aside from these few moments, the rest of the film works in a way that I have not seen these days. I kept myself away from as many spoilers as I could for the last few months, and going into the film pretty much blind, I was grateful that the story gave no indications just where it was heading. I always appreciate a story that is able to keep me guessing until the very end.

Ever since the last movie trailer, a few have scoffed at it being called one of the best animated musicals since The Lion King. To me, it falls closer to my favorite animated feature, Beauty and the Beast. Both deal with characters that seem more fully-realized and even emotionally complex at times, and it manages to play to both children and adults, with things that the little ones will pick up on as they get older.

While I did enjoy the theater experiences with Tangled, 2011’s Winnie the Pooh, and Wreck-It-Ralph, those films felt like they were in the high “B+” range regarding ratings. With Frozen, the newest generation of Walt Disney Studios production staff have finally, given us their first “A” picture, since they rose from the ashes of the mid-2000’s.

I could probably write another 2000 words regarding Frozen,  but I implore you, if you are pining for filmmaking that was dramatic, comedic, and musical, this film is what you have been waiting for. I’m sure we’ll be talking about this film long into 2014...and maybe, beyond!

2013’s D23 Expo: The place to be for Disney Cosplay

Let’s face it: when it comes to big Entertainment-based get-togethers these days, it’s not too hard to find people doing Cosplays. 1 in 4 pictures from Comic-Con in San Diego has someone in a costume in it, and when it came to walking the floor at the D23 Expo, I was prepared to see all sorts of people doing Cosplay.

That was definitely the case, and some were so obscure, I just had to snap some pics. I came close to posting all the pictures I took, but finally, settled on the following:

Nothing like starting with one of the oldest Princesses, Snow White. Taking this as darkness settled in, made the costume stand out pretty well.

With the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, there were quite a few Star Wars cosplays on display. I loved the quality of this one from Episode II: Padme Amidala’s ‘Picnic’ dress.

Now here’s one Disney couple you never see together: Prince Eric, and Vanessa (aka Ursula in disguise). The girl playing Vanessa said she got some snide remarks from some of the Expo-goers. A pity, because she did a pretty good job for such an obscure character.

While most cosplayers are normally young’uns, I give this woman props for her Mulan-in-Warrior-Garb. I think she did a great job on it (and luckily, Mushu wasn’t shooting his mouth off).

This guy’s shirt caught my eye, and I managed to corner him on the last day of the Expo for a picture. He custom-made the shirt, and he said that since he was young, he’s always been nicknamed ‘Sid’ by a number of people.
Though unlike Sid in “Toy Story,” he was easy to talk to, and told me about a Disney-centric Facebook group. Thanks, Sid!

The first time I’ve ever seen a Linguini cosplay, from “Ratatouille.” This guy was normally wearing his toque, and when he removed it, Remy was revealed up top!

This D23 Expo featured their first-ever Costume Contest, with the winners receiving an Edna Mode statue. This girl’s costume won the award for Original Design. Not only does it go from color to black-and-white, but each Mickey-head item on her dress, has a different design related to Disney!

I saw a few people doing Scrooge McDuck cosplays, but this was the first and only Beagle Boy cosplay I saw! Personally, that money bag needed to be a bit fuller.

This was another one of those once-in-a-lifetime cosplay sightings! Here we have Alice Bluebonnet, and Johnny Fedora, from a segment in 1946’s animated musical feature, “Make Mine Music.”

And here we have the stars of our latest animated love story, “The Blue Umbrella!” I met this fellow and his sister (on the left), at a Cartoon Art Museum fundraiser at PIXAR in 2011. He also was dressed up as Paperman during the first day of the Expo (shame I didn’t see him on the floor and get a pic).

I wish the one guy who was dressed as Paperman on Friday, would have met this girl on Saturday. Her costume was really obscure, until I saw her lipsticked paper airplane. As I love the short Paperman, I had to get a pic of her!

And my pick, for the “what are you doing here?” costume, goes to: RU-FI-OOOOOOOO!!!!! He was tag-teaming with Disney’s Peter Pan for most of the day.

This guy was one of a few husband/wife couples I saw walking the floor. But just who was Hercules walking with? None other than: Cinderella!

Russell’s grown up a bit, but he still holds to the Wilderness Explorer’s Credo (“The Wilderness Must Be Explored! Caw-Caw! Rawr!!”).

This year at the Expo, Ursula became one of the unofficial poster girls for their advertising. I saw quite a few Ursula’s on the floor, but this woman had one of the more outrageous get-ups.

Little Boba Fett caught the attention of many Expo-goers, when people saw him pulling his little Mickey-in-Carbonite on the convention floor.

The Wicked Queen, poses with his Slave in The Magic Mirror. They had debated all day about how to pose the Magic Mirror, and just at this point in the night, hit on the idea to hide him behind the Queen’s outstretched arm.

There were quite a few Rapunzels wandering around (with the majority of them blonde, with maybe 2 brunettes), but this one caught my eye, due to her frying pan.

I certainly didn’t expect to find Barbie at the Expo, let alone in her workout gear from “Toy Story 3.”

This fellow was just wandering the Collector’s Forum, but it didn’t take me long to recognize him as the Sprite from Fantasia 2000’s “Firebird Suite (1919 Version).”

I just loved the work this girl had done with her costume. She was going to put down her little tiger, but the way she was cuddling it, I told her Rajah had to be in the picture.

I saw a few Yzma cosplays from “The Emperor’s New Groove,” but strangely enough, this was the only Kuzco I found. Boom, baby!

This young lady did a pretty thorough job dressing up as Jane from “Tarzan.” I heard several people ask her, “Where’s your apeman?”

The Odinson could be seen walking the floor with several other Marvel characters. He was adamant that Mjolnir be pointed directly at the lens.

For years, the Disney fandom on the internet has whispered about there being a Jessica Rabbit character walking around the Disney Parks. Well, I’m pretty sure that will never happen, but there were a few wandering around the Expo.

Wearing your underwear on the outside of your shorts takes guts! Here we have a fellow cosplaying as Doug, who is dressed as: Quailman!

There were several Disney Fairies flitting about the Expo floor, but I was only able to catch a quick glimpse of Silvermist.

They weren’t as rotund as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, but these two seemed to epitomize the perfect Disney Geek couple, with their matching outfits.

With Disney’s “Frozen” coming out in just a few months, there were plenty of cosplays of the film’s sisters, Anna, and Elsa. These girls had some of the best, and most detailed outfits.

And my pick for the coolest costume at the D23 Expo: Deadpool, dressed as Mickey Mouse, as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice! He had a couple of light-swords, and when the fountain behind him sprung up, he pretended to be conducting it, like Mickey does the water in the show, “Fantasmic!”

And those, were some of the many, many cosplays I saw at 2013’s D23 Expo. I originally wanted to post just 20 pictures, then it expanded to 25, and finally, I cut myself off at 30. There were quite a few cosplayers I wasn’t able to catch, because I was standing in line, or was in a panel, and couldn’t get to them on the other side of the room.

It’s been about a week, but I’m still sorting through some of the other things I want to post about the Expo. I intend to have more articles up in the next few days.