Has anyone joined?
sorry if there’s another thread about it already… couldn’t find any though.
xo
I haven’t yet, but I am definitely considering. Have you?
The same with me, I can’t decide whether it’s really worth it.
With a $50 charge for Shipping it to the UK… I have decided quite regrettably not to become a Chartered member… Which has made me feel like I’m missing out on something…
For those Who wonder what the Special Gift is… Considering the Quality of the Chartered Member Pins and Such… D23 have opted to give you the member a Mickey Mouse Lithograph
Here’s the link to the Lucky Owner’s Site in which his Lithograph has been Showcased
[url]http://www.thetravelears.com/2009/03/21/d23-charter-membership-giftheres-you-chance-to-see-it/[/url]
What is D23?
It’s a club marketed to Disney enthusiasts. You mainly get magazines, exclusives, the sort of stuff that you’d expect from paid membership in a club. But the main incentive to get D23 is that there is special pass included to a special Disney convention in Disneyland.
As much as I want the subscription, it’s not economically viable for me to get it (international shipping to Australia for all the magazines… damn it!). At times like these, not living in the US sucks!
lol, I was gonna ask that too! I must not be much of a Disney fan not to know what that was I guess 
Sounds kinda cool but out of my budget at the moment. Besides, I’m only a Disney fan to a point. There’s a lot of things they’ve done that I either cant stand or am just not interested in.
I’m glad someone brought this up. Luckily I’ve heard a lot about D23 since I work at the Disney Store (where we’re obviously trying to promote and sell the magazines and memberships).
Here’s the INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO we play in the store: youtube.com/watch?v=YGjqbJNjecE
D23 is the official Disney fanclub, and if you join you get four exclusive magazine publications along with access to exclusive items and gifts. They’re actually making a store at the parks full of ‘D23’ merchandise, and anyone can look but only members can buy these exclusives.
Someone above said that you get tickets to a Disney expo in Disneyland. I just thought I’d clarify that that’s only half true. There is a big Disney expo in September, but it’s not at Disneyland (it’s at the Anaheim convention center across the street), and anyone can attend. The catch is that if you’re a D23 member, you only have to pay $90 to attend whereas the ticket price will be much higher for non-members.
Membership (for all of 2009) is something like $78 which is reasonable when you think about it like this. Each magazine publication is about $16. Multiply that by four (one magazine per season) and that’s $64. That means after the magazines, you’re only paying $14 for access to free gifts, exclusive merchandise and a community of fellow Disney/ Pixar fans.
Basically, if you want the magazines (and they are pretty cool, the first issue has a whole segment devoted to UP, and another to Pixar) then the subscription is definitely worth it. But if you don’t want the magazines, save your money.
I don’t think that anyone has posted a link to the official website for this club, so here it is: D23
Ever since the debut of this magazine, I’ve been researching the background, exterior, and interior of it – reading up on its contents, visiting the official website of D23, and peeking in at the exclusive merchandise that’s on the market for members only. That said, after traversing its depths, it didn’t take me long to decide that there is no way… on this earth, that I would pay over $70.00 for a quarterly magazine and overpriced merchandise. No, not even the conventions are worth it, in my opinion. (Well, perhaps they would be, if I had the cash, but do they really think that they’re going to get people to pay for this during these economic times…?)
Nevertheless, I bought the first edition at a Barnes & Noble outlet in my area anyway, simply because there are several articles in there that talk about Pixar Animation Studios, Up, and Peter Sohn’s short film, Partly Cloudy. I will admit that the paperback is nice. Heh. And they call it a magazine. They should have just sold it as a book…
– Mitch
How many pages are we talking about for 16 dollars?
Specifics? I mean, any revealing info?
It’s just too tempting. Arrrgh! While I’m not going to get the subscription (back at shipping costs) I’m going to check in at my local Borders tomorrow to see if they’re going to get it air freighted. I remember vaguely that whatever Barnes & Noble sells, Borders Australia mirrors it quite similarly. I just hope that this is one of those publications that end up being sold in countries other than the US 
Vekoma - There’s about sixty-two (62) pages within the magazine/“book”, so it’s a good-sized paperback.
Phileas - Mmm, well, I’ll break the Pixar-related segments of the magazine down into three sections. Voila´:
-
Finding Pixar (pgs. 31-35): An in-depth article that explores and discovers “the creative formula that brought Woody, Nemo, and WALL•E to life – and put Pixar Animation Studios at the pinnacle of computer animation”. Basically, it focuses on how the studio itself is constructed (what the interior and exterior of it is like), what various employees do on a daily basis, the Pixar University, and several other things, with quotes by such entities as Ed Catmull, Brian Larsen (a story artist at Pixar), and Andrew Gordon (one of Pixar’s animators).
-
Up, Up, and Away (pgs. 36-40): Traverses the field of Up’s back-story, characters, and inspiration. Pete Docter is also on hand to comment on the film.
-
Head in the Clouds (pg. 40): Information on Peter Sohn’s short film, Partly Cloudy, which will debut along with Up in theaters this May. The condensed article talks a bit about the evolution of the story, its characters, and what the plot-line is about.
Those are the main Pixar articles that are featured in the magazine, if not the only ones. If you do happen to get your hands on the first edition of the D23 paperback, or even if you just sift through its pages at a local bookstore, I highly suggest reading the Pixar parts, at least. Hopefully, this particular magazine will eventually hit shelves in your area, as it is nicely printed and is fun to explore.
– Mitch
If there’s a Disney Store in your area, that’s where you’ll find the magazine. They’re not going to be around for very long though.
And to Mitch- they’re still magazines. They’re just really nice ones… which is why they cost $16. I think $16 is a fair price for the book for a number of reasons. It’s exciting and full of new information, it’s very well put together and it’s collectible.
As I said, if you like and want all four of 2009’s magazines, then the club membership is totally worth $78. If you don’t, then it’s not.
I’m pretty sure the expo is going to be awesome though. I have a hunch John Lasseter and others will be there… I think this is a little bigger than some people realize.
I think the reason the convention is expensive is because this is the debut year, but also because this ‘convention’ won’t be like other conventions. Come on, this is Disney we’re talking about here. Do you really think a Disney convention put on by DISNEY is just going to be a few nerds in a panel room talking up their new project? No! It’s going to be awesome!
Whether you think the price is fair or not depends on what you’re willing to spend your money on. Since I frequent conventions and spend large amounts of money on them, I don’t think this is that outrageous. Yeah $90 for expo admission is pretty steep but I’m sure there’s a reason and that it will live up to expectations… because it has to, because it’s Disney.
Anyway. What’s funny is I’m actually willing to pay the fees for this but I don’t have the money at the moment so I can’t. Ha.
Hog-Hug - Yeah, I know, but I still say it’s worthy of being deemed a book of some sort, as the quality of it is so great. Either way, you get what you pay for.
I don’t doubt that the conventions will live up to peoples’ expectations; it’s just that I, personally, don’t have the money to spare, unfortunately. Otherwise, I might consider it. They would have to have something pretty darn spectacular at the events to get me to drive out there.
But, you’re right: One shouldn’t be too quick to judge. Hey, maybe they’ll lower the prices in the future. (snigger)
– Mitch
Hey guys!
for some reason it didn’t let me know that anyone replied so i thought no one did 
well, I joined D23. and here’s my 2 cents. or, $75 worth of input
I definitely don’t have money. and as a claymation animator, you can imagine how expensive my stuff is. So when I saw the price for D23 I was instantly like, DANG, I CAN’T DO THIS, BUT I’D LOVE TO. I was having a really bad week though, and I decided to just buy the membership on a whim. I thought at the very least, I’ll get some cool magazines in the mail, even if it means selling more of my soul to disney
I honestly have to say it was very worth it to me. the magazine is beautiful, especially since it has so much about Pixar and Tim Burton who is my HERO! But aside from the magazine, and convention, etc… just getting my membership card in the mail… and my certificate is SO BEAUTIFUL, and on top of that the gift was this Mickey lithograph which is the size of a poster and I love the drawing SO MUCH, it is so so beautiful. I have been reading on the disney boards that everyone is unhappy and regretting joining but honestly I love everything I have gotten so far!
I went to disneyland on thursday last week and I went into the stores and felt a little special being able to buy a D23 shirt And the stores gave me exclusive pins with the different characters on them that say things like “are you 23?” and “wish granted.”
I dunno, if you are a fan of old disney animation, it might be great for you to join… I just know that I have gotten 4 different things from them in the mail and every time, my heart has just warmed up!
so that’s what I think. join or not, personally I love being “23”
Oh PS: the first “official D23 event” is a screening of UP before it’s released!! 
<3
Edited for language. – Mitch
You serious?!!! Great, geez, thanks for making D23 even more unreachably tempting! 
d23.disney.go.com/expo/031009_EE_EVENT_Up.html
There’s no details as of yet. So there’s no clue as to when or where or how the event is happening. (although as soon as I hear that there’s an early d23 screening in this city, I’m joining )
GAH! I WISH I COULD! My mom would never let me though! 
the horrors of being a teen! 
Oh that sucks hellodolly , my mom was like…really?? you’re 20… are you realllllly joining a disneyclub… LOL! (PS i love your name, that is one of my favorite musicals!!)
Yeah the UP details are being finalized, but I’m pretty sure they would have it/them because they sent out a letter that they were planning it. I don’t think they would lie to all the people who joined… at least I hope not!!
I think it’s really smart to wait to join, but the thing is it takes about 2 weeks to get everything in the mail. took about 10 days to get the membership card… So my fear was that they would add cool stuff I wouldn’t be able to do cause my membership wouldn’t come in time! so i just joined.
here is the drawing on the Lithograph, by the way, i really love it!!!
1.bp.blogspot.com/_-PTsDbb4Drg/S … 23gift.jpg
<3
Well, after much deliberating, I joined D23. The magazine was the main incentive and the pictures I’ve seen of the gift lithograph look great! I just hope I can take advantage of the some of the exclusive events, but living quite a ways from CA might make it difficult.