You may have noticed that Pressing Matters did not make an appearance here last week … Yes, dear readers, I was immersed in a different sort of pressing matters, the D23 Expo. Up early, home late, so much to do and see, it was exhausting and it was fun (most of the time).

Since the D23 Expo was new, I expected glitches to occur. I think the organizers vastly underestimated demand for many panels and put them in arenas that were way too small. It also would have been nice if the D23 folks could have stuck to their schedule and started (and ended) things in a timely manner, and it would have also been a plus if some of the panels had been staged more than once, since it was really difficult to get to things that overlapped.

That said though, I was pretty happy with the whole affair, felt my money was well spent, and would definitely attend again if D23 decides to throw another party.

Here are a few of my favorite things from the D23 Expo…

Seeing the Mad Hatter's Hat from Tim Burton's upcoming Alice In Wonderland. It's a design of real beauty. The hat looks like it's overlaid with lace but upon closer inspection it is actually leather pierced in a lace design, and it's all patched like a crazy quilt (crazy quilting for a mad hatter, perfect, don't you think?) and stitched with gold threads.

I loved hearing the stories at The Beauty and the Beast panel, where in I learned that animator Glen Keane had to walk through the London zoo every day going to work on the film. He would pass by the monkey cages and the wolf cages and spent a lot of time drawing those animals. Because of those wolves in the zoo, when it came time to decide what animals attack in the scene where Belle's father gets lost in the woods, well …wolves! And, oh yeah … Beast has a rainbow butt. I kid you not, that's what Glen Keane said. Of course we never get a look at said colorful behind in the film, but Glen Keane swears Beast has a rainbow butt (had to say that twice, makes me laugh)

I guess every time there is a panel discussion about Beauty and the Beast someone always asks what the Beast's real name is. During the D23 panel, Don Hahn and Glen Keane said that the truth of the matter is they never gave Beast real name. They then joked that it's something like Mike. Throughout the rest of the panel, Beast was then referred to as Mike. So, there you have it … and I'm sticking to that, Beast is Mike.

By now I'm sure there isn't anyone who hasn't heard that the real and actual Captain Jack Sparrow showed up for a surprise appearance at the end Dick Cook's presentation. It was certainly icing on the cake, to be sure.

The real reason I went to that presentation though was to see Tim Burton (above, right). I was not disappointed. Burton seemed awfully adorable, like the shy, geeky, kid, who sits at the back of the classroom and is wildly creative. Though his time on stage was short, it was sweet and though I've seen it already, it was cool to get a look at the Alice In Wonderland trailer in 3D (loved it, can't wait).

Okay, so we also saw, John Travolta & family (seemed like lovely people) Nicolas Cage (his favorite film that he absolutely must watch every year? Fantasia), Jerry Bruckheimer (he was there for Prince of Persia), Robert Zemeckis (above, left; he's going to be making a Yellow Submarine film), and the Muppets (plugging their upcoming film, The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made).

Yeah, the Muppets. They all came riding out on a mini Mark Twain and it was beyond cool, especially since my favorite Muppet, Pepe the King Prawn was there piloting the wheelhouse (until Kermit moved in and took over).

One thing I came away with from Dick Cook's presentation that truly intrigued me though, was this …

Disney Double Dare You

Anyone out there, like me, a fan of Guillermo del Toro? He's teaming up with Disney to head up a new production label called Disney Double Dare You and as del Toro explained (via a filmed message), he first went to Disneyland over 40 years ago and the thing that impressed him the most back then (and even now) were the attractions that fully immerses a rider into a world. The two attractions he loved more than anything, were Pirates of the Caribbean and … I have to stop here to preface this, del Toro said the second attraction is one that he loves the most, an attraction that is one of his most favorite places in the world … the Haunted Mansion.

At that point, I thought, “Well, no wonder I like his films, he's my kind of guy.” So, with that said, del Toro aims to make Disney Double Dare You an experience that feels like one feels when immersed into the world of the pirates or the ghosts. Here's a couple of statements from the press release so you can get a feel for the direction Disney Double Dare You is headed in:

The Walt Disney Studios, in collaboration with acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth," "The Hobbit"), is launching a new production label called Disney Double Dare You (DDY), to create new animated films full of chills and thrills for audiences of all ages. All films will be produced under the guidance of del Toro, who originated the concept and the design of DDY and who will also direct certain projects. The first project in development for the new label is called "Trollhunters," an original del Toro story which he will produce.

Del Toro stated, "As a director, I love to take audiences into fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the process. It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling, unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my privilege for DDY to continue in this tradition. To partner up with The Walt Disney Studios, with the support of Dick Cook and John Lasseter, is to belong to a storytelling partnership that I admire deeply. It is a true honor. I look forward to coming up with fresh and original stories that will take Disney films in a whole new direction. The emphasis is on fun, and we have some great ideas already on the storyboards."

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Enough about D23 already, let's move on to something else … Food!

Judging from the amount of people who lined up to see Guy Fieri at DCA's Food and Wine Festival this past Spring, I'd say you guys like him. You like him a lot! So all you Guy fans, listen up, the bad boy of the Food Network is hitting the road and going on tour and coming to a town near you.

Oh and I can tell you from first hand experience that Guy is really entertaining. I was one of the multitude watching him the day he appeared at the Food and Wine Festival. Can't tell you what he cooked, but dang, he sure did put on a show, never stops talking, is filled with passion and tons of stories, and is super friendly. That guy cooked and talked forever, and then stayed even longer making sure no one was turned away right down to the last person in line who got the autograph they stood forever to get.

Here's the scoop:

Guy Fieri, star of 3 shows on Food Network including Diners, Drive-ins and Dives is taking American food culture to new heights by combining the worlds of food and rock n' roll. In November, The Guy Fieri Roadshow, will hit 21 cities in 30 days and play in venues that seat from 2,000-5,000 fans. Guy has modeled the two hour food-a-palooza after a high energy rock concert, including traveling from city to city on two tour buses with his culinary crew.

"We've been test-driving this concept on a smaller scale and the adrenaline of the crowd is through the roof," explains Guy. "Putting on a show for my fans that marries food and rock n' roll with blow-your-mind entertainment is a dream come true." The show hits the road Tuesday, November 17th in Lowell, MA at Lowell Memorial Auditorium and wraps Thursday, December 17th at The House of Blues in Las Vegas, NV.

For a complete list of cities, log on to www.guyfieri.com. Food Network is a media sponsor, ticket prices range from $10-250 and go on sale through Ticketmaster on September 18th.

The last thing I want to fill you in on today is the weekly news flash from the Walt Disney Family Museum. We missed last week's news so there's a lot to cover. Hang on to your hats and glasses … here we go:

When last I left you, we visited Gallery 8, so let's move on and talk about what you're going to be able to see in Gallery 9 of the Walt Disney Family Museum.

This gallery covers the time period of the 1950s and 1960s: The Big Screen and Beyond. It was also during this time that Walt started tinkering around with the installation of a scale model railroad on the grounds of his new home. Without that little railroad, there might not be a certain theme park we all know and love, as the model railroad was what got Walt thinking about developing Disneyland.

If you're as old as me, you may remember seeing Walt every week on television, something he pioneered … a weekly television show about what was going on at the Walt Disney Studios. It was basically just a big old promotional tool, but darn, if I didn't live for that show.

The studio also continued creating both animated and live-action films, including the Academy Award™-winning Mary Poppins. Walt was also involved in developing new technologies for installations for the 1964-1965 World's Fair. In the 1950s he announced his ideas for EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

Walt was a pretty busy guy during this time and it's all reflected in this gallery from the scale model of the Lilly Belle to the schematic drawings of the Mr. Lincoln audioanimatronic, to art from Mary Poppins.

This brings us to this week's sneak peek and the last and final look at Walt Disney Family Museum before it opens on October 1st with a look at Gallery 10, which might be the hardest of all the galleries to view.

Though I was a teenager at the time, I remember the day well, the day that Walt Disney died. Having watched Walt every week on TV and having grown up with Disneyland virtually in my backyard, at the time, I just couldn't fathom what Disneyland would do without Walt Disney and it was a day filled with sadness.

Gallery 10 takes a look at December 15, 1966, the day Walt Disney died. Here you will see a famous cartoon of a grieving Mickey Mouse sitting in an empty artist's studio, and all the reactions to the news of Walt's death that flooded in from every corner of the globe … in newspaper articles, editorial comment, letters, and telegrams. These remembrances present an appreciation of the joy, the hope, and the inspiration that Walt Disney provided to millions of people around the world.

As luck would have it, we get to end today's column on a happier note for Walt Disney, from the press release:

Hollywood's legendary El Capitan Theatre celebrates Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" with a special limited engagement of the film, digitally restored with enhanced picture and sound, from September 18th through October 1st.

Accompanying the film at all showings throughout the engagement will be a special live appearance by Snow White, plus, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, guests may also enjoy Breakfast with Snow White at the Disney's Soda Fountain & Studio Store, and then see the 10am movie!

Daily showtimes* are 10:00 am, 12:15 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:45pm, 7:00 pm, and 9:15 pm** Tickets are on sale now, and available at the El Capitan Theatre (6838 Hollywood Blvd.), online at www.elcapitantickets.com, or by calling 1-800-DISNEY6. Special group rates for parties of 20 or more are available by calling 1-818-845-3110. (*showtimes may vary) (**9:15pm Fri/Sat. only).

If you'd like to submit something to be considered for the column, please send it to both Sue and Al at the following email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected] with the words "Pressing Matters" in the subject line. Due to our already extensive email loads we won't be able to acknowledge each submission, but those under consideration may get a note from us asking for more details. Representatives from the items chosen are invited to answer questions from readers at the forum linked at the end of each column.

© 2009 Sue Kruse