A Mini Disney Con (Ahead of the Mega Disney Con)

Can't wait for the huge Mickey gathering in August? There's something sooner.

D23 BEFORE D23: If you're a serious Disneyland fan, you probably have all sorts of reminders set on your various electronic calendars about the D23 Expo, the biennial convention devoted to all things Disney. It just happens to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, too, just a shout's distance from the Magic Kingdom. But "biennial" is the key word here, meaning that it is indeed every two years (figuring ALL of the Disney stuff that comes out for it, and the movie stars that make cameos, the every-two-years bit kind of makes sense). But D23, which is all about the fandom, wants to alleviate some of that wait in the ways in can. One route? Through a one-day-only, on-the-road "fanniversary" gathering. The organizers behind the expo plan to do just that, when D23 hits the road for San Diego's Museum of Photography, the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, and the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.

40 ANNIVERSARIES: The daylong gathering will be marking 40 milestones that Disneyland attractions and movies and properties are marking this year (one of our favorites: Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room is turning 50). There will be plenty of Disneyana around to keep buffs busy, some hobnobbing with fans and presenters, and some gems-on-display from the Walt Disney Archives.

DATES: LA is March 1, San Diego is March 2, and San Francisco is April 7. Done, done, and done.

TRUE FANS: We often say that there is no more true Disneyland fan than a D23 person. But let us also give props to the couple that visited the world's most famous theme park every single day in 2012. Really. Every. Single. Day.

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