A world of wonder welcomes Junior Crystal Truong as she steps through the doors to D23 Disney Expo. Rapunzel, with her bright blonde hair, and Flynn, with his characteristic smolder, greet Truong before she snaps a photo to inspire her next artistic masterpiece.
An avid Disney fan and artist, Truong discovered her passion for art at the young age of seven and continued her aspirations this summer at the biannual D23 event, an ultimate fan experience held at the Anaheim Convention Center from Aug. 9-11.
Truong’s mother and uncle have worked for the Disney company for years, and her older brother has recently just completed his college internship at Walt Disney World in Orlando. With her worker discounts and privileges, her mother took Truong and her friends to the event and Disneyland later that night.
As a child, Truong loved Disney and Pixar movies and cartoons, which sparked her desire to pursue a Disney career in the future. Her attendance at D23 allowed her to expand on her Disney dreams and get an inside look at the magic behind the company.
“It’s every creator’s dream to be in such a magical and welcoming environment,” Truong said. “The Expo is full of creative and innovative people who I look up to and admire.”
Patterned after the widely popular Comic-Con held in San Diego, D23 focuses on giving fans the experiences of Disney “cast members” behind the scenes. Truong attended the Expo with two of her close friends, Juniors Caroline Diep and Alyssa Kumashiro. The group received exclusive inside looks at future Disney and Pixar animation endeavors. This event also included surprise appearances from celebrities such as actor and singer Drake Bell.
“I was really excited to see Drake from ‘Drake and Josh,’” Diep said. “We even waved to him while we were waiting in line for Space Mountain at Disneyland.”
Other surprises at D23 included the chance to watch the Disney animation production, “Planes” in 3D on its release day.
“The special free screening of the movie was really fun and exciting,” Truong said. “We saw a couple of voice actors and the director of the movie too.”
The Expo had vendors who passed out free items such as toy lightsabers and sold collector’s edition pins and figurines for the ultimate fans.
Truong attends the prestigious art school, Ryman Arts, located in Los Angeles. Founded to honor the legendary Disney artist Herbert D. Ryman, Ryman Arts allows students the chance to visit Disney Studios and offers a sneak-peek at the inner workings of Disney animation. While training vigorously in the program, Truong had the opportunity to visit the Imagineer Studios, the Disney Animation Library and the Disney Animation Studios.
“I was just standing in the lobby waiting for the Animation Studios tour to start,” Truong said. “It was in that moment that I knew that I wanted to work for Disney in the future.”