[4] Membership includes Disney twenty-three (a quarterly publication), yearly gifts, events, exclusive merchandise offers, and discount and early access to the D23 Expo fan convention.

In January 2014, Adam Sanderson took over as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications with oversight of the Disney Archives.

Celebrity appearances included John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Patricia Heaton, Kelsey Grammer, Tim Burton, Selena Gomez, Donny Osmond, Tom Bergeron, Kym Johnson, Betty White, Robin Williams, Joseph Fiennes, Johnny Depp (as Captain Jack Sparrow), as well as live performances by Miley Cyrus,[18] Honor Society, and The Muppets.

Another popular area was the Collectors Forum,[22] where guests could buy Disney Collectibles and connect with the Disneyana Fan Club,[23] Mouse Planet,[24] Mice Chat,[25] Hidden Mickey author Nancy Temple Rodrigue, and artist Brian Rood with his one-of-a-kind The Rocketeer.

It was hosted by Dan Roebuck (guest starred in Lost and Wizards of Waverly Place) who narrowed down the final round from 20 people to 3.

This included Jodi Benson, Barton Boyd, Jim Henson, Linda Larkin, Paige O'Hara, Regis Philbin, Anika Noni Rose, Lea Salonga, Ray Watson, Guy Williams, and Jack and Bonita Wrather.

[33] The Walt Disney Studios presented exclusive looks at live-action films including Saving Mr. Banks, Maleficent, Muppets Most Wanted, Tomorrowland, and Thor: The Dark World, as well as animated productions such as The Good Dinosaur, Frozen, Party Central, Get A Horse!, Finding Dory, and Inside Out.

[34][35] Lucasfilm had its first appearance at the expo with the panel "Crash Course in the Force: Star Wars Saga 101" hosted by Pablo Hidalgo.

[40] Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios presented first looks of The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Zootopia, Moana, Toy Story 4, and Coco.

Walt Disney Pictures showcased Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Pete's Dragon, The Finest Hours, and Queen of Katwe.

[13] Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios presented first looks at Ralph Breaks the Internet, Incredibles 2, and Coco.

[49] Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios presented extended looks at Frozen II, Onward, Soul, and announced Raya and the Last Dragon.

This expo also marked the first time that Disney showcased projects from 20th Century Fox, with clips of upcoming films from Ford v Ferrari, Spies in Disguise, and The King's Man.

The event was originally expected to be scheduled for 2021, but was pushed back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios presented a first look at Elemental and Strange World, and also announced Inside Out 2, Elio, and Wish.

Walt Disney Pictures presented first looks at The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan & Wendy,[51] Disenchanted, Snow White, and Haunted Mansion, and also announced Mufasa: The Lion King.

Lucasfilm presented an exclusive first look at Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny along with trailers for Tales of the Jedi, The Mandalorian, and Willow.

[53] 20th Century Studios announced an Assassin's Creed TV series for Netflix and presented a first look at new scenes from Avatar: The Way of Water.

[54][55] Disney Branded Television presented first looks at multiple shows, including upcoming Disney+ exclusives American Born Chinese, The Muppets Mayhem, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

[58] Part of the Experiences showcase was viewable in-game on Fortnite[59] and showed a trailer for the next Battle Royale season featuring Doctor Doom.

On January 11, 2024, during the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show, Disney announced that the event would be going global, with D23 heading to São Paulo, Brazil, in November of that year.

A then-new event called "Destination D" was held at the Disneyland Hotel ballroom in Anaheim, California from September 24 to 25, 2010.

The full lineup of virtual events and presentation has been announced for the D23 Fantastic Worlds Celebration, which had gone digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic.