Because I am a costumer and a texile artist, the cosplay and Disneybounding were some of the most magical parts of my day at D23. Here I am wearing my hand- painted Alice in Wonderland themed dress to D23. I painted iconic images onto three giant pocket watches like Mr. Rabbit carries when he says "I'm late!" On the three pocket watches are Mad Hatter's hat, the cookie that says "Eat me" on it and the bottle that says "Drink me." I also added a falling deck of cards, the words "Six Impossible Things," a talking flower and Cheshire Cat's tail to the dress.
This article is ©2020 Heather Anne at Heather Anne Art and Soul. All rights reserved. See my copyright notice here.
When you dress up for any Disney event such as Dapper Day or the D23 expo, there is an unspoken camaraderie among the cosplayers and Disneybounders (people who dress up in outfits that represent something Disney, but are not in full costume.) Others who are dressed up talk to you, smile at you and want to see what you're wearing.
I dress dapper and I Disneybound at Disneyland and California Adventure frequently. (Ladies one important tip for wearing a dress or skirt in the park... legging shorts, a.k.a. bike shorts under your dress. That way you do not have any oops moments climbing into rides like Space Mountain or the Matterhorn.) When other dapper or Disneybound guests and I see each other, we often say hello and comment on each other's outfits, we often strike up conversations.
I enjoyed meeting all everyone is costumes and I'm so glad they let me add them to this blog!
These are my friends Luz and Sauco. They have an amazing YouTube channel called Fast Pass Facts with great animated videos about Disneyland history. Click here for their channel!
Of course there were lots of princesses, villains and other Disney ladies.
That poison apple kind of burns! Better give it back! This lovely lady has a beautiful Etsy shop called Beyond the Poison Apple. She also played Miss Mansion in the documentary Foolish Mortals about serious Haunted Mansion fans. I had just seen her the night before at the premiere.
Tiana was one of my favorite princess cosplays. Isn't she just stunning?
Poor Madame Leota got lost and ended up in Tomorrowland. Good thing Space Mountain was there to guide her back to her friends from the Haunted Mansion! I give Space Mountain Girl one million points for cleverness and a high tolerance for what must have been quite a lot of discomfort. She was always smiling ever time I saw her.
All better for Madame Leota. She found her Mansion friends. Phew!
I had to chase Captain EO down at the end of the day. Every time I saw him, he was moving too fast for me to catch him. I finally ran after him yelling "Excuse meee!!! Can I please put your picture in my bloggggggg????" I have no shame in my game. Heather Anne needs a picture, she's going to do what she has to do to get it. I may or may not have leaped over obstacles to get to him.
Of course there were also plenty of pirates.
This pirate even brought his own ship! He also gets one million points for cleverness and another million points for hard work and dedication. I imagine it took a long time to build his sea worthy vessel. Look at the bottom. See the smoke coming out? The entire ship was lighted and had smoke come out of the holes for the cannons.
This sweet girl is a fellow YouTuber named Charisma Star. She does princess make-up transformations. This was the end of the day and her make-up was still flawless. Mine on the other hand needed some work, but at least my pink shimmer lipstick was going strong!
With Charisma Star is artist Danielle Kerper. One of the things that happens when you cosplay or Disneybound to a Disney event or in the parks is you meet amazing people. People in costumes like to chat!
I got excited when I saw this incredible Deadpool cosplay. I thought to myself "Hey it's not Disney, but great cosplay!" Then I realized something.
Marvel is Disney now.
Deadpool is Marvel.
Deadpool is Disney.
Chew on that crazy thought for a minute...
His voice and mannerisms were EXACTLY like the real character. A friend of mine said "What if that really was Ryan Reynolds?" Hmmmm... interesting thought. Ryan Reynolds did you go to D23 perhaps?
This vendor got into the dapper Disney spirit. This Snow White make-up collection is based on the actual color palette from the movie.
I geeked out over this beautiful felt applique Main Street Electrical Parade skirt and Minnie Mouse ears.
It just wouldn't be cosplay without Star Wars light sabers, swords, blasters and other various weaponry.
These are some of the most elaborate costumes I saw. I wish I had asked to take close ups of all the detail on them. They made these by hand.
This cute kid was playing Scuttle in a production of the Little Mermaid so he wore his costume to D23. See I told you people in costumes like to chat!
Adorable kids! Thank you to the mom for letting me take their picture for the blog. Aren't they cute?
The couple that cosplays together stays together. What do you think?
We played a fun guessing game with this one in my Disney Facebook group. Who are these guys dressed up as? I will put the answer at the end of the article if you want to try to guess.
I only attended D23 on Sunday and I decided to spend my day just wandering instead of waiting in lines for panels and exhibits. Since I'm a fabric geek, textiles artist and costumer, the cosplay and bounding was one of the highlights for me. It's a little bit of their own personal Disney magic to put their heart and soul into making themselves into a work of art. Thank you to everyone who posed for me and made my day much more pixie dusty!
Did you guess the last cosplay yet?
Want the answer?
Are you sure? I can wait for you to do some Googling.
Okay here it is.
If you guessed without Googling or looking at the answer you have serious Disney geekery skills!
THE ANSWER IS:
These two are dressed as Disney short films. One is called La Luna. The other is called Paper Man. If you have not heard of them, you now have your assignment. Find them on YouTube. Watch them. Get tears in your eyes because they are so sweet and beautiful. Marvel at the quality of the animation and story telling. Read up on the background information about them.
By the way... I do take commissions on wearable art. If you would like a hand painted something or other, send me a message using the contact page here on my site.
This article is ©2020 Heather Anne at Heather Anne Art and Soul. All rights reserved. See my copyright notice here.