Fan Expo Canada, August 24 to 27, 2023, Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Toronto’s Fan Expo announces schedule with Disney, Star Wars programming

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We’re just one week out from Fan Expo Canada, the nation to the north’s biggest pop culture convention. The schedule has been finalized for 2023, and here’s the Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney highlights.

Guests

Hayden Christiensen (Star Wars), Christina Ricci (That Darn Cat), Zachary Levi (Tangled), Ming-Na Wen (Mulan), Jason Lee (The Incredibles), Matthew Lillard (Phineas and Ferb), Neve Campbell (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride), and Kate Flannery (Dancing with the Stars) among the celebrity guests.

Danny Trejo is also in attendance. His Disney credits are long, with Muppets Most Wanted, Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel, Elena of Avalor, Tangled: The Series, Big City Greens, The Ghost and Molly McGee, the lead piñata in the Mickey Mouse episode “¡Feliz Cumpleaños!”, Six Days, Seven Nights, Muppets Haunted Mansion, Con Air, Bubble Boy, and The Book of Boba Fett.

Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, and Matt Lanter from Star Wars: The Clone Wars are in attendance, as well as Disney or Marvel connected Shameik Moore, Jodi Benson, and Nadji Jeter, as part of the voice acting lineup.

Featured comic creators with Marvel credits include Dan Slott, Steve McNiven, Zeb Wells, Jim Shooter, and Ken Lashey. Other special guests include Kalman Andrasofszky, Enid Balám, Sweeney Boo, Viktor Farro, Adam Gorham, Megan Huang, Raffaele Ienco, Leonard Kirk, Jason Loo, Kagan McLeod, and Mark Morales, among others.

Booths

There’s of course lots of official and artist alley merch throughout the floor. But there’s a couple relevant stops for Star Wars fans this year.

Thursday

Sketch Duel: Leonard Kirk vs Mike Feehan
4:15 pm in Theatre 7
Leonard Kirk is currently exclusively with Marvel, while Mike Feehan works for IDW and DC titles.

Check out your favourite comic artists as they go “pen to pen”! Watch these friendly rivals compete to show who has got the edge in comic book illustration and be entered to win the original art they produce once they’re done. An amazing experience to witness!

Star Wars Cosplay Meetup
6 to 6:15 pm at the Cosplay Red Carpet, Level 200

Jodi Benson is doing a photo op tonight. Also there are photo ops with James Arnold Taylor, Ashley Eckstein, and Matt Lanter individually, or with all of them together.

Crafting Captivating Comic Book Covers
7:15 pm in Theatre 7
Features Marvel’s Steve McNiven and DC’s Travis Mercer.

Friday

Star Wars Cosplay Meetup
11 to 11:15 am at the Cosplay Red Carpet, Level 200

Geeks and Co. Cosplay Meetup: Star Wars
Noon at Club Cosplay, Level 200, Room 203

Droid Workshop
12:30 to 1:30 pm in Room 701B
The 501st introduces you to building a full-size astromech.

A Galactic Conversation with Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, and Matthew Latner
12:45 pm in the main theatre, 106 Constitution Hall

X-Men Cosplay Meetup
1 to 1:15 pm in Cosplay Guest Park, 205 AB

Lightsaber Battle
2 to 2:45 pm at Cosplay Red Carpet, North Foyer W

The Magical World of VFX
2 to 2:45 pm in Theatre 4, room 705
Panelists include Jennifer Maillet, whose credits include Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.

Comic Writers Roundtable
2:15 pm in Theatre 7, room 713 AB
Panelists include Jim Zub, who currently is one of the two writers for Tony Stark: Iron Man, and has done numerous Marvel titles previously.

Ken Lashey Spotlight
3:15 pm in Theatre 7, room 713 AB
Ken Lashey’s currently working on VENOM for Marvel, and has done numerous other titles for the company. He also has worked on marketing and packaging for Lucasfilm, including for Star Wars.

An Elegant Weapon: Star Wars and Comics
4 pm in Theatre 11, room 717 AB
Megan Huang (Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories) and Adam Gorham (Darth Vader) are featured.

Marvel Universe Cosplay Meetup
4:30 to 4:45 pm on the Cosplay Red Carpet, North Foyer W

The Amazing Zeb Wells
5:15 pm in Theatre 7, room 713 AB
Along writing many Marvel comic books, Wells wrote an episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, co-wrote the upcoming films The Marvels and Deadpool 3, and is head writer for Marvel Zombies, a four parter for Disney+.

James Arnold Taylor, Matt Lanter, and Ashley Eckstein have photo ops separately and together. Jodi Benson is also posing.

Saturday

Meet the Legendary Jodi Benson
11 am in Theatre 2, room 206

Who’s the 501st
11 to 11:45 am in Theatre 5, room 709

A Charming Conversation with Zachary Levi
12:45 pm in the main theatre, 106 Constitution Hall

The Spectacular Dan Slott
1:15 pm in Theatre 7, room 713 AB

Lightsabre Battle
2  to 2:45 pm on the Cosplay Red Carpet, North Foyer W

Get Legendary with Ming-Na Wen
2:45 pm in the main theatre, 106 Constitution Hall

Star Wars Cosplay Meetup
4:30 to 4:45 pm on the Cosplay Red Carpet, North Foyer W

Comedy Roast Battle: Marvel vs DC
5 to 5:45 pm in Theatre 11, room 717 AB
The Sonar Podcast Network presents a battle of Canadian comedians dressed as characters from both companies, who will “duke it out in an absolute blood bath of verbal violence.”

Star Wars: The High Republic 101
5:45 to 6:30 pm in Theatre 9, room 715AB

Marvel Universe Cosplay Meetup
6 to 6:15 pm at the Cosplay Red Carpet, North Foyer W

An Evening with Hayden Christensen
7:30 pm in the main theatre, 106 Constitution Hall

Emily Strikes Back
7:30 to 9 pm in Theatre 7, room 713 AB

A play.

A few years ago, in a city not so close, there opened a very important movie…The Empire Strikes Back! Travel back to 1980 and join Star Wars fans Ricky, Peter, Muppet-loving Denise, and just-got-dumped Kevin to witness the most anticipated sequel of all time! Nothing can spoil this monumental night for them—not even sitting beside the only Star Trek fan in the entire theatre…That is until Kevin’s ex-girlfriend, Emily, decides that she’s going to make a come-back into his life. Grab your friends and share the laughs as you watch how EMILY STRIKES BACK! A Plays By Bird production coming to FanExpo Canada!

Ming-Na Wen, Hayden Christensen, Jodi Benson, Shameik Moore, and Christina Ricci are each doing photo-ops today. As per the last two days, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, and James Arnold Taylor team up and split up.

Sunday

Marvel Universe Cosplay Meetup
11 to 11:15 am at the Cosplay Red Carpet, North Foyer W

Disney Cosplay Meetup
Noon to 12:15 pm at the Cosplay Guest Park, 205 AB

Women of the Legion
12:30 to 1:15 pm in Theatre 5, room 709
The 501st talk.

Game Demo: Marvel Champions (Ticketed Event)
1 to 2 pm in Tabletop Gaming, room 201 A-D

Join The Guild House as they demo Marvel Champions: The Card Game! Marvel Champions: The Card Game is a cooperative Living Card Game that sees players embody Marvel heroes battling to thwart the schemes of dastardly villains. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased through The Guild House website.

Speaking with the Talented Shameik Moore
1 pm in Theatre 2, room 206

Joe Quesada’s Marvelous Journey!
1:15 pm in Theatre 3, room 701A

Join Joe as he takes on any and all of your questions about life before, during, and after Marvel. This Q+A is a rare opportunity for you to get a glimpse behind the curtain from the man who was actually in the room when it happened.

Lightsaber Battle
2 to 2:45 pm on the Cosplay Red Carpet, North Foyer W

It wouldn’t be Fan Expo Canada 2023 photo op without Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, and Ashley Ackstein. They’re all back for round four. Jodi Benson’s back too.

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