The Simpsons Join the Party at D23 2026’s Biggest Show Floor Yet
Springfield's first family gets a warm welcome at Disney's ultimate fan event in Anaheim, with a movie photo op, a spot in the Disney+ Hulu Experience, and a Talent Central signing session.
Todd Ruffner-Schoenfeld
Editor in chief. A knack for the fine print, and likes it.
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event returned to the Anaheim Convention Center from August 14 through 16, 2026, and Disney called it the largest show floor in the event’s history. Tucked among the Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Disney Animation displays this year is a family that has been making people laugh for more than three decades. The Simpsons is part of the celebration, a warm reminder of how completely Springfield has settled into the wider Disney family.
The clearest sign of that welcome is a dedicated photo opportunity built around The Simpsons Movie 2. Disney’s own show floor announcement put it simply, inviting guests to celebrate the new Simpsons movie, in theaters September 3, 2027, with fun, shareable photo moments. It is a playful nod to a franchise that started as an irreverent cartoon short and grew into a genuine pillar of the Disney portfolio.
Fans walking the floor on opening day shared a look at what that photo moment actually feels like in person. Reports and photos from the show floor described a colorful backdrop featuring Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, with giant donut sculptures worked into the display for guests to pose beside. It is exactly the kind of cheerful, low key setup that suits a family known for keeping things fun rather than fussy. Fans lined up throughout the weekend to snap a picture with the Simpson family, and the donuts alone were enough to draw a crowd of their own.
It is worth remembering just how long this family has been part of American pop culture. The Simpsons first appeared as short segments on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 and launched its own series in 1989, making it the longest running animated series in American television history. That long run is part of what made this year’s show floor moment feel so fitting. A show with this much history now gets to stand alongside newer Disney favorites and share in the same weekend of celebration.
For longtime fans, the moment carries a bit of extra meaning. The Simpsons became part of Disney when the company completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, and this year’s D23 marks a notable physical presence for the show at Disney’s flagship fan gathering. Observers on site noted it as a sign of how openly Disney is now folding the show into its broader lineup of characters and stories, right alongside Marvel heroes and Star Wars icons.
The Simpsons also turns up inside the Disney+ Hulu Experience on the show floor, an immersive photo area built around a mix of titles from across both streaming services. Alongside The Simpsons, the experience draws on Percy Jackson and the Olympians, FX’s American Horror Story, Camp Rock 3, and Only Murders in the Building, giving fans a chance to step into scenes from shows they already stream at home. It is a nice touch for a series that has found a steady home on Disney+, where new episodes and decades of past seasons live together for anyone to catch up on.
The Simpsons also has a spot on the Talent Central schedule, where D23 sets aside time for fans to meet the people behind their favorite shows. According to D23’s official programming page, the creative team behind the longest running animated series was scheduled for an autograph signing opportunity from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on both Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15. It is a chance for fans to thank the people who have kept Springfield running for so long, in person and with a signature to take home.
Taken together, the movie photo op, the Disney+ Hulu Experience placement, and the Talent Central signing add up to a full and genuinely warm showing for The Simpsons at this year’s expo. None of it required a massive new attraction or a splashy stage reveal. It simply meant giving one of animation’s most enduring families a proper seat at the table, right where the rest of the Disney universe gathers every few years to celebrate itself.
For fans who grew up with the show long before Disney owned it, seeing Homer and company folded into the D23 show floor is a small but meaningful full circle moment. The show still airs new episodes, it still lives on Disney+ for anyone who wants to marathon it from the beginning, and now it gets to share the spotlight with the rest of the Disney family at the one event built entirely for fans. That is worth a photo by the giant donuts.
This is part of our coverage of TV and Streaming at D23 2026.
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