"heritage with intensity"

On Thursday, Walt Disney Co. will launch its big new marketing event, the D23 Expo, in Anaheim with predictably bright and shiny promotional messages about upcoming projects such as "The Princess and the Frog," "Toy Story 3" and the new-look California Adventure theme park and stars such as Robin Williams, Nicolas Cage and Kelsey Grammer plugging future Disney vehicles.

But on closer inspection the four-day event is as much about the past as it is the future. The D23 Expo -- the name is a reference to 1923, the year Walt Disney founded the studio -- is a major moment in the archival life of the entertainment giant that holds on to its heritage with more intensity than any of its Hollywood rivals.