Greetings fellow nerds from around the world, today’s editorial is about my experience at Fan Expo Dallas. A three-day event with a ton of people attending the place to take their pictures with their favorite celebrities as well as getting their autographs on items, listen to Q&A sessions on a specific famous face, buy some swag such as comics, props, merchandise, mystery boxes and hang out with some friends cosplaying as any character. Last year I’ve visited Fan Expo Dallas as an early birthday present two months prior to July. It was a great three-day experience. I’ve been patient for a whole year to revisit. Definitely worth a wait. I’m thankful for my parents for booking a room at the Omni-Hotel where it’s connected to Kay Hutchison Convention Center.
If you’re planning on attending next year. Here’s a list of things from my previous editorial. Take notes. Plus, I added new tips for next year.
Tips & Tricks
- Plan your trip accordingly. Discuss your friends or family which celebs to sign an autograph, take a snapshot and panel (Q&A) to attend. Most importantly, work as a team. Why? Because teamwork is the key to victory.
- Create a budget on how much you’re going to spend your money on autographs, celebs and merchandise.
- Keep a steady diet. Grab small individual bags of snacks to store your bag. Just don’t eat too much.
- Stay hydrated. Bring a few bottles of water.
- Before you go out, apply lots of deodorant.
- Wearing a costume’s fun. Only downside, you’re gonna get hot and sweaty. Word of advice, wear a t-shirt and shorts. If you wish to go cosplaying, your call.
- Get a hotel reservation at the Omni-Hotel. I’ll have you know, it costs extra money to use Wi-Fi. It costs $70 per day to enable.
- Put lots of deodorant. Apply cologne/perfume.
- Download the app, Fan Expo Dallas. Select which panel to attend and have a snapshot/autograph with a celeb.
- If you feel lost, obtain a map. For an alternative solution, a crew member wearing an orange shirt will assist you. Don’t be shy. They’re nice.
- Never bring a baby. They can be disruptive. Bringing an infant to a panel, can ruin the experience.
- Have a kick-ass journey.
New Lessons
- When I was in a long line to get a selfie from Seth Green at his table signing autographs, he had to take professional photos and a lunch break. I had to wait two hours for him to come back. I learned a trial-and-error lesson, check on the schedule before you stand in line. Next time, I’ll always look up the schedule. Good thing selfies are cheaper than professional photos developed by Leap Event Technology.
- Wake up at the earliest time to get a selfie or autograph signed before it gets packed. Saturday is the busiest day.
- If you can’t carry a lot in a bag, use a wagon for better mobility. I had neck pain on the back. I’m not used to carrying heavy stuff.
- Withdrawal some cash at the nearest bank. The ATM machines at the convention center will eventually run out if you don’t do it before you enter. It’s a necessary requirement to carry cash.
- Buy cheap individual small sized snacks. Buying a hot dog or popcorn is expensive. One time, I bought a chicken sandwich and it costs $10 dollars. Doesn’t come with a combo. Be wary on spending food. Save it for some legit indoor restaurants near the Omni-Hotel.
2025 features celebs attending the place to celebrate an anniversary of a beloved franchise, movie or TV show. Sadly, I didn’t attend any of them due to scheduling conflicts. Plus, I didn’t want to waste any money for a single ticket for a Back to the Future panel. Other works didn’t get a special panel. So, I’ll give them an honorable mention based on the guest.
- Back to the Future – 40 (Michael J. Fox)
- Teen Wolf – 40 (Michael J. Fox)
- Avatar: The Last Airbender – 20 (Various)
- Robot Chicken – 20 (Seth Green)
- Casper – 30 (Christina Ricci)
- Now and Then – 30 (Christina Ricci)
- Revenge of the Sith – 20 (Anthony Daniels)
- American Dragon: Jake Long – 20 (Dante Basco)
- The Force Awakens – 10 (John Boyega & Anthony Daniels)
- Top Row: My mom and I took pro pics with Michael J. Fox & Christina Ricci. I got mine alone with McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
- Bottom Row: A selfie with mother & Rob Schneider. Me with Seth Green & Kara Edwards. She’s known for her anime voiceover roles as Videl & Goten from “Dragon Ball Z.”
I went to two panels. First, was Christopher Mintz-Plasse & Christina Ricci. They talked about their careers and answered questions from fans. I was lucky to ask Ms. Ricci a question on what movie or series she considers as her magnum opus. I have a video on YouTube and TikTok as proof. I recorded footage of her panel. I had to stop in order to ask her my question. I have a funny short video of Seth Green & Breckin Meyer having a silly fight.
Fun: Rob Schneider mentioned his pal, Adam Sandler is working on “Grown Ups.” Once everybody gets everything off their plate, this overdue threequel will finally happen after the second one came out in 2013. Mr. Schneider was funny and nice.
The only downside this year, Walton Goggins bailed due to scheduling conflicts. Maybe next year. He’s a busy guy.
I went to an Anime After Party. I danced with a bunch of people dancing to anime tunes. I danced to the first opening theme song from “YuYu Hakusho” known as, “Smile Bomb.” One person mentioned I was slaying with good dance moves. Everybody was dancing to “Techno Syndrome” from the 1995 live-action adaptation of “Mortal Kombat.”
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Similar to last year, I had an epic three-day experience. I cannot wait for the next one coming in September 11-13. If you’re planning on going next year, save up some big bucks. Follow my tips and tricks. You’ll thank me later. If you already attended this year, please leave a comment on which famous people did you take a pic with or got your stuff signed. Here are my predictions on which celeb may show up. Just speculation for fun. Who do you wanna see attend the place?
| Character Actors | Character Actresses | Comedians | Voice Actors | Voice Actresses |
| Steve Buscemi | Patricia Clarkson | Larry the Cable Guy | Phil LaMarr | Brina Palencia |
| Walton Goggins | Sarah Paulson | David Cross | Johnny Yong Bosch | Stephanie Sheh |
| Luiz Guzman | Kat Dennings | Bob Odenkirk | Crispin Freeman | Tara Strong |
| Brad Dourif | Jennifer Tilly | Zach Galifianakis | Steve Blum | Lauren Tom |
| Ted Levine | Juliette Lewis | Ed Helms | Bill Fagerbakke | Wendee Lee |
| Clancy Brown | Danielle Harris | Weird Al Yankovic | Nolan North | Mary Elizabeth McGlynn |
Nickthemoviecritic.com 