Tim Curry, TV premiere screenings, cosplay feature at Fan Expo Canada

September 6, 2017

Toronto pop culture convention Fan Expo Canada has wrapped for another year. It ran from Thursday to Sunday. Major panels included and the cast of ', ' voices  and, actors , , , , and child leads from . Canadian television channel hosted a  panel with seven lead cast members. On the heels of sister event Toronto Comic Con's ' reunion event, the lineup included a twentieth anniversary panel with the stars of another Canadian high school television series, '.

Heading into its fourth and final season, attendees got a chance to see the season opener of  on Saturday, followed by a panel. The event has had a continuing relationship with the series, screening other episodes previously. The second season premiere of the sci-fi series  was accompanied by a panel including. Canadian true-crime drama  had its world premiere. Other debuts included broadcaster with the Canadian premiere of ', with  in attendance,  with the Canadian premiere of ', and  with the new animated series .

Anime fans could watch episodes of their favourite shows, including AKB0048, Otaku No Video, Hana Yamata, My Hero Academia, Fairy Tail, and Penguindrum.

The book Star Wars Made Easy, targeted to non-fans to get up to speed on the fictional universe's various facts and figures, was ironically launched by DK Canada for a room of fans of the franchise. Author Christian Blauvelt answered questions from the audience on topics like his opinion on Midiclorians — he understands fan contention, but suggested that science and religion can co-exist, like in the real world — quizzed the audience on trivia, and signed copies of his book.

Some panels were quite ahead of the curve: one on Star Wars costume and prop building discussed building Porgs figures, despite the film  not being released to theatres yet.

were at the event with United and Unity, two brightly lit characters of their own creation. The force received funding in 2014 from the Provincial Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy to create a short film featuring the character United, receiving positive recognition locally. “Our United superhero program is part of our on-going efforts to connect with our community and show police in a different light,” YRP Constable Andy Pattenden told Wikinews. He explains that the officers who developed the project have a background in film-making, and “serve as an opportunity for us to start a conversation with youth and connect with them at a non-traditional level.”

Star Wars character, a puppet in the 1983 film , was re-created by the as an. The 501st is a fan group that dresses like the series villains for charitable events, particularly those raising funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The new addition to their annual display commanded long lineups throughout the day, from con-goers looking to donate in exchange for a photo-op with the massive, slug-like alien.

Wikinews talked with Cheryl, the co-host of the weekly video series "Our Didnee Side", who was dressed as Gadget Hackwrench, a mouse from the 1990s television series . Speaking for both of the hosts, she said their passion for Disney has “exploded” since starting the YouTube channel, and that they are both “creators. We can't seem to go a day without making something. We love doing Disney cosplay because it is like a beacon for other people in the fandom to come find us in a sea of other characters.” Conventions like Fan Expo Canada become “a great opportunity to meet like-minded Disney fans, and to possibly escape for the weekend from our 'boring human' lives.”

Adrianna Prosser, host of Toronto geek culture community website Geektropolis, spent part of the convention Fan Expo Canada 2017 as the. She told Wikinews that "geeking in Toronto is always such a joy, what with amazing and passionate fandoms coming together at Fan Expo!" She explained that the site tries to keep the feeling of the event going all year, featuring local creators and “geeky” fans, in an effort to bring the community closer together.

Party game — intriguingly available under a non-commercial Creative Commons license — offered a "Free Apologies from An American" booth, where a representative offered regrets to the largely Canadian visitors. The booth's curtains came into use at least once on Friday, closing when a Trump cosplayer reached the front of the line.