Our (Almost) Comprehensive Preview of Pensacon 2020

We love Pensacon. We have only missed it once, and that was two years ago. We had a pretty good excuse – the Nola Nerd Baby was born the day before the 2018 convention started. What we love most about Pensacon is the variety of guests they get. It is an autograph collector’s dream convention in that they get so many people that can complete multi-projects. In this preview of Pensacon 2020, we will take a look at celebrity guests that will be there.

Star Wars Guests

The first thing we always look for at a convention is Star Wars guests. We are members of the Star Wars Autograph Universe group on Facebook, and Star Wars represents the bulk of our collection. The big Star Wars guest Pensacon got this year is Denis Lawson. Mr. Lawson, who is also Ewan McGregor’s uncle, portrayed Wedge Antilles in A New Hope and has a cameo in The Rise of Skywalker. Lucasfilm felt that Mr. Lawson’s Scottish accent was too thick, so they got David Ankrum to do the voice. This provides an excellent opportunity to have an actual Wedge Signature.

Also from Star Wars will be Mark Dodson (voice Salacious B. Crumb), Michael McCormick (puppeteer for Salacious), Michael Carter (body actor for Bib Fortuna), Angus MacInnes (Gold Leader), Simon Williamson (Max Rebo), and Brian Herring who is the puppeteer for BB-8. We have met most of these, and they are great guests. In fact, a large number of these are repeat Pensacon guests.

Arrowverse and other Superheroes

One of our obsessions that got hurt by the arrival of the Nola Nerd Baby is the Arrowverse on the CW. We love all the shows, but we don’t have the time to watch. We will binge in the future, but we still have some favorites from the shows that will be at Pensacon. Nick Zanno, who portrays Dr. Nathaniel “Nate” Heywood/Steel on Legends of Tomorrow. Joining him will be Matt Ryan, who plays Constantine in the Arrowverse.

Speaking of superheroes, Pensacon is full of them. From Agents of Shield, Henry Simmons and Natalia Cordova-Buckley will be there. I really want Ms. Cordova-Buckley for Coco, the movie that never fails to make me cry. Tankgirl’s Lori Petty will also be there. John Davey and Michael Gray, from the original Shazam! series will be at Pensacon. I have a scar on my chin from pretending to be Shazam! when I was a kid, so seeing them in person will be a thrill for me. Finally, THE Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, will also be at Pensacon.

WWE, Doctor Who, Titanic, and more

Pensacon is excellent at getting multiple guests for fandoms. For example, from the Terminator franchise, they have Micael Biehn, Edward Furlong, and Danny Cooksey. From Doctor Who they have Katy Manning, Paul McGann, and Alex Kingston. Debbe Dunning and Richard Karn will be there for Home Improvement. From WWE, Diamond Dallas Page and Booker T will be there. The 1982 version of The Thing will have Wilfred Brimley and Keith David.

Now while Rose and Jack might never do a convention, it is impressive that David Warner, Billy Zane, and Bernard Hill from Titatinc will be there. Bernard Hill is the guest I’m most excited to meet since he plays my favorite character in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Theoden.

Disney Guests

Of course, with the Nola Nerd Baby, we are a Disney+ house. If we can get Bret Iwan to say “Oh, Toodles,” the little one will be in awe. Shoot, I will be in awe. The man of a thousand voices for Disney and other franchises, Jim Cummings, will be there. And don’t forget, Mr. Cummings played Ray in The Princess and the Frog, a film that starred Keith David as the evil Dr. Facillier. Jason Marsden and Bill Farmer, from The Goofy Movie, will be there. The little one is a Goofy stan, so for her to hear the Goofy voice will make for one happy little girl.

Speaking of Jason Marsden, he did the voice Thackery Binx in Hocus Pocus. Also, from Hocus Pocus will be Kathy Najimy. Ms. Najimy, a very versatile actress, is one of those people that I love to see what photos she has on the table. She has to narrow it down, so it is kinda cool to see what she brings.

Preview of Pensacon 2020

There are almost too many guests to mention. In fact, I haven’t mentioned Dave Thomas, Willie Aames, Jonathan Hyde, Dee Wallace-Stone, Jane Wieden, Bruce Boxleitner, Sian Phillips, William Katt, Jake Busey, nor have I listed the authors and artists.

I have to have something for the next installment!

If you like our preview of Pensacon 2020, you should check out our previous coverage! Have you been to Pensacon before? What would you recommend to newcomers? Let’s discuss in the comments!!!