I previously gave you the readers digest version of preparing to visit the Walt Disney family museum, now it’s time to give you the details. *SPOILER ALERT* if you don’t want to know what’s inside of the museum then don’t read this post!
The museum is about Walt Disney’s life, not the Disney parks so if you aren’t interested in the man and his work; this museum isn’t for you. The exhibits are set up in chronological order starting in his childhood through the war years and continuing on through his life and career, there are ten exhibits in all.
The first exhibit hosts a replica of the World War 1 ambulance that Walt drove in France as well as photos and memento's of his time in the war and various telegrams from a friend in the Red Cross who he kept in contact with. Some of Walt’s earliest drawings are on display as well as family photos and TV screens with animated photos and the story of Walt’s family beginnings.
Letters from Walt to UB Iwerks inviting him to be a part of the Disney Bros. Studios are framed on the walls. Walt wrote just like we have heard him talk and you can almost hear him speaking when you read his letters. A wall of storyboard photos from Steamboat Willie line the walls, showing how much work went into making cartoon animation. UB Iwerks set the record in animation, turning out an unprecedented 700 pictures a day.
Interactive exhibits include the “Synchronizing Sound” that was found in the Steamboat Willie cartoon. A table is set up with the various instruments used to make the sounds for the cartoon and you take your place and follow the metronome (the bouncing ball) to synchronize the sound to the cartoon that’s playing. It’s much harder than it looks and I burst out laughing every time I pulled the “cats tail” and heard it meow. This is a really fun part of the exhibit and there are enough sound stations for three guests at a time to participate.
Early Mickey Mouse merchandise is on display (in locked cabinets of course) and it’s amazing to see these antique treasures and how Mickey has evolved over the ages. Early pencil drawings and storyboards for the Mickey cartoons are on display as well as Walt’s telegrams to Roy regarding the loss of Oswald and most of his animation team. There are several audio stations where you can pick up a receiver and listen to Walt and Roy telling the story of the loss of Oswald and the trouble with the studio.
One of my favorite sections was the interactive computer station set up like an animation desk. This “Working with Walt” exhibit includes interviews and audio from some of Walt’s “Nine Old Men” and other animators and imagineers who worked with him. Stories from the studio about how Walt used to walk through the studios at night after everyone had gone and dig through the animators trash cans to see what they had discarded and thought of as trash often ended on up their desk the next day with a comment, feedback or a note to “try again”. Frank Thomas recalls Walt offering $5 to any animator who gave one of The Seven Dwarfs a “quirk” that was used in the film. It was important to Walt that each dwarf have a distinctive personality so you’ll notice that when Dopey walks he always has a “hitch step”.
Original ideas and storyboard animations for the classic Disney films are on display including character work on Jiminey Cricket and the dwarf's; just to name a few.
The “Recovery and Reinvention” station is somewhere you could easily lose days at a time. Imagine you are the orchestrator of a symphony of Disney information right at your finger tips. This interactive super hi-tech semi moon desktop gives you countless options for films, people, characters and just about everything else Disney related. Some are videos of early illustrations, others are movie clips with narration or film clips and interview from animators. There are four stations around the room and I think they all have the same data but they are addicting, I’d like to have one in my house!
Probably one of the most talked about sections of the museum is near the end where the 14-foot diameter model of the Disneyland of Walt’s Imagination is stationed. This is truly a masterpiece and literally gives you an overview of what Walt had imagined for Disneyland, the detail is stunning and it’s a very unique thing to see.
As you move toward the end of the exhibit it’s time to start getting your tissues ready (if you didn’t have them out already). The beautiful personal family photos of Walt and his children, birthday parties and anniversary celebrations and other private moments are on display in a beautiful spread of Walt during his last years. A large plaque has Diane Disney’s recollection of her father’s last days, his recovery from the surgery of his lung to him laying in his hospital bed using the hospital ceiling as a grid to point out to Roy where things should go for “The Florida Project”, particularly Epcot; he died the next morning.
Various TV announcements of Walt’s death play on a replicated television from 1966 and images created by friends and animators upon his death line the walls. There is a beautiful video montage at the end of the museum that uses 9 different LED TV’s mounted in a cluster to show thousands of images simultaneously. From Walt’s beginnings to Disneyland, film clips, speeches, photos and quotes play in a beautiful memoriam to Walt and his accomplishments. There is a small stool like sofa in the middle of the room that allow multiple people to view the video on both sides of the room. You may want to have a seat and stay awhile, if you can handle it. The video is very well done and there are a lot of different things to see, yes it’s sad...but it’s also a beautiful heartfelt tribute to Walt and all he created and believed in.
After you have your meltdown in the last exhibit you can carry on to the gift shop where a unique array of merchandise awaits. Animation books, biographies, videos and more are in stock and available for purchase at the museum store. There are also pens, magnets, t-shirts and more paraphernalia to choose from.
If you are starved and on an emotional roller coaster and sensory overload after your museum tour you can take a seat and order a sandwich, chili or snack at the cafe to rejuvenate before you carry on. This is an experience that no Disney fan should miss, below is a photo of a plaque from the lobby of the museum:
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