In honor of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary, a brand-new attraction “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” opens at the Opera House on Main Street, U.S.A on July 17, 2025. This exciting experience offers an immersive look at the man who led the charge with innovative Audio-Animatronics® technology. Debuting alongside this new attraction is “Evolution of a Dream,” an exhibit featuring more than 30 of Walt’s personal artifacts on loan from The Walt Disney Family Museum. Together at Disneyland, they share Walt’s inspiring story like never before.
On view June–Early August, 2025
To celebrate the release of our new book, Walt Disney Treasures: Personal Art and Artifacts from The Walt Disney Family Museum, we are displaying rare and unique objects from the collection that are also featured in the book. Some of the artifacts showcased in the book and here have never been seen by the public. These objects will be on view for free in the museum’s Awards Lobby and will rotate periodically through the beginning of 2025. The next installation in this series celebrates the significant contributions of Harper Goff.
In 1923, Walt and Roy O. Disney established the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio with no fanfare and limited prospects. 10 years later, the situation was entirely the opposite. The Walt Disney Studios—as it was then known—had become the premier animation house in the United States, attracting talent from around the world, and elevating the art form from what had been a limited novelty into a major facet of world cinema.
On view May–June 2025.
To celebrate the release of our new book, Walt Disney Treasures: Personal Art and Artifacts from The Walt Disney Family Museum, we are displaying rare and unique objects from the collection that are also featured in the book. Some of the artifacts showcased in the book and here have never been seen by the public. These objects will be on view for free in the museum’s Awards Lobby and will rotate periodically through the beginning of 2025. The next installation in this series celebrates Walt's lifelong love of trains.
Overture
The year is 1935. America is mid-way through the Great Depression. The Dust Bowl is devastating the prairies. A war-weary world, whether aware or not, is a few short years from one of its greatest crises. Mickey Mouse, a black-and-white cartoon icon, is about to face the music, in more ways than one.
Since childhood, Walt Disney had been a fan of the works of Jules Verne, including the author’s classic 1870 science-fiction novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But later, as a film producer, he was not quite sure what he wanted to do with the story. After he had begun producing his True-Life Adventures, Walt started thinking that deep sea wonders, inspired by the novel, would make excellent material for a nature documentary. At one point, he even considered making it as an animated feature.
In honor of the opening of our latest special exhibition, Directing at Disney, exhibition co-curator and animation historian Don Peri shared his thoughts about his friendship and collaboration with to museum co-founder and daughter of Walt Disney, Diane Disney Miller.
It’s a story that has become almost legendary. But it’s much better, in fact, because it’s true. On many a Friday afternoon at the Walt Disney Studios during the mid-1960s, Walt Disney would call brothers Robert and Richard Sherman to his office. As the songwriters entered, the boss would say, “Play it.” They knew what he meant.