One of our most important jobs as Museum Educators is to help first-time visitors to The Walt Disney Family Museum understand that there is so much more to Walt Disney than what they’ve imagined—which is usually limited to Mickey Mouse, amusement parks, and cartoons. We typically set about accomplishing this by discussing his work, legacy, and the collections that relate to him. But one aspect of the man that even we don’t think about often is his role as a grandfather. In fact, Walt Disney was a grandfather of ten. His daughters, Diane and Sharon, had seven and three children respectively. And as is clear from the family’s collection, Walt took great delight in the seven grandchildren who were with him during his lifetime.
For the September Look Closer presentations, we followed this theme of Walt as a Grandfather by focusing on a special area in Gallery 9, which features family photos and home video clips from the 1960s. This area is actually one of several “family walls,” which are part of every gallery throughout the Museum, and dedicated to telling the family story. Usually distinguished by a vintage wallpaper background, designed to reflect the time period of the gallery, these family walls hold such things as photos, clips from home movies, and personal memorabilia saved from the Disney home, such as Walt’s hand-written list of his favorite foods. Staff members often comment on how visitors linger in front of these areas, and are visibly moved by glimpses of the Disney family history.
The photos and film clips on the family wall in Gallery 9, however, seem particularly poignant, for they show Walt in his later years on trips with family and friends that will turn out to be his last. Most of the items date back to the summer of 1966, when Walt and Lillian rented a 140-foot yacht for the family to cruise the waterways of British Columbia in celebration of their 41st wedding anniversary. By this time the Disneys had seven grandchildren, ranging from Diane’s 11-year-old son Christopher to Sharon’s infant daughter Victoria. The photos and videos show a family of three generations enjoying the rugged outdoors together while also relaxing and celebrating on the boat.
Another grouping of photos in this same display, which also illustrates Walt’s affinity for his grandchildren, features a 1964 visit to Marineland of the Pacific in Palos Verdes, CA. Walt and Lillian often babysat Diane and Ron Miller’s brood, and on this trip the proud grandparents are shown with five of the children, all of whom are wearing matching outfits for the occasion. Of special interest is a picture of Walt down on one knee so his small grandson Walter is able to capture his grandfather’s entire image in the camera lens.
Most of the photos and film clips on our museum’s family walls were taken by Walt, who from an early age enjoyed experimenting with a camera. As a father and grandfather he encouraged other family members, especially the grandchildren who showed an interest, to take up his passion. As granddaughter Tamara once explained, “He always had a camera with him—always. And he had a tendency to hand the camera to a child, whether it be Chris, Walt, or me.”
Just as touching is Christopher’s account of how his grandfather encouraged him to pursue another Disney passion: “He was so interested in us. I drew like crazy when I was a kid. And I remember his advice. He was an artist himself, of course, and he’d tell me how to improve my technique. I remember him showing me how to draw effective-looking smoke. Because most of my drawings were typical boy stuff: disasters, train collisions, mine explosions. He was always there—and he took a big interest in my developing artistic skills.”
Mary Beth Culler
Museum Interpreter
Images above: 1) Walt with grandson Christopher Miller. Photo courtesy The Walt Disney Family Foundation. 2) Walt and Lilly with their grandchildren on vacation. Photo courtesy Walt Disney Family Foundation.