These early concept drawings show Walt’s thinking as he developed ideas for this utopian planned community. Three were composed on yellow legal pad paper, perhaps during discussions about the EPCOT development. The other was drawn on both sides of a paper napkin. They were found—crumpled in the trash—by Walt’s gardener, who stored them in a safe deposit box for many years. The museum acquired the drawings in 2011 from the gardener’s son.
An oft-repeated story from the 1950s involved Walt Disney and Disneyland executive Dick Nunis. One day at the park, the pair stood along the Rivers of America with a view of the water traffic. The large steamer Mark Twain paddled its way around the bend as smaller craft zig-zagged about including canoes, keel boats, and the rafts to Tom Sawyer Island. Nunis expected Walt to make a comment about how busy the river was, perhaps even a little too busy.
On view in March 2024.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Walt Disney Company, The Walt Disney Family Museum is showcasing objects from the museum’s collection which highlight important moments in Walt’s career. These objects, which include recent acquisitions and fragile materials that have never been publicly displayed, and will rotate periodically throughout the year.
On November 16, 2023, Pawsibilities Unleashed: A Pet Portrait Exhibition debuted in The Walt Disney Family Museum’s Theater and Lower Lobby Galleries. Presented concurrently with our special exhibition, Disney Cats & Dogs, this unique collection of artworks features portraits by local Bay Area and Disney-related artists, showcasing the profound impact animal companions have on their creative expression. The talented staff at The Walt Disney Family Museum was asked to contribute artwork that represented their animal companions.
On view in January–February 2024.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Walt Disney Company, The Walt Disney Family Museum is showcasing objects from the museum’s collection which highlight important moments in Walt’s career. These objects, which include recent acquisitions and fragile materials that have never been publicly displayed, will rotate periodically throughout the year.
Watching Alice’s Wonderland, the short pilot cartoon Walt Disney carried with him on his journey west to Los Angeles in 1923, it's ironic to consider the character Alice’s own journey by animated train. The live-action young girl—played by Virginia Davis—makes a triumphant arrival in “Cartoonland” where crowds of cheering, hand-drawn animals welcome her with pomp and ceremony. Walt’s arrival in Los Angeles could not have been more different.
On view in December 2023.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Walt Disney Company, The Walt Disney Family Museum is showcasing objects from the museum’s collection which highlight important moments in Walt’s career. These objects, which include recent acquisitions and fragile materials that have never been publicly displayed, will rotate periodically throughout the year.
On view in November 2023.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Walt Disney Company, The Walt Disney Family Museum is showcasing objects from the museum’s collection which highlight important moments in Walt’s career. These objects, which include recent acquisitions and fragile materials that have never been publicly displayed, will rotate periodically throughout the year.
Please join us in celebrating the life of our museum co-founder, Diane Disney Miller, who passed away on this day ten years ago. Museum Executive Director, Kirsten Komoroske, reflected on Diane in our December 2014 member magazine: “More than being a philanthropist and enthusiastic supporter of the arts, Diane was her father’s daughter.
Meticulous, theme-enhancing horticulture played a starring role in the transformation of flat Anaheim farmland into Walt’s rich, immersive vision for Disneyland.