Walt shared a series of personal connections with America’s southern neighbor. One such connection occurred twenty years prior to this event, when Disneyland was not yet a point on a map, and the United States was dealing with—but had not yet entered—the turmoil of the Second World War.
With excitement abuzz over Disneyland’s latest planned expansion, we pay tribute to its first major park expansion as proof of Walt’s oft-proclaimed pronouncement that “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”
Walt Disney and his youngest daughter, Sharon, left Los Angeles on August 10, 1947 for a three week trip to Candle, Alaska. What was supposed to be a relaxing flight turned out to be quite an adventure…as well as a wonderful father-and-daughter bonding experience.
Though the Walt Disney Family Museum offers exciting new displays and stories in each special exhibition that opens, there are also delightful new discoveries to be found in the main museum galleries when case rotations are made. Let’s take a look at one of the latest rotations, in the case dedicated to one of Walt’s most distinctive feature films, Bambi (1942).
Being an epic of animated cinema, Pinocchio (1940) is ripe with moments of artistic beauty and raucously fun entertainment. The scene in the fabled pool hall, is a stand out for its combined mastery of the animated art form, thanks in particular to three of Walt’s best animators.
In accordance with Shark Week and our latest special exhibition, Wish Upon A Star: The Art of Pinocchio, Monstro, the terrifying giant sperm whale that consumes Pinocchio, Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo before sneezing them back out because Pinocchio, a character made entirely of wood, thought it prudent to start a bonfire.
Mel Shaw’s life as an all-out renaissance man produced a near overwhelming amount of artistic creations, from painting to sculpture to sketches and pastels, many of which are exhibited in Mel Shaw: An Animator on Horseback at The Walt Disney Family Museum. The fascinating works on display include a selection of Shaw’s work when he was working for Walt during the Studios’ golden age.
In honor of Father’s Day, we share the stories told by Diane Disney Miller about her father, Walt Disney. In 1956, Diane sat down with journalist Peter Martin where she spoke candidly about what it was like to be Walt’s daughter.
What makes Pinocchio such an important film in the Disney canon? Beyond the laudable artistic merits of the film itself, Pinocchio represents Walt Disney's greatest animated achievement.
May 19th would have been Jimmy’s 110th birthday. We invite you to celebrate Walt’s chosen substitute by making some noise, Jimmy Macdonald-sound effects style!