The Walt Disney Company, now celebrating its 100th anniversary, began with a deal made with Margaret J. Winkler for the distribution of Walt’s first series, the Alice Comedies. Producer and distributor Margaret Winkler was not just responsible for giving the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio their start, but was a champion of the animation industry which turned inked drawings into internationally-beloved characters.
Arguably, the highlight in The Walt Disney Family Museum Awards Lobby is Walt’s collection of 26 Academy Awards®, the largest collections of Oscars® outside of Hollywood. Of all of Walt’s Oscars®, one outweighs the rest, literally. This special honorary Academy Award consists of one standard Oscar® statuette standing above seven other miniature ones representing each of the Dwarfs.
In the latest issue of The Walt Disney Family Museum’s member magazine, filmmaker and former Disney voice artist Bruce Reitherman shared memories and insights about working on Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967). Bruce was not only the voice of the lead character Mowgli, but also the son of the film’s director, Wolfgang “Woolie” Reitherman. The conversation between the younger Reitherman and historian Lucas O.
Released March 16, 1961, the film came in the middle of a record year for The Walt Disney Studios during which time Walt released three of the six highest-grossing films of the year—One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) came in at third while The Parent Trap (1961) came in sixth, just behind The Absent-Minded Professor—outgrossing notables like Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn.
Flubber didn’t have to be realistic in the sense that it could actually be created—it just had to be believable.
As the 1960s came into view, Walt Disney continued to double down on the Disney Studios’ foray into live-action, which began a decade earlier with 1950’s Treasure Island. In particular, he made Fred MacMurray a central figure in Disney’s live-action comedies.
It is with great sadness that we share the news that Disney Legend Alice Davis has passed away. To the world, Alice Estes Davis was best known for her work with Walt Disney as a costume designer. To the Board and staff at The Walt Disney Family Museum, Alice was an inspiring collaborator, kind-hearted benefactor, and cherished friend.
Although United Artists had more than doubled Disney’s budget, color was a risk that concerned them. Disney would not make its first color picture for the popular Mickey Mouse series, but rather the distinctive and often experimental series of stand-alone short subjects, the Silly Symphonies. Directed by Burt Gillett, the chosen short was a tale of plants and animals, Flowers and Trees (1932).
The Walt Disney Family Museum is pleased to present its newest special exhibition, Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece, in celebration of the beloved animated classic’s 55th anniversary. Premiering in 1967, The Jungle Book was a huge success, largely due to its music and compelling hand-drawn animation.
When Walt Disney and his eponymous company entered the new decade of the 1960s, there was no doubt that The Walt Disney Company was on the move.