When you ask people about Walt Disney’s works, Mickey Mouse and Walt’s great animated films typically come first, then Disneyland, and for the older of us, the ritual of Walt’s weekly TV visit. Seldom, though, is Walt mentioned as a maker of live-action films, nor as the maker of a particular type of funny film—the “family comedy.”
July’s Look Closer presentations focused on a case in The Walt Disney Family Museum that is often overlooked by visitors. Though this case seems unassuming at first (positioned in Gallery 9 to the left of a large bank of video monitors), it houses artifacts relating to a fascinating period in the Disney story....
Spend a full day at the Museum with Disney animator/director John Musker--responsible for such films as Aladdin, Hercules, The Little Mermaid and The Princess and the Frog--as he takes us behind the scenes of hand-drawn animation with a youth workshop, a master class and a screening of The Great Mouse Detective! Tickets and more information can be found at www.waltdisney.org or www.SFFS.org.
Jim Korkis is no stranger to Disney History. His articles can be found all over the webisphere (including our own blog), but his first chance to see The Walt Disney Family Museum in person came this past weekend. During this time, 3pm on Saturday, he also managed to enthrall a packed room of Disney aficionados with stories of Walt’s Fascination with Outer Space.
"Last Sunday we honored Wally Boag, the unforgettable comic genius of The Golden Horseshoe Revue,” Diane Disney Miller reports. “Jeff Kurtti put the program together and presented it, and we were honored by the presence of Wally's son, Laurence, and his family. It was, of course, a very entertaining program...
In observation of this month’s celebration of Walt’s visionary ideas about space, progress, and the wonders of the future, we share a conversation on that subject between two remarkable Disney aficionados and Walt Disney Imagineers, Vanessa Hunt (a Founding Member of The Walt Disney Family Museum) and Tony Baxter (a friend and frequent advisor of our museum).
For years, two of the most authoritative Disney Historians on the web were Jim Korkis and Wade Sampson. Then, in 2010, a huge secret was revealed—the two were actually one!
Each month, we’ll introduce you to one of our Members, so you can see the varied and frequently fascinating people, who have come together to learn and experience more about the life, work, philosophies, and ideals of Walt Disney. This month, we'd like you to meet Sheri Dirden.
One of the many treasures to be found in the galleries of The Walt Disney Family Museum is the breathtaking model of Disneyland. The model is officially named the "The Disneyland of Walt's Imagination," and represents the park with attractions that existed or were in development during Walt's lifetime...
On July 16 and 17, The Walt Disney Family Museum was filled with the vibrant, ragtime stylings of Rod Miller, Disneyland's first and only full-time pianist. For nearly four decades, Rod charmed guests of Disneyland with his innovative talent and delightful personality.