Field Trips

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The Magic of Animation: Zoetrope

Cost
$10 students | $12 teachers
Date
Available by reservation
On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
Year
2024
Location
Learning Center
Ages
Grades 1‑3

Before flips books, stop-motion films, and computer animated movies, zoetropes were created as a form of animation technology from the early 1800s. A zoetrope is a device that produces the illusion of motion through a sequence of drawings. In this workshop, students will learn about the early forms of animation, illustrate their own drawings, and watch them come to life when seen through the zoetrope!

Virtual and On-site School Experiences

Our new Virtual and On-site Workshop offerings are activity-based, and available in either a one- or two-hour class. The two-hour session is more comprehensive and allows students more time to work on their projects.

Virtual School Experiences occur online through Zoom. Students are required to have an internet connection, camera, and microphone in order to communicate with the class.

On-site School Experiences combine a gallery tour and one of our hands-on workshops, allowing students to be creative while exploring Walt Disney’s life and work in meaningful ways. School Experiences appeal to a variety of learning styles and align with the Common Core State Standards.

Reservations

Registration for the 2022–2023 academic year is now open. Book a School Experience with us by contacting Natalie Chan, School and Outreach Coordinator, at nchan@wdfmuseum.org. We will schedule your experience, and send the invoice at a later date. Please book your experience with us at least two weeks in advance.

Admission Waivers

Scholarships are available for Title I schools. Please indicate your Title I status on your registration form.

Accessibility Information

The Walt Disney Family Museum provides accommodating hands-on workshops for students with disabilities or learning differences. Our activities are customized to be inclusive by supporting visual impairments, mobility limitations, autism spectrum disorders, and more. 
 
During The Magic of Storytelling: Zoetrope workshop, students can enhance their hand-drawn animation strips through a variety of sensory tools, including: scented markers, stickers, wax sticks, stamps, and more. 

Other Programs

  • Field Trips Virtual

    Storytelling

    Walt Disney knew that at the heart of every animated film is a well-told story. Join us on this School Experience as we investigate the basics of narrative structure, establishing interesting and dynamic plots, and creating internal and external challenges that can impact a character’s journey. Students will then develop their own short story.
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips Virtual

    Color Theory

    The Ink and Paint Department was an invaluable part of the animation process, especially with the addition of color to animated films. In this School Experience, students will learn about the relationship between colors, and how color theory utilizes both art and science in color mixing to achieve a particular visual effect.
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips Virtual

    Pointillism

    Create fun and unique art pieces with a painting technique involving small dots, patterns, and colored paints. Students will learn about impressionism and gain a basic understanding of color filling, shading, and tints to create a cohesive art piece.
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips Virtual

    Diving into Disney: A Virtual Tour Field Trip

    Benefitting from embedded digital media content, this walk-through the museum brings Walt’s inspirational message to life. Classes learn about his early failures, the art of animation, storytelling principles, and the technological innovations that made classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) possible.
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
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  • Field Trips Virtual

    Storyboarding

    The Walt Disney Studios pioneered storyboarding—an innovative way to convey an artist’s vision and the film’s story for those around them. Join us in this School Experience as we delve into timing, camera angles, camera shots, and how to plan out a visual project in a sequential and visual form. Students will then take on the role of a storyboard artist as they envision their own version of a scene from a script.
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips Virtual

    Character Design

    Walt Disney was a storyteller whose characters captivated audiences through their unique personalities and distinct designs. Students will learn the fundamentals of character design through the use of shape language, silhouette, and personality traits, and uncover the creative process towards developing unique and memorable characters.
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips Virtual

    Background Design

    Background design is an important part of the storytelling process as it helps give context to the narrative by showing the world in which the characters live. Although not the main focus, backgrounds can amplify and fully immerse an audience. We will discuss industry-standard practices as students delve into perspective fundamentals. Students gain an understanding of overlap, depth, and atmospheric perspective, then apply these concepts to design a layered background.
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips Virtual

    Exploring Trains

    How we travel around the world—in trains, cars, planes, and rockets—has evolved exponentially over the past century as new innovations have been developed. Join us as we explore various modes of transportation, and use colors and shapes to create and design our own scenes with two-dimensional trains and railcars.
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips Virtual

    Theme Park Design

    When creating theme parks, designers and architects apply their creative minds and technical ingenuity to design ambitious projects. Students will plan their own innovative theme parks using creative thinking, problem solving, and teamwork. They will create their theme park’s rides, shows, food options, and more all within their provided budget, and see if they can run a successful park!
    Available by reservation
    Virtual: Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm PST
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips

    Paper Cut-Out Animation

    Before the use of cels, paper cut-out figures were a common form of animation. Join us as we create paper creations with simple shapes and designs using construction paper and glue, then animate our creations to make our own silent stop-motion short films.
    Available by reservation
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips

    Multiplane Animation

    Discover how Walt Disney encouraged his staff to experiment with special effects technology to make animation more compelling and realistic, and how the resulting advancements inspired the industry as a whole. Students will experiment with a miniature multiplane set up—focusing on design elements that will explore how depth is created in animation—then animate their own characters and props to create a silent stop-motion short film.
    Available by reservation
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
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  • Field Trips

    Hand-Drawn Animation

    Animators often start their journey with a piece of paper, a pencil, and their own imagination. We will explore the traditional practices and principles of hand-drawn animation. With a few simple techniques, students will bring their drawings to life in the same way that animators in the 1930s did.
    Available by reservation
    On-site: Wed–Fri, 10am–2pm
    Read More