10th Anniversary Celebration

For over a decade, Diane Disney Miller, Walt's daughter, considered how best to memorialize her father’s life story. Many people in her life suggested she write a book, but Diane finally decided that a museum would be the most fitting way to tell her father’s story. She felt that an interactive, innovative space—as opposed to a book—seemed more appropriate for her father, who was both an entertainer and an innovator.  

Though the museum has welcomed visitors since October 1, 2009, one of the questions we’re asked most frequently by guests remains: “Why is the museum here?” Why San Francisco and not one of the cities one thinks of when hearing the name “Disney,” like Burbank or Anaheim? 

Often, visitors wonder if Walt had a personal connection to San Francisco. Though he did visit a few times, and though there are threads of Walt’s story that intersect with the Bay Area, The Walt Disney Family Museum isn’t here because of Walt—it’s here, primarily, because of his daughter, Diane Disney Miller, the museum’s co-founder. She and her husband Ron Miller moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1980s. They even founded Silverado Winery, just north of Napa, on land Lillian Disney, Walt’s wife, had purchased.

For over a decade, Diane considered how best to memorialize her father’s life story. Many people in her life suggested she write a book, but Diane finally decided that a museum would be the most fitting way to tell her father’s story. She felt that an interactive, innovative space—as opposed to a book—seemed more appropriate for her father, who was both an entertainer and an innovator.