WaltDisney.org Search

Joshua Meador (1911-1965) had two careers: he is best known for his special animation effects work at The Walt Disney Studios for nearly 30 years and, away from Disney, he established himself as a major California landscape painter.

Need something to do while you are stuck inside? Take a deeper look into the history of Disneyland with these articles to pass the time.

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.

Which Disney led the studio? It was a partnership. Both Walt and Roy Disney have been described as the spirit of Walt Disney Productions.

In the history of The Walt Disney Studios, animator Fred Moore (1911–1952) is considered among the leading artists who helped originate and define the Disney style, matching appealing design with believable performance. In particular, Moore was instrumental in the evolution of Mickey Mouse as an animated character, and his legacy with the Disney icon’s appearance remains evident today.

Walt Disney assigned Harper Goff to a project known by some as “Disneylandia,” and Goff drew up the little “Mickey Mouse Park” concept art, which inspired the nickname “the Second Imagineer.”

The Disneyland Monorail System is one of many great examples of Walt Disney turning his dreams into reality. As fate would have it, Walt noticed a monorail train on a trip to Germany and immediately envisioned it as the transportation system of the future, and knew he wanted one in his park.

This summer marks the 75th anniversary of Walt Disney and his hand-picked team’s Southern California departure for their “goodwill tour” of South America. The U.S. government was hoping Walt’s presence would help to quell budding Nazi sympathy, while Walt was eager to gather material for future films. By Walt being Walt, he managed to do both.

Each month in our Unusual Suspects series, we examine one character from a classic film or series, which may not shine as brightly as the main characters, but still plays a distinct role in the story. As we celebrate Mickey Mouse throughout March with our Mickey Mouse-a-thon screenings, we take a look at a character whose reputation—and name—precedes him: Mortimer Mouse!

“He popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when the business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb, and disaster seemed right around the corner,” Walt penned in 1948.

Last Saturday, two-time Academy Award®-winning director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) sat before a packed house at The Walt Disney Family Museum and discussed many of the stories Walt Disney adapted for the big screen, along with author and Disney Historian Jeff Kurtti.

In honor of the recent addition of the beautiful Red Cars to Disney California Adventure’s Buena Vista Street, we here at Storyboard would like to take a look back at the different forms of transportation that have been featured in Disneyland throughout the years...

After the success of Snow White, Disney constructed a new, state-of-the-art studio on Buena Vista Street in Burbank, California. One of the first two animated features completed there was a series of animated sequences set to classical music, known early on as The Concert Feature... here's a look at the first cartoon that jumpstarted its creation: The Sorcerer's Apprentice!

In celebration of Halloween today, we are so pleased and honored to have Disney Legend and Imagineer Rolly Crump share with us—exclusively for Storyboard—his story about his involvement with Imagineering The Haunted Mansion, and what it was like to work with Walt Disney!

Tomorrow on December 8, Disney Legend Bob Gurr will be hosting a program at The Walt Disney Family Museum called “Building Disneyland,” highlighting how Walt got things done quickly. So, we here at STORYBOARD would like to share this story about a seldom-discussed Gurr creation that he whipped up in 1957 quickly, and creatively, at Walt’s request.

In 1956, the Mickey Mouse Club Circus folded up its tents for the last time after a very limited run. Its main tent was relocated to the picnic area...