The Walt Disney Family Museum
Encyclopedia
The Walt Disney Family Museum is an American museum that features the life and legacy of Walt Disney
. The museum is located in The Presidio of San Francisco
, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
in San Francisco. The Museum retrofitted and expanded three existing historic buildings on the Presidio’s Main Post. The principal building, at 104 Montgomery Street, faces the Parade Ground, and opened on October 1, 2009.
The Walt Disney Family Museum, LLC is owned, operated and funded by the Walt Disney Family Foundation, a non-profit organization established by Disney's heirs (including Diane Marie Disney
, co-founder of the Museum). It is not formally associated with The Walt Disney Company
, the media and entertainment enterprise. Museum co-founders are Diane Disney Miller, Walter E.D. Miller, and Joanna Miller Runeare; executive director is Richard Benefield.
and many Academy Awards
.
There are ten permanent galleries:
.
is on diplay.
Pinocchio
, Fantasia
and Bambi
. Disney builds a new studio in Burbank.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
.
Artifacts on display include Walt's original 1/8 scale Lilly Belle train (formerly on display at the Disneyland Railroad
's Main Street Station), a series of still drawings demonstrating one-minute footage of Steamboat Willie
and an underwater camera used for filming 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
. An early conceptual scale model of Disneyland is another feature.
"Given the heritage of the place, you expect to see a ride at the Walt Disney Family Museum . . . And in a way, there is one, since the museum does just what Disney thought a ride should do when he created Disneyland more than half a century ago: it tells a story. And while the museum is almost leisurely in relating its narrative, only here and there veering into uncharted terrain, and while children will quickly pass by many sections that will fascinate their elders, there are more than enough thrills for everyone."
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
. The museum is located in The Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...
in San Francisco. The Museum retrofitted and expanded three existing historic buildings on the Presidio’s Main Post. The principal building, at 104 Montgomery Street, faces the Parade Ground, and opened on October 1, 2009.
The Walt Disney Family Museum, LLC is owned, operated and funded by the Walt Disney Family Foundation, a non-profit organization established by Disney's heirs (including Diane Marie Disney
Diane Marie Disney
Diane Disney Miller is the elder daughter of Walt Disney and his wife Lillian Bounds Disney. She had a younger sister, Sharon Mae Disney, who was adopted by the Disneys in 1936, and who died in 1993. She and her husband, Ron W. Miller, have seven children.Ron W...
, co-founder of the Museum). It is not formally associated with The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, the media and entertainment enterprise. Museum co-founders are Diane Disney Miller, Walter E.D. Miller, and Joanna Miller Runeare; executive director is Richard Benefield.
Exhibits
Exhibits in the museum focus on Walt Disney's life and career. The lobby displays 248 awards that Disney won during his career, including the Presidential Medal of FreedomPresidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
and many Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
.
There are ten permanent galleries:
1. Beginnings
Material on Disney's ancestors, childhood and early adulthood. Included are early cartoon drawings and a replica of the ambulance he drove in France after World War I. The beginnings of his animation career are explained.2. Hollywood
Disney's California partnership with his brother Roy led to the success of Mickey MouseMickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
.
3. New Horizons in the 1930s.
Disney's success led to fame and significant improvement in animation techniques.4. The move to features
Original art from the production of Snow White and the Seven DwarfsSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
is on diplay.
5. "We were in a new business"
Additional animated features follow, includingPinocchio
Pinocchio (1940 film)
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by...
, Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
and Bambi
Bambi
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
. Disney builds a new studio in Burbank.
7. Postwar production
Disney moves into live action feature films, including20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 adventure film starring Kirk Douglas as Ned Land, James Mason as Captain Nemo, Paul Lukas as Professor Pierre Aronnax, and Peter Lorre as Conseil. It was the first science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Productions, as well as the only science-fiction...
.
9. The 1950s + 1960s: The big screen and beyond
Disney branches out into television and theme parks.10. December 15, 1966
Worldwide response to Disney's death and his legacy.Artifacts on display include Walt's original 1/8 scale Lilly Belle train (formerly on display at the Disneyland Railroad
Disneyland Railroad
The Disneyland Railroad , originally the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a narrow gauge railroad at Disneyland, Anaheim, California, United States, that was inaugurated on the park's live television preview on July 17, 1955. This live steam railway was constructed for $240,000; each of the...
's Main Street Station), a series of still drawings demonstrating one-minute footage of Steamboat Willie
Steamboat Willie
Steamboat Willie is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black-and-white by The Walt Disney Studio and released by Celebrity Productions. The cartoon is considered the debut of Mickey Mouse, and as his girlfriend Minnie, but the characters...
and an underwater camera used for filming 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 adventure film starring Kirk Douglas as Ned Land, James Mason as Captain Nemo, Paul Lukas as Professor Pierre Aronnax, and Peter Lorre as Conseil. It was the first science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Productions, as well as the only science-fiction...
. An early conceptual scale model of Disneyland is another feature.
Critical reception
"It's a collection of ideas and documents, a diverse array of archival, filmic, and pop-cultural texts that historicizes Disney's work and compels us to think twice about how we appraise it. The museum energizes the fascinatingly charged scholarly debate that the Disney phenomenon has provoked, shaking the worn, staid, sometimes cynical images we have of Disney and his empire, bringing to them renewed color and motion.""Given the heritage of the place, you expect to see a ride at the Walt Disney Family Museum . . . And in a way, there is one, since the museum does just what Disney thought a ride should do when he created Disneyland more than half a century ago: it tells a story. And while the museum is almost leisurely in relating its narrative, only here and there veering into uncharted terrain, and while children will quickly pass by many sections that will fascinate their elders, there are more than enough thrills for everyone."