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New Walt Disney museum to debut in San Francisco this fall

By Robert Niles
Published: April 1, 2009 at 10:09 AM
The Walt Disney Family Foundation this fall will open a new museum dedicated to Walt's life and work. But the museum won't be in one of the Disney company's theme parks - it will be in the Presidio complex in San Francisco.

From the press release [PDF}:

The stories of Disney’s life, creativity, family, and the processes and innovations he brought to his art will be told through a series of ten galleries. Highlights of the Museum will include:
• Drawings Disney made in his youth
• Drawings and cartoons from Laugh-O-gram Films, Disney’s first company
• Early drawings of Mickey Mouse
• Storyboards, a Disney innovation that mapped out timeless film classics
• The technically innovative Multiplane Camera that brought vibrancy and depth to his revolutionary feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• The unique Snow White Academy Award®, which included a full-size Oscar® and seven miniature castings
• The narrow-gauge Lilly Belle train he built for his Hollywood home, which recalled his youth and helped spur his vision for Disneyland
• A model of the Disneyland of Walt’s imagination

Throughout the exhibits, visitors will find rare film clips, concept art, scripts, musical scores, and cameras that Disney and his staff used in creating his characters and films.

How much of this is redundant to Walt Disney: One Man's Dream at Disney's Hollywood Studios and its predecessor, the old Walt Disney Story at Disneyland, I don't know. Perhaps this museum just will manage to provide a home for this story and these exhibits outside of the parks, where they were under pressure constantly from new attractions, shops or whatever else the parks need to put in to keep the turnstiles moving and cash registers chirping.

There is also a page on the Disney website dedicated to the new museum, though without much information as of this morning.

Readers' Opinions

From Doug Kelley on April 1, 2009 at 10:58 AM
There was an article about Diane's museum in a past issue of E-Ticket. I'm glad she found funding and a location.
From Anthony Murphy on April 1, 2009 at 2:01 PM
I am suprised that Disney is not making its own (combining One Man's Dream, Disney Story, etc). In Twenty Three Magazine (D23 one!), there is an article on Disney's Archives where Mary Poppin's Snowglobe sits along with other Disney props. I think they could make a fortune by displaying them in a museam as well.


While I really would not be able to see it, but it should be in California.

From TH Creative on April 1, 2009 at 7:31 PM
The buzz on the net is that a crowd of Cedar Point maniacs plan to block the museum entrance and divert the crowd to a statue honoring the Maverick rollercoaster.
From Rob P on April 2, 2009 at 5:29 AM
Sounds really good but a rather odd choice of venue.

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