The Walt Disney Family Museum
*Disclosure: I received an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for the coverage of several press events for Disney, Pixar and Google. All opinions are 100% my own.
From humble beginnings Walt Disney himself was a hardworking man that knew what he wanted and was willing to put for the effort to make it happen. During my recent trip to San Francisco we visited The Presidio area of San Francisco and nestled in there was a magical experience. The Walt Disney Family Museum is an amazing place to visit which is full of rich history, amazing sketches, drawings, movies and so much more. The minute you walk in the door you are surrounded in an environment like no other. Just like all things Disney you can feel the magic!
The museum was divided into several rooms throughout the tour and each room told a very unique story. Which was the story of Walt Disney himself as a young boy all the way up until his death. As with anyone’s life he went through hard times, good times and of course obstacles but in the end he conquered it all and dreamed up the impossible.
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.~Walt Disney
From Oscars for the beloved Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the Presidential Medal of Freedom and distinguished service awards Walt Disney received several throughout his lifetime. There are several on display in the museum and then you are swept away to the galleries that tell the story of Walt’s life.
Starting as young as a baby and young boy starting in Marceline, Missouri clear until the end the museum takes you on a magical journey to see how far Walt Disney really did travel. The museum was broken down into the following rooms:
The Beginning focused around the beginning of his life from a baby in Chicago, Illinois to the small town of Marceline, Missouri and then onto Kansas City, Missouri. But the failing of Laugh-o-Grams Films was really where it all began, where he left for Hollywood with only $40 to his name.
Hollywood came next where Walt Disney moved in 1923 and where Disney Brothers Studios was born. Walt was married and Steamboat Willie was born and history kept progressing throughout the years.
New Horizons tells all about the end of the Disney Brothers Studios as well as the birth of The Walt Disney Studios. Life is an every changing book for everyone and we all have to embrace those changes in order to be successful.
The Move To Features was all about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the time period surrounding that success. It was amazing to see the original art, of such a classic Disney film.
New Success and Greater Ambitions featured such films as Bambi, Pinocchio and of course Fantasia. Which might have been my absolute time frame just because they are the ones that I grew up watching.
The Late 30’s and Early 40’s during this time period Walt lost family members, beloved workers and even more but in the end he persevered and Dumbo was born.
Post War Rebuilding included Treasure Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but my personal favorite was Walt’s personal collections of miniature items. In all my years of loving Walt Disney I never knew he collected miniature items.
Walt and the Natural World is where we saw the amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge and of course some real life things that Walt himself used in productions.
The 1950’s and 1960’s was probably my favorite room in the entire museum if I had to pick just one. It included things such as the full life scale of Disneyland, the full scale railroad that was once at Walt’s home on Woking Way in Los Angeles and so much more! I even shed more than a few happy tears in this room because it was truly magical.
Remembering Walt was where I cried because it felt like the world had lost a friend. Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966 and the news broadcast still plays in the museum today. I’ve idolized Walt Disney for as long as I can remember but my true love was started in the 4th grade. But the museum tour couldn’t have ended a better way. Even though I was sad, I was happy at the same time and only “Walt Disney’s magic can truly bring that to life.”
This museum is truly a magical place with so much to see and do that everyone should visit at least once. My only regret is not spending more time in this rich environment. But there was so much to see and do that you could visit several times over and never see it all. After shedding a few tears of the greatness and feeling the sadness, excitement and so much more while visiting the museum. Visiting this museum is as magical as the other Disney locations and something everyone should experience for themselves.
