Walt Disney Story Articles

Guests viewed a film about the history of Walt Disney. The film was narrated by Walt himself by using sound clips from various interviews and television spots.

Utilizing rare film footage, photographs from family archives, and a fascinating collection of memorabilia as well as national and international awards, a Disney team of more than 200 designers, technicians, archivists, musicians, writers spent nearly three years developing the attraction.

The central focus of the show, a 28 - minute film tracing the lives of Walt and Roy Disney from their Midwestern boyhood through the tumultuous Hollywood years to eventual international celebrity, is unique.

Assembled from over 70 hours of taped interviews made by Walt Disney during his lifetime and combined with film footage obtained from sources as various as the Motion Picture Department of the Library of Congress and the Los Angeles County Museum, the film literally features Walt Disney telling the Disney story in his own words.

Guests learn of the origin of Mickey Mouse as his creator first envisioned him, hear how the world's first full-length animated feature - "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" -developed and how it was received, share the creative thoughts which led to the development of "Audio-Animatronics" (the electronic process of animating three dimensional figures), and enjoy the optimistic vision Walt Disney had of the future as he speaks of EPCOT, the community ''where people actually live a life they can't find anywhere else in the world."

Prior to entering the motion-picture theater, guests pass through an elaborate exhibit area where individual Disney achievements and accomplishments, are presented in a highly unusual manner.

An array of visual and audio media, including a speeded up film of the creation of Disneyland and a demonstration of the complicated process of combining animation with live actors, is used to single out five important areas of the Disney career: Walt Disney the Film Maker; the TV Pioneer; the Naturalist; the International Ambassador; and the Artist and Impresario

As guests stroll among. the five areas, they will recognize many mementos of the past: Zorro's dashing black cape and shining sword from the early days of television; original Mickey Mouse posters and the earliest Mickey Mouse watches; some of the hundreds of insignias created for American forces during World War II; and original art from such Disney film classics as "Cinderella," Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and "Mary Poppins"

Guests also will see Walt Disney's original office, furnished with authentic pieces during his lifetime, and will have the opportunity to view some of the most significant of the 950 honors, awards, and citations presented to Walt Disney from every nation in the world.

Sign in front said: "From Mickey Mouse To the Magic Kingdoms"

Dedicated by Lilian Disney Walt's wife

We see a display of nostalgic photographs, memorabilia, and awards honoring the accomplishments of Walt Disney. Also on display are Walt's studio offices, recreated with the same items he used for 26 years.

The ''working office'' was used for conferences with directors, writers, artists, and almost anyone involved in creating Disney productions. Walt used his ''formal office'' for appointments with special guests visiting the Disney Studio. Although Walt didn't play the piano himself, several of the Studio songwriters would occasionally stop by to play a tune for him. For instance, Leopold Stokowski played some of the music from Fantasia on this baby grand more that 50 years ago. And in the early 1960's, the Sherman Brothers offered Walt a preview of the Academy Award winning songs from Mary Poppins.

Behind the desk, in the corner of the ''formal office'' are Norman Rockwell portraits of Walt's daughters, with Sharon on the left and Diane on the right. Between these sketchings is a portion of Walt's miniature collection, which is said to have been part of the inspiration behind the attraction, ''It's A Small World''.

In all, more that 960 awards were received during Walt's lifetime, including 51 Academy Award ''Oscars''. Just across from the offices is a special tribute to Walt Disney the naturalist, and his Academy Award winning True-Life Adventure films. Walt had a high regard for education, and many of his films were designed for this purpose. At the far end of the lobby is a brief presentation about Walt's pioneering achievements in animation.