By Courtney Potter
The illustrious Walt Disney Archives—which has collected, preserved, and showcased Disney history for over half a century—is throwing open its historic doors in a whole new way at this year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa® with Walt Disney Archives: Uncrated!
This exhibit welcomes daring and intrepid fans to uncover an unforgettable journey into the vast and hidden warehouses of the Walt Disney Archives—spaces previously reserved for access by Disney archivists, alone. Guests will have the chance to explore themed displays featuring shipments of iconic props, costumes, and even puppets from beloved films, television series, and theme parks, which span the impressive history of The Walt Disney Company.
Additionally, a brand-new, first-time-ever live stage moment—presented four times daily, at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m.—will feature a live unboxing or uncrating of an archival treasure! And in select presentations, guests will get to help choose which mystery box will be opened next. Each reveal uncovers a surprise from the Walt Disney Archives collection, showcasing rarely seen artifacts ranging from the newest acquisitions to beloved fan favorites and treasured pieces of Disney history.
Join Walt Disney Archives staff as they share fun facts and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, offering a unique look at how each artifact became part of the collection. With a new surprise in every container, no two presentations are the same… and you never know what piece of Disney history might be revealed next.
All told, there’ll be over 200 objects on display—the largest number of objects ever featured by the Walt Disney Archives at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event!
“We’ve been working so hard on this exhibition—I hope you’ll love it as much as we do,” said Becky Cline, director, Walt Disney Archives, during the weekend’s media preview on Thursday night. “One of the things that I get asked all the time is, ‘Where do you keep everything? What does it look like? Can we go to your warehouse and see it all?’ Because people envision this enormous space—and sure, we have great warehouse space. To be honest, it looks a little bit like the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, with rows and rows of crates… We can’t tell you where it is, we can’t take you there, but we thought this time we’d bring it to you and let you see what it’s like behind the scenes at the Walt Disney Archives warehouses.”
The exhibit is divided into several themed areas:
In Delivery, guests will find items from sitcoms including Dinosaurs (TV, 1991–1994), Fresh off the Boat (TV, 2015–2020), Glee (TV, 2009–2015), How I Met Your Mother (TV, 2005–2014), New Girl (TV, 2011–2018), and Ugly Betty (TV, 2006–2010).
In Receiving & Processing, which focuses on fashion, look for objects from the likes of 101 Dalmatians (1996), 102 Dalmatians (2000), Cruella (2021), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026), Hannah Montana (TV, 2006–2009), High School Musical (TV, 2006), and High School Musical 2 (TV, 2007).
In Object Storage—which looks at the world of sci fi, as well as the fan-favorite Muppets!—guests can feast their eyes on items from The Muppet Movie (1979), The Muppet Show (1976–1981), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Muppet*Vision 3D (1991); The Black Hole (1979), Captain EO (1986), Flubber (1997), I, Robot (2004), Inspector Gadget (1999), Tron (1982), Tron: Legacy (2010), Tron: Ares (2025), and Star Tours (1987).
And in Magical Containment, featured titles include Aladdin (2019), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Enchanted (2007), The Great Movie Ride (1989), Maleficent (2014), Mary Poppins (1964), Night at the Museum (2014), and Once Upon a Time (TV, 2011–2018).
As Cline explained to D23, “The very first asset that I collected for the Archives is the King Arthur Excalibur Sword, which is in the ‘Magical Containment’ room. It’s not the most exciting of all of them, but that was the very first thing that I collected for the Archives… In the early days, we didn’t have a lot of space to store anything. [Walt Disney Archives founder and Disney Legend] Dave Smith just took things, but only really small things—and we had one rack of costumes in the Archives! And so we started a true collections department, and started searching for things. A colleague who was with The Walt Disney Studios at the time, called me and said, ‘You’re gathering bigger items, right?’ And I said yes! He said, ‘Well, I have something I want to bring you…’ And he brought Excalibur down, in its sheath. So that’s probably my sentimental favorite.”
If you’re attending D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event over these next three days, don’t miss Walt Disney Archives: Uncrated—located in Hall D at the Anaheim Convention Center!