The Enduring Legacy of Zorro

With the Hispanic Heritage month soon coming to a close, it marks another important milestone: the 65th anniversary of Disney’s Zorro. Discover the power of representation in storytelling and how Zorro left a lasting mark on fans well after its premiere in 1957.

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We’ve Just Begun to Dream!

Just as Magic Kingdom Park, and all of Walt Disney World Resort, had beforehand, EPCOT Center (now known as EPCOT) opened its gates on October 1.

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From Puffins to Porgs

Creature paint finish designer Henrik Svensson painted this Porg color test during the production of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). Check out our latest Spotlight article for a closer look at these adorable creatures!

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Destination D23–50 Years of Bringing Home the Magic

For 50 years guests have been visiting the “Vacation Kingdom of the World,” making memories to last a lifetime. With the Walt Disney Archives being founded in 1970, the year before Walt Disney World Resort opened, founder and Disney Legend Dave Smith knew how significant the opening of the resort would be for the Company …

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WDA - Beauty And The Beast

Beauty and the Beast at 30: From Production to Classic

By Katie Strobel, Walt Disney Archives 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the 30th full-length animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios: Beauty and the Beast. Produced by Don Hahn and directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, let’s take a look back at how this enchanting story of love and inner beauty became a …

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Graceland Exhibition Center

Inside the Walt Disney Archives – Graceland Exhibition Center

For nearly a century, The Walt Disney Company has created timeless family entertainment that has touched the hearts of generations the world over, encouraging us all to smile, sing, and even shed a tear. This tale began in 1923, when Walt Disney arrived in Hollywood. Over the next four decades, this one-of-a-kind storyteller introduced the …

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Full House

“We’re Going to Walt Disney World”: Full House

By Matt Moryc, Walt Disney Archives If you grew up watching television in the 1980s and ‘90s, there is an objective argument to be made that some of the greatest family sitcoms of all time were produced during this era. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) was at the forefront of this golden age of adolescent …

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The X-Files

20th Century Fox “Spooktacular” – 1990s: The X-Files

By Christina Pappous, Walt Disney Archives Halloween is here at last! We are ready to don our festive costumes and fill up our Trick-or-Treat bags with delicious candy. But first, let’s glean a little investigative inspiration from the final installment of our 20th Century Fox “Spooktacular.” We are hot on the case of The X-Files, …

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High-Flying Heritage

High-Flying Heritage: A Walt Disney World Moment 50 Years in the Making

By Becky Cline and Kevin M. Kern, Walt Disney Archives Every now and then, we here in the Archives have the honor of spotlighting historical materials so unique from our collection that the objects themselves seem to transcend matters of just Disney history and cross over into a realm documenting a wider moment from popular …

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predator

20th Century Fox “Spooktacular” – 1980s: Predator

By Christina Pappous, Walt Disney Archives This film is for mature audiences. Halloween is just a couple weeks away and with it, all manner of spooky, scary creatures have begun haunting us… Among these ghouls and goblins, there may be a particularly scary creature lurking in the shadows of the jungle. Get to the chopper …

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archives walt disney world

50 Years of The Vacation Kingdom of the World

By Francesca Scrimgeour, Walt Disney Archives With the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World underway, what better way to celebrate than by looking back at the grand opening celebration of the Magic Kingdom Park? After the success of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, Walt Disney recognized the impact an East Coast theme park and …

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