mary poppins

Mary Poppins Takes a Break

In between making movie magic for Mary Poppins (1964), Julie Andrews catches up on the news as co-star and fellow Disney Legend Karen Dotrice is entranced by the Audio-Animatronics® figure of a robin, whose control wires were hidden under Ms. Andrews’ sleeve.

See more
the incredible journey

The Incredible Journey Stars

The Incredible Journey (1963) chronicles 200-mile trek across the wilderness of Canada by three inseparable animal friends in search of their beloved owners. Dog actors Muffey and Rink were teamed up with a Siamese cat named Tao, played by Syn the cat, who would later return to Disney as the title role in That Darn …

See more
disneyland letter

Child Letter to Walt

Disneyland Park’s Opening Day on July 17, 1955 was a by-invitation-only event, but the invitations were counterfeited and thousands of uninvited people attended. To our knowledge, none of them ever apologized, unlike this young man, an early guest who took the time not only to write Walt Disney but also to pay— literally—for his transgression.

See more
frontierland

Station Wagon in Frontierland

Wagon trains were a part of the Old West but a station wagon? This humorously incongruous photo was snapped at the entrance to Frontierland at Disneyland—probably one early morning before the Park opened for the day—for some forgotten reason in 1961.

See more
mickey mouse disco

Mickey Mouse Disco

A dance-themed concept album released by Disneyland Records (now Walt Disney Records) in 1979, Mickey Mouse Disco featured disco-fied versions of Disney classics and Disney-fied versions of disco classics. This hip album was a solid hit, going double platinum by selling more than two million copies in the United States alone, and led to a …

See more
mary poppins walt disney

Mary Poppins and Walt Disney Tea Time

Utilizing the table and chairs from the Jolly Holiday sequence in Mary Poppins (1964), Disney Legend Julie Andrews pours a cupful for the gentleman who brought the fantastically popular musical fantasy to the screen. Thanks to Walt Disney’s vision in casting the Broadway star ad the enchanting nanny in her film debut—for which Julie won …

See more
walt portrait

Walt’s “Best Photo Ever Taken”

In 1961, Walt Disney visited the headquarters of Eastman Kodak—one of the sponsors of the Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color TV series, which premiered that same year—in Rochester, New York. While there, Walt had his official portrait taken by top Kodak photographer Neil Montanus. The result was one of the most famous photos of …

See more
walt and dog

Walt Takes a Nap in Europe

Walt and his wife, Lillian, sailed for Europe aboard the S.S. United States in fall 1957 for an extensive vacation that took them to such cities as London, Venice, Munich, and Barcelona. During an outing, animal-lover Walt decided to let sleeping dogs lie and take a catnap alongside a slumbering pooch.

See more
opening day disneyland

Kids Racing through Sleeping Beauty Castle

July 17, 1955: As the Sleeping Beauty Castle drawbridge lowered for the first time on Opening Day of Disneyland Park, the first group of youngsters to enter Fantasyland, mostly Sunday school and church group children from Anaheim, raced through the portals and into the realm of Disneyland dreams-come-true.

See more
walt and roy

Walt and Roy with Academy Award®

At the Academy Awards ceremony on November 18, 1932—coincidentally Mickey’s fourth birthday—Walt Disney was honored with a special Academy Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse. That same night, the Silly Symphony Flowers and Trees took home the Academy Award for Best Cartoon Short Subject, the first ever awarded in that category.

See more