archives disneyland parades

Seasons of Sunshine at Disneyland

By Julia Vargas, Walt Disney Archives Warm weather and sunshine have always been a cause for celebration, especially at Disneyland. Over the years, numerous parades and events have been held at the Park during the spring and summer months for Guests to enjoy. One long–running tradition held at the Park was the “Old Fashioned Easter …

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flying dutchman

Pirates of the Caribbean Flying Dutchman models

By Rick Lorentz, Walt Disney Archives These Flying Dutchman models help showcase the amount of time and detail that went into creating the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Each model is like a “work of art,” combining early artist renderings, concept art, production notes, and real historical ships into one finely detailed final product. The …

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Walt with animator models

Walt Disney and the Creation of the Character Model Department

By Nikki Nguyen, Walt Disney Archives Disney animators have been bringing characters to life for decades, skillfully using various mediums to create exciting, immersive worlds with fully-developed characters that generations of fans have grown to love. Let’s take a peek at how Walt Disney created a department to help animators better conceptualize what would become …

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Cinderella Glass Slippers

Cinderella Live-Action Glass Slipper

By Rick Lorentz, Walt Disney Archives Perhaps the most iconic shoes in fairy tale history are the sparkling glass slippers worn by Cinderella. As a repository dedicated to preserving the most memorable costumes from Disney films, we always assumed that the shiny slippers would never be a part of our collection—they only existed as the …

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Summer Magic

Summer Magic: Saving a Cinematic Relic on the Disney Backlot

By Rick Lorentz, Walt Disney Archives Acquiring objects for the multiple collections of the Walt Disney Archives may take one of many routes. Typically, television and film productions will offer props and costumes to the Archives once a production has wrapped. If an attraction undergoes refurbishment or permanently closes, Disney Parks and Resorts will receive …

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love simon

With PRIDE: The Props of Love, Simon

By Jennifer Vanoni, Walt Disney Archives Love, Simon is a charming adaptation, notable as the first film by a major Hollywood studio to focus on a gay teenage romance. The film features a diverse cast and fun, everyday film props. Nerdy side-note: Alexandra Shipp plays Abby, one of Simon’s best friends in the film and …

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Donald Duck

Donald Duck, Model Citizen

By Becky Cline, Director, Walt Disney Archives Universally acclaimed and internationally adored for his often-explosive qualities, Donald Duck is one of the world’s most famous and beloved personalities. He is also a model United States citizen! A star was hatched with the June 9, 1934, release of Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony The Wise Little Hen, …

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walt disney

Walt’s Woking Way

By Mike Buckhoff, Walt Disney Archives In perhaps the most iconic photo of Walt Disney, Walt stands with a serious gaze out of a doorway as the shadow of his most famous creation reflects off the wall. For many years, the most puzzling aspect of this photo was… where was this taken? Of course, those …

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the greatest showman

The Greatest Showman Concept Art

By Jennifer Vanoni, Walt Disney Archives Rarely does the Archives receive original, hand-drawn art concepts from today’s feature films. The majority of concept art, construction, design and storyboard materials are now created digitally and delivered via download link, hard drive or server. It’s a rare exception that we have the opportunity to unroll full size …

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