Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers in Disney's Saving Mr. Banks

Avi, Irvine, California

Yes, those fascinating tapes covering about 6 1/2 hours of the story meetings, are in the Walt Disney Archives.

movie still of Tom Hanks at Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks

Avi, Irvine, California

The concept artwork reproduced for Saving Mr. Banks was originally created between 1960 and 1963. Included were costume sketches and set drawings done by Tony Walton in 1963, along with storyboard sketches and artwork done by a variety of artists throughout the film’s development. The filmmakers did indeed check out the artwork.

Nick, Woodland, California

Uncle Scrooge is a Disney character. Carl Barks was hired by Western Publishing Co. to write and draw some of the Disney comics they produced under license from Disney. It was while doing Donald Duck comics that he introduced Uncle Scrooge.

Disneyland and Epcot Center Attractions Dreamfinder and Figment

Paul, Apopka, Florida

For your answer, I turned to Steven Vagnini in the Archives, who has long been an expert on the attraction: “The characters that would become Dreamfinder and Figment originated as Professor Marvel and his dragon friend for a proposed, but never realized, area of Disneyland known as Discovery Bay. When that project was canceled, the characters became …

Leslie, Burlington, Vermont

Your second cel is from Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983). During the 1970s and 1980s, when these films were made, Disney was selling cels through art dealers throughout the country. The initials “WM” stand for Wendall Mohler, who was one of the Disney executives in charge of the cel sale program. You can check eBay to …

Larry, Thousand Oaks, California

The original version of the show that ran at the New York World’s Fair is the one that was brought to Disneyland, where it opened in July 1965. It was a duplicate Audio-Animatronics® Lincoln because the original one was still running at the fair. The show continued until it was replaced by The Walt Disney …

Isaac, Avondale Estates, Georgia

Walt Disney lost the rights to Oswald before any Mickey Mouse cartoons could be released. But you will find both characters in the recent Disney Epic Mickey games.

Justin, Appling, Georgia

I recall some scenes from the 1992 Chaplin film were shot at the studio. It was one of the last films to shoot on the studio’s old business street.

Keith, Port Orchard, Washington

This has been suggested many times; perhaps someday we shall see it.

Jim, Auburn, Massachusetts

There were several structures and interesting items found throughout the property that would later become Walt Disney World. On my Spring 1971 trip to the construction site, I was shown perhaps the most unusual item discovered: the “lawnmower tree,” still located at Fort Wilderness near the Wilderness Trading Post and Marina. A manual lawnmower was …