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 …
See more
By the D23 Team This week, we’re celebrating the Walt Disney Archives’ 50th anniversary with exclusive videos and articles—and now we want to bring our celebration to your phones! These three phone wallpapers celebrate some of our favorite historical items found in the Walt Disney Archives, including prop storybooks, Disney parks attraction figures, and incredible …
See more
By Kelsey Williams, Walt Disney Archives Come in, D23. Disney’s take on the iconic fedora-clad detective, Dick Tracy, hit big screens on June 15, 1990. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Touchstone release, we’ve put together a lineup of some of our favorite historical objects related to the film from the Walt Disney Archives …
See more
June is a special month for our friends at the Walt Disney Archives—June 22 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Archives’ founding! We’re throwing a celebration for this milestone anniversary, including a very special debut—the premiere of the new documentary Adventure Thru the Walt Disney Archives, which celebrates the lasting legacy of the Archives …
See more
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, …
See more
By Rick Lorentz, Walt Disney Archives As an Archivist at the Walt Disney Archives, I’m often asked, “What is your favorite thing in the Archives?” and “What is the oldest object in the Archives?” For me, the most interesting pieces are the assets that were once the personal property of Walt Disney. One example that …
See more
By Robert Maxhimer, Walt Disney Archives One of the greatest benefits of developing and producing exhibitions for the Walt Disney Archives is having access to the seemingly endless resources from the rich and timeless history of The Walt Disney Company’s last 97 years. In fact, one of our greatest challenges in curating exhibitions is how …
See more
By Kevin Kern, Walt Disney Archives One of the more unique pieces found in the collections of the Walt Disney Archives represents a rather “out of the box” aspect of our operation… our Guest Book! Since being founded in 1970, we’ve had quite an array of special guests stop by to take a peek at …
See more
By Becky Cline, Director, Walt Disney Archives Please join us on May 1 for the debut of Prop Culture on Disney+. We have been working with the very talented and passionate crew of the show for more than a year and can’t wait to share it with you, our fans! You’ll see some of Disney’s …
See more
By Max Lark A fascinating slice of cinematic history is currently on view in the Walt Disney Archives showcases in the main lobby of the Frank G. Wells Building at The Walt Disney Studios. This must-see exhibition (which D23 Gold Members can see in person during our official tours of The Walt Disney Studios lot) …
See more
By Max Lark and Karina Schink The fabled Walt Disney Archives, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, has once again curated an exhibit for the D23 Expo, one that presents more than 70 spectacular costumes, from Mary Poppins to this summer’s Aladdin. The exhibit provides dazzling proof that when it comes to Disney …
See more
By Jim Frye “I honestly can’t remember why we kept most of this stuff to begin with,” says a grown-up Michael Banks, as he sifts through long-forgotten keepsakes in Mary Poppins Returns. He pauses to look at an old snow globe, dried out and bruised with age, but fans of the original film immediately identified …
See more
By Becky Cline One of the first formal portraits of Mickey Mouse was painted by Disney Legend John Hench for a very special event—a tribute to the character’s 21st birthday that was published in a major article featured in Collier’s magazine on April 9, 1949. But it was in 1953 that the tradition of an …
See more
