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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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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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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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 …
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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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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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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 …
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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 …
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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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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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