Storyboard

Wishing you a [name of dwarf] holiday season from The Walt Disney Family Museum.

This month’s Quintessential Classic takes a look at a Holiday Tradition that Walt Disney established during Disneyland’s first Christmas Celebration in 1955, participated in each year during his lifetime, and that continues to be a highlight of the Park’s holiday celebration today... The Disneyland Christmas Parade!

There are two popular Montgomery Streets in the city we call home—one in the Financial District across town, and the other here, in the Presidio. With the Golden Gate Bridge to the west, Crissy Field to the north, and the City to the east, The Walt Disney Family Museum is housed in a restored 1890s army barrack on the Main Post in the historic Presidio, which was once the U.S. Army's premier West Coast base (and was later decommissioned in 1989 and transfered to the National Park Service). With the holidays quickly approaching, we are happy to have the Presidio Trust pen for us a little historical background on the ceremonial tree lighting, which has been a decades-old tradition here in our beautiful Presidio of San Francisco. 

In the spring of 2009, The Walt Disney Family Museum approached veteran filmmaker Don Hahn (whose credits include The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast) with a proposal to create a film that would celebrate the holidays through the eyes of Walt Disney. Under the direction of the Walt Disney Family Foundation, the genesis of this idea became Christmas with Walt, an enchanting fifty-one minute film exclusive to the Museum during the holiday season.

For many of us, this is the one time of year when we don’t mind the daily visit to the mailbox. Amidst the junk mail and bills that still find their way to our homes are true postal gems...

On Friday, December 2, members of The Walt Disney Family Museum enjoyed the exclusive Members Holiday Party. The Museum galleries were open late for Members and their families and friends to enjoy. Famed Disneyland pianist Rod Miller played jolly Disney tunes in the Lobby, a caricature artist created portraits...

How could such a man really exist? In a way, there is a prevailing doubt that is pretty easy to understand. No one man could have given so much to the world, so consistently, and over so much time. No one man could have that huge a creative spirit. No one man could have that kind of vision for the future...

In celebration of our special exhibit, we asked YOU to design, draw, sketch, paint, or create YOUR very own holiday card to send to us. As all the holiday cards in our special exhibition are seen as a reflection of each artist’s distinct creative and artistic style that made them a Disney Studio great...

"Disney Artists' Holiday Wishes," a special collection of personal Holiday Greeting Cards—created by Disney Studio animators, comic strip artists, story men, a "Mooseketeer," and even the creator of the voice of Donald Duck—is our special holiday exhibition, and will run through December 31 this year. The delightful holiday exhibit features more than 50 hand-drawn cards, created from 1937-1970, by many of the most creative and well-known Disney talent. Today, we'd like to highlight the WDFM's Collections department's favorite cards, those from animator John Lounsbery!

“And now comes Christmas, when merchandise as Christmas gifts can be sold in large quantities. What would be more acceptable than a ‘Mickey Mouse’ gift?”