Disney Legend Mary Blair was one of Walt Disney’s finest stylists—a visualizer of characters and worlds—but her work was not self-contained: it added up to something larger: a story. “Walt responded to the storytelling aspect of her pictures,” historian John Canemaker wrote, “especially the underlying emotion palpable in much of her art, even when veering toward abstraction…. Many paintings are self-portraits of her inner feelings.”
Opening more than a half-century ago in 1975, the iconic attraction was first envisioned by Walt Disney more than a decade earlier.
The longtime designer and historian is peeling back the layers of how Walt Disney recruited a distinctive team of artists and set designers to build his 1955 theme park.
In November 1918, a young Walt Disney stepped onto a ship named the Vauban, which was set to take him and his Red Cross Ambulance Corps unit from the United States all the way to France. For a 16-year-old boy who had never traveled farther east than Illinois or farther west than Colorado, this was a sizable adventure; Walt’s journey to France marked his first-ever encounter with the ocean.
70 years after Walt Disney opened his dream park, we take a look at some attractions that have stood the test of time and others that still live in our memories.
Blair’s own niece and the eminent historian were recently at The Walt Disney Family Museum in conjunction with Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic.
55 years after its release, The Aristocats remains the first of its kind as a Disney animated feature made without Walt Disney’s comprehensive involvement. But Walt did make some important contributions to the film before his sudden passing in 1966.
On view mid-August–October 19, 2025
To celebrate the release of our new book, Walt Disney Treasures: Personal Art and Artifacts from The Walt Disney Family Museum, we are displaying rare and unique objects from the collection that are also featured in the book. Some of the artifacts showcased in the book and here have never been seen by the public. These objects will be on view for free in the museum’s Awards Lobby and will rotate periodically through the beginning of 2025. The next installation in this series celebrates the significant contributions of Lillian Disney.
A new personalized decorative window on Main Street, U.S.A. honoring Lillian Disney and her contributions to Disneyland was unveiled in a private ceremony on July 13, 2025—which would have been Walt and Lillian Disney’s 100th wedding anniversary. One of the highest honors at The Walt Disney Company, the tradition of honoring individuals with a window on Main Street, U.S.A. was started by Walt Disney himself and continues today at Disney Parks worldwide.
In recent decades, many children of Walt Disney’s close collaborators have shared cherished memories of growing up at The Walt Disney Studios, wandering the hallways of the Animation Building, and exploring the backlot and soundstages. Others recall the halls and workshops of the WED Enterprises facilities where Audio-Animatronics® figures were brought to life for theme park attractions.