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“The greatest wealth a man may acquire is the wisdom he gains from living. And sometimes, out of the small beginnings, come the forces that shape a whole life.” These words invite visitors of The Walt Disney Family Museum into the main galleries, setting the stage for the story of Walt Disney’s birth and early life and, as Diane Disney Miller has said, “explain the purpose of our museum better than I ever could.” They were written by screenwriter John Tucker Battle, for the opening scene of one of Walt Disney’s favorite films, So Dear to My Heart (1949).

Two years before Mickey Mouse debuted in color in The Band Concert (1935) and several years before his iconic redesign popularized by his turn as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia (1940), he starred in a black-and-white short film that encapsulated where The Walt Disney Studios was in the development of animation as an American art form. Ye Olden Days it was, in more ways than one.

On June 9, 1934, Donald Duck made his first appearance in The Wise Little Hen. Eighty years later, let's salute one of America's most beloved, and "exasperated," ducks!

For more than four months, visitors to the Diane Disney Miller Exhibition Hall have been dazzled by numerous examples of the vivid and unique artistic style of Mary Blair. The inspiration for her style came during the tour that Walt and a group of his artists took of various Latin American countries. Our staff members delved into this story for June’s Spotlight Talks.

On March 18, 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean opened to the public at Disneyland. The atmosphere, music, and rich Disney history of the attraction has helped it remain one of the most loved and cherished pieces of Imagineering innovation, even 50 years on.

Many of us can speak at length about the ways that Walt Disney's creativity and imagination have touched our lives. Sharing the wide-eyed excitement and wonder he brought to everyday life, our stories continue his legacy as we share them with our children and generations to come. Here is your opportunity to help fill Walt’s impossibly large shoes and share a happy holiday with those who can often be overlooked.

Every kid wishes they could make their favorite toys and characters real and Peter Kelly has the amazing job of bringing such characters to life. Kelly creates motion and performance of computer generated characters for feature films. He has worked at Industrial Light & Magic for almost 12 years and has had the opportunity to work on characters such as Iron Man, Yoda, and Davey Jones... and we are honored to introduce Peter Kelly to you, who has agreed to share a little bit about what he loves about animation and how he got where he is today.

“…my father had a very close brother [Robert Disney] all his life,” Roy O. Disney recalled in a 1968 interview. “His wife’s name was Margaret. We called her Maggie. She was a wonderful character with an infectious laugh, and laughed at the slightest provocation, and she was always enamored with Walt from the time he was a little fellow.”

In observance of this Easter Sunday, our consulting historian Paul F. Anderson takes a few moments to reflect on the fundamental impact of charity and generosity of spirit, and Walt's commitment to these attributes.

Although devastated by his brother’s death in December 1966, Roy mustered the resolve to see through Walt’s plans for the Florida project, which would not be a replica of Disneyland. John Hench recalled Roy saying, “I simply had to do it. Because when I meet Walt again, if I hadn’t even tried to build that thing, I would really catch hell.”

Legendary artist Burny Mattinson passed away recently at the age of 87. Born in San Francisco, he had moved to the San Fernando Valley later in childhood, and first wandered up to The Walt Disney Studios’ gates back in 1953. He was just 18 years old—still a high school student—and was looking for a job.

In celebration of The Walt Disney Family Museum's 10th Anniversary, we're listing our 10 favorite highlights from our permanent collection.

Retired Imagineer Marty Sklar was gracious enough to field some questions from us about one of our favorite attractions at Disneyland, those scourge of the seven seas, the Pirates of the Caribbean. Marty, as many of you know, worked at WED and Walt Disney Imagineering for over forty years.

Get the rundown on our recent discussion about Disneyland fans' efforts to preserve and to celebrate the Happiest Place on Earth.

On February 6 we celebrate the anniversary of the birthday of a man who is sometimes overlooked in accounts of Disney history: Elias Disney, Walt’s and Roy’s father. Disney and film historian J.B. Kaufman gives us a closer look at the man who played a very important role in Walt's life.

When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls... whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still... that is the time when we share our favorite Haunted Mansion-themed blog pieces with ghoulish delight. Now, as they say... look alive!

Walt took a swing at a different kind of picture after releasing Fantasia (1941). It was a feature film not as grandiose as those that preceded it, but was perhaps even more effective in emotional impact. The film was Dumbo (1941), now celebrating 75 years since its release.

With its charming Audio-Animatronics® and leafy adventures, the Jungle Cruise has long been a fan favorite. How did this attraction come to be? In 1951—four years before the grand opening of Disneyland—a man named Harper Goff browsed the shelves of Bassett-Lowke, a miniature train store in central London. When a particular antique train took Goff’s eye, he was told that it had been promised to someone else. “I found one,” Goff later remembered, “and the man said ‘There’s a gentleman coming in...