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Posted on Wed, 11/25/2020 - 12:54

In 2019, The Walt Disney Family Museum was gifted one of two existing Mousegetars belonging to beloved head Mouseketeer Jimmie Dodd. Manufactured by Candelario Delgado of Candelas Guitar Shop, the custom-made tenor guitar was previously part of the Jimmie Dodd Archive housed at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) University in Valencia, CA.

Posted on Thu, 12/31/2020 - 14:15

With the surrender of Japan in September 1945, four years of brutal conflict for the United States during World War II finally came to end. It was at this time that Walt Disney refocused his efforts.

The studio lot had been requisitioned by the U.S. military shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and in the following four years, Walt devoted over 90 percent of The Walt Disney Studios’ output to the war effort.

Posted on Tue, 01/19/2021 - 15:32

Released 70 years ago in 1950, Beaver Valley was the second installment in the True-Life Adventures series. As Production Supervisor Ben Sharpsteen recalled to Disney archivist Dave Smith in 1972, the film “was Walt [Disney’s] choice all over—‘We’ll make a picture about beavers.’”

Posted on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 13:50

With the United States’ entrance into World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, propaganda became ubiquitous on the home front as the process of rallying the American war effort began. Posters of Uncle Sam and Rosie the Riveter became synonymous with the redoubtable American spirit of optimism and determination. World War II was not simply the war of the soldier, but of every man, woman, and child in the United States, and each individual was expected to do their...

Posted on Thu, 12/09/2021 - 15:12

“Do you know what Gremlins are?” asked the national gossip columnist Louella Parsons in October 1942. “They are imaginary little characters who fly with the R. A. F. [Royal Air Force] pilots. They are mischievous little elves who become so real to the R. A. F. boys that they almost live and breathe.” It just so happened, reported Ms. Parsons, that none other than Walt Disney himself was planning to make a film about these little creatures.

Posted on Thu, 12/30/2021 - 14:46

When the United States entered World War II in 1941, Walt Disney had been busy challenging commonly-held perceptions about animated cartoons. A medium once largely relegated to novelty, Disney’s animated films offered drama and pathos along with humor and song. Walt spent more than a decade elevating the art form to new levels of technique, performance, and quality. In just a few short years, The Walt Disney Studios had created multiple feature films of astounding range and style—from Snow White...

Posted on Thu, 12/30/2021 - 14:52

Upon its release in late 1942, the Disney cartoon Der Fuehrer’s Face became a smash hit in the United States, winning the Academy Award® for Best Short Subject in 1943. But the home front was not its only theater of action. Der Fuehrer’s Face went overseas, and served the war effort in more ways than one. “It was the most popular propaganda film we had,” Walt Disney told journalist Pete Martin in the 1950s. “It was put in all languages… They had it in the underground. [They] were running it and...

Andreas Deja; courtesy of The Walt Disney Family Museum
Posted on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 14:26

The Walt Disney Family Museum is pleased to present its newest special exhibition, Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece, in celebration of the beloved animated classic’s 55th anniversary. Premiering in 1967, The Jungle Book was a huge success, largely due to its music and compelling hand-drawn animation.

Join Bri Bertolaccini, Marketing Manager, for a conversation with our Guest Curator: acclaimed animator and Disney Legend Andreas Deja.

Posted on Mon, 10/17/2022 - 15:13

Although United Artists had more than doubled Disney’s budget, color was a risk that concerned them. Disney would not make its first color picture for the popular Mickey Mouse series, but rather the distinctive and often experimental series of stand-alone short subjects, the Silly Symphonies. Directed by Burt Gillett, the chosen short was a tale of plants and animals, Flowers and Trees (1932).

Posted on Mon, 04/13/2020 - 12:59

In February, The Walt Disney Family Museum closed the popular and beloved exhibition, Mickey Mouse: From Walt to the World. After its final close, the Collections and Exhibitions team began deinstalling the exhibition. When objects are slated for removal from an exhibition, they are carefully removed and either returned to their original storage location or sent back to their lender. With the unique Carousel Mickey—created by Henry De Vos circa 1930—there was more work needed to securely transport and store this unusual object.

Posted on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 16:41

Arguably, the highlight in The Walt Disney Family Museum Awards Lobby is Walt’s collection of 26 Academy Awards®, the largest collections of Oscars® outside of Hollywood. Of all of Walt’s Oscars®, one outweighs the rest, literally. This special honorary Academy Award consists of one standard Oscar® statuette standing above seven other miniature ones representing each of the Dwarfs.

Our employees strive to achieve and perpetuate the values Walt held so closely in his work and life: 

  • We are dedicated to the mission of the museum and the vision of Walt Disney. 
  • We believe that a quality experience for visitors is possible only when there is a collaborative desire for a job well done and a “can do” attitude. 
  • We strive for excellence in everything we do. We value the diverse contributions of each individual with respect and without judgment. 
  • We foster an atmosphere of supportive challenge and allow the development of insightful, collaborative, and innovative ideas.

We believe that to achieve the level of quality associated with Walt Disney, each person, as an individual and as part of a cohesive team, contributes to delivering a quality experience to every guest of The Walt Disney Family Museum.

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Lodge at the Presidio

The Lodge at the Presidio is a sister property to the Inn at the Presidio which opened in 2012. The Lodge is an historic boutique hotel on the Main Post of the Presidio that’s been renovated into a comfortable and contemporary boutique hotel nestled in the heart of the Presidio. As San Francisco’s closest lodging to the Golden Gate Bridge, the modern rooms sport either views of the forest, the bay, the City, the bridge or a combination thereof. 

Guests escape the bustle of downtown and enjoy nature and recreation in the park, while being steps away from excellent dining and shopping options.

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Posted on Wed, 12/11/2019 - 09:38

Although Snow White (1937), Pinocchio (1940), and Bambi (1940) set the stage for Walt Disney’s landmark success in the 1930s, no one could have predicted that World War II, labor disputes, and an empty bank account would bring the prolific studio to the brink of closure. But, no one doubted Walt’s determination and his ability to find three more imaginative stories that would bring the studio back to life: Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), and Peter Pan (1953).

Jun 23–Dec 31, 2022
Feb 2–Mar 5, 2023

Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece explores the creative complexities behind the making of The Jungle Book (1967), including the use of cutting-edge animation techniques, the memorable soundtrack of original songs by the Sherman brothers and Terry Gilkyson, the impact of Walt’s passing during production, and the film’s enduring popularity and influence decades after its initial release.

Posted on Thu, 07/09/2020 - 16:03

This Pinocchio character model sculpture, commonly referred to as a maquette, was created by The Walt Disney Studios Character Model Department during the production of Pinocchio (1940).

Posted on Mon, 07/20/2020 - 12:45

In 1942, Alexander P. de Seversky released his book Victory Through Air Power, in which he challenged the status quo of military doctrine with his argument that United States air power was weak, ineffective, and highly underdeveloped. He argued that military supremacy would be derived from air supremacy, and that the future of warfare rested on the development of a super fleet capable of strategic bombing or long-range air power. This, he argued, would be far more effective than tactical air power, in which aircraft only served in support of Navy or Army operations.