Pink castles, talking sofas, and inanimate objects springing to life: What sound like fantasies from the pioneering animation of The Walt Disney Studios were in fact the product of the colorful salons of Rococo Paris. Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts is The Metropolitan
Join us this March for a month-long screening of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ newest film, Encanto, a colorful, musical tale about the importance of family and finding the miracle within.
Summer beaches are wonderful places to spend the day. Join us as we soak in the various types of surfing styles within animated films and television, and using traditional hand-drawn animation, animate a surfer character catching the perfect wave.
Our employees strive to achieve and perpetuate the values Walt held so closely in his work and life:
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.
For several decades, video games have immersed adults and children into unknown worlds, building global connections through gameplay and creating lasting bonds of friendship. Log on (in-person) with us in this workshop as we explore the history of 8-bit video game character designs, then design and
Join us in reflecting on the opening of Tokyo Disneyland at its 35th anniversary as Cora shared his experiences working for Disney Parks, beginning as an Attractions host in 1957, and later in his management roles as Vice President of Walt Disney Productions Japan, Ltd. and President and Chairman of
Summer beaches are wonderful places to spend the day. Join us as we soak in the various types of surfing styles within animated films and television, and using traditional hand-drawn animation, animate a surfer character catching the perfect wave.
The art of fishing is one of great patience and skill. Spend a tranquil day with us as we examine the history of fishing in animation, the techniques necessary to launch the perfect cast, and then fundamental drawing principles necessary to animate a character gently casting their line into a pond.
As the weather warms up, it is the perfect time to head outdoors and practice your aim through archery. Join as we celebrate archery within animation and use traditional hand-drawn animation to depict an archer pulling back their bowstring and sending an arrow straight and true to the bullseye.
Springtime is lovely for a picnic in the Presidio. Pack your basket and join us in this workshop as we explore the various ways in which animation has been able to create some of the most iconic landscapes. Using clay and mixed media, we will build a miniature picnic scene and create all the
This Black History Month, join us as we highlight stories that reflect Black culture, contributions, and experiences with a special, month-long screening of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ The Princess and the Frog (2009).
Join us for a special screening of a new documentary, Magic in the Mountains (2021), telling the remarkable story of how Palisades Tahoe—a little-known ski area in California—won the bid for the 1960 Winter Olympics, and with the help of Walt Disney, forever changed how the games were presented.
Join us for an in-depth discussion with author Bill Cotter about the beloved Disney television series Zorro as he shares the origins, production, and legacy of this iconic western saga.
Anyone in the world can experience and enjoy The Walt Disney Family Museum with our Virtual Tour and Museum Highlights. Benefitting from a wide range of embedded digital media content—including exclusive archived audio clips from a 1956 interview with Walt—the Virtual Tour brings Walt’s inspirational message directly to people’s streamable devices. Guests of all ages can learn about Walt’s early endeavors and struggles, his storytelling principles, and the technological innovations that made classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) possible. Narrated by voiceover artists and producing partners Camille Dixon and Bill Rogers—recognized for their contributions to commercial broadcasts and theme parks—the Virtual Tour will be offered free to the public on the museum’s website and the WDFM app for a limited time.
The Virtual Tour was soft-launched in a live format by the museum’s Education Department in 2019, and initially designed for school groups. High-resolution videos of the galleries were merged with Disney film clips and narrated by a museum educator, allowing for a more customized experience for students unable to visit the museum due to geographic or financial constraints. Since the live Virtual Tour’s debut, the museum has been able to reach classrooms across the world, including a homeschool in South Africa.
In light of the museum’s temporary closure, The Walt Disney Family Museum team recently transformed the Virtual Tour into an immersive experience for people of all ages who wish to visit the museum and learn about Walt’s life in a streamable format.
To view the Virtual Tour, download the WDFM mobile app or view the video directly below.
Join us as we “talk about” Disney Animation’s newest film—Encanto (2021)—with Director Byron Howard, Director and Screenwriter Jared Bush, and and Producer Yvett Merino, and uncover how perspective and understanding, the universality of familial love, and the people, cultures, and music of Colombia
We are pleased to announce the premiere of our eighteenth original exhibition, Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle. On view from May 18, 2017 to January 8, 2018, this original retrospective showcases the life and work of Eyvind Earle. Earle is best known as the lead stylist for Walt Disney’s
Celebrate animation’s most beloved and recognizable character with this original exhibition. Explore Mickey’s influence on art and entertainment over the past nine decades and the story of his origin, rise to fame, and enduring world-wide appeal.
The Walt Disney Family Museum is pleased to present Wish Upon a Star: The Art of Pinocchio. On view from May 18, 2016 to January 9, 2017, this never-before-seen exhibition created by the museum allows visitors to discover the artistic process and step behind-the-scenes to explore how one of the most