I am embarrassed to admit that I walked right by this attraction many, many times on my way to Toy Story Mania, and never went it. On my last trip with my husband it was very warm and crowded and he thought we should go in if for no other reason than to be in air conditioning. I was so surprised by this attraction and recommend everyone stop in to spend some time going through.
The attraction is made up of a multimedia gallery and there is something interesting for all age groups. There are collections of memorabilia from Disney archives that have never been available to the public before. You take a self-guided tour through all of the exhibits that include photographs, audio interviews and memorabilia that tell the complete story of Walt Disney and his creations. This attraction was specifically created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth and opened on October 1, 2001. It is housed in one of the soundstages along Mickey Avenue.
It is a magnificent overview that starts in 1901 and continues through the telling of his inventions and visions. Throughout the display there are “connection cards” which join the stories of Disney’s creations, from boyhood dreams to reality that are activated when you step in front of the display. In one of the attraction’s most exciting features, Walt Disney himself talks about the most meaningful moments of his life through a collection of audio interviews.
There are over 400 artifacts and displays that include audio and film clips containing previously unseen footage of Walt Disney, the original models for Main Street in Disneyland, and scaled replicas of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland as well as the special Academy Award statues for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, just to name some of the fascinating items to view.
Walt Disney’s office, enclosed in glass, brought from the original Disney Studios in Calif.
Guests can remain in their wheelchairs or ECV to go through the attraction and there are handheld captioning and assistive listening receivers available, as well as translation equipment.
This is a walk-through exhibit that takes at least 15 to 30 minutes to view fully. There is no place to sit until the end of the exhibit where you can enter a theater to view a 15 minute film on Wald Disney. If you are short on time you can visit this attraction in stages – first, view the galleries and exhibits and then re-visit another time to view the movie. You can also ask a Cast Member for the trivia quiz that goes along with the attraction and if you complete the quiz correctly you will receive a certificate.
When I visited this attraction I was surprised and pleased that we had decided to stop in. I truly enjoyed and was amused by a young family with a girl around 8 or 9 years old who early in their tour of the gallery explained to her father, “I didn’t know Walt Disney was a real person!”
If you have enjoyed this post and want to read more by the Senior Diva, you can visit theadultsideofdisney.com.
I love this exhibit- we go thru every time- is that crazy?
This is my husbands favorite place to go. He could spend hours in there!