I didn't know there is giong to be a Walt Disney Family Museum.

[JR6ooo4]

from the disney insider

The Walt Disney Family Museum Is Almost Here!

At long last, construction at The Walt Disney Family Museum at the Presidio in San Francisco is almost done. On October 1, 2009, the world will be invited to step through the doors at last and take a tour through the life of that remarkable dreamer, Walt Disney. Tickets are now on sale at www.waltdisney.org, so fans can begin to plan their trips!

The Walt Disney Family Museum has been created by those who knew and loved Walt best, his family. It will offer an intimate view of the man through an unparalleled collection of personal artifacts and photos, as well as animation art and memorabilia. Says Diane Disney Miller, one of the Museum's founders, "My father's name is probably one of the most well-known names around the world, but as the 'brand' or trademark has spread, for many, the man has become lost. We are committed to telling the story of Walt Disney's life, in his own words, and in the words of ...

... others who knew him well and worked with him."

But you don't need to wait for the Museum to open to get a peek inside. The galleries are designed to walk visitors through Walt's life chronologically, from his early years to his final triumphs. Here is a quick look at what you'll discover when the Museum is ready for visitors, going gallery by gallery – we think you'll agree that it's a stunner!

Gallery 1 – Beginnings: Walt's Early Years (1901-1923)
Visitors will learn how it all began with an overview of Walt's childhood and teenage years. Exhibit highlights include some of Walt's earliest drawings and childhood mementoes.

Gallery 2 – Hollywood (1923-1928)
These were the years when the world met and fell in love with Mickey Mouse – and Walt met and fell in love with Lillian Bounds, who became his wife. Here you'll thrill to the earliest known drawings of Mickey Mouse, as well as business letters exchanged by Walt and his brother and partner Roy, and documentation of Walt's courtship of Lillian. Young visitors, and parents, will also get the chance to play with one of the Museum's great interactive exhibits — this one challenges them to match sounds to film footage.

Gallery 3 – New Horizons: The Emergence of the Walt Disney Studio (1928-1940)
The Walt Disney Studios were launched during this period, and produced the Silly Symphonies series. Exhibits include original animation art, vintage artifacts, and plenty of family photos – including many of the Disney's daughters, Diane and Sharon.

Gallery 4 – The Move to Features: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
Here it's all about "Snow White" – the first feature-length animated film ever created, and Walt's first great creative masterpiece. Relive the creation of the film with original art from "Snow White," the three-dimensional models animators used for reference, audio clips, and much, much more.

Gallery 5 – New Success and Greater Ambitions
After "Snow White," the Studio launched into a creative flowering of even more ambitious films, including "Bambi," "Pinocchio," and "Fantasia." One of the most imposing objects in the Museum will be found here – one of the Studio's original multiplane cameras, a huge device used to create depth and dimension in filming animated scenes. You'll also find an original animator's desk and rare production art.

Gallery 6 – The Late '30s to Mid-'40s
The exhibits here reflect a tumultuous period in American and Disney history – there are flyers and photos from the 1941 animators' strike at the Studio, as well as memorabilia from films created by Disney to help the World War II war effort – created while the U.S. military was using part of the Studio as a base. There will also be original art from "Dumbo," and Disney-inspired insignias for military regiments and squadrons.

Gallery 7 – Post-War Rebuilding: Mid-'40s to the Early '50s
This gallery is all about the art, with exhibits highlighting the many animated and live-action films the Studio produced during the post-war boom – including classics like "Cinderella," "Peter Pan," and "Treasure Island." See miniatures from Walt's personal collection, an underwater camera used in the filming of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," and much more.

Gallery 8 –Walt and the Natural World
Walt's love of nature is documented here, with an in-depth look at the live-action nature documentaries he pioneered. Highlights include some specialized equipment used to capture nature footage for the "True-Life Adventures" series.

Gallery 9 – The 1950s and 1960s: The Big Screen and Beyond
This era saw the birth of Disneyland and the creation of "Mary Poppins," as well as Disney's first ventures into the brave new world of television. There is much to see here, including original plans for Walt's dream community, Epcot – but one of the highlights is surely the actual Lilly Belle, Walt's personal scale-model locomotive, which once ran on a half-mile track around his home.

Gallery 10 – Remembering Walt Disney
Covering the period of Walt's death on December 5, 1966, and afterward, this gallery celebrates his life with newspaper articles, telegrams, editorials, and more remembering and appreciating Walt's legacy of joy and inspiration.
As Walt's grandson, Walter E.D. Miller, has said, "Throughout his life, grandpa pushed the boundaries of the imagination – not just to delight his children or grandchildren, but to share his love of fantastical images and worlds with everyone." And starting October 1, anyone can take a walk through the amazing imagination and creative life of Walt Disney.

we are going to have to get to that side of the states, one of these days...
Mikeeee

 

[Handbag Lady]

I can't wait for it to open!

I was lucky enough to see something that is going to be there before it was dismantled and shipped up. It is going to be really cool for fans of animation and I wish I could say more.

But, I am so glad there is a museum of Walt's life. I hope it does really, really well.

 

[princess63]

I'm really excited about this too, and I can't wait until I'm able to visit it! So much about Disney has changed (and some of those changes don't exactly appeal to me, but I won't go into it). It's really nice to have a place that pays tribute to the man who started it all!

 

[Uuaww]

I just moved from the bay and i miss this?!?!?!

 

[Meriweather]

We heard about it on a cruise in '08. Sounds neat....all the relatives are gone from the area, guess I need to plan a trip anyway

 

[DisneyGirl421]

... working there is now my new dream job.