I did receive an all expenses paid trip to the Disney Archives and the Tomorrowland Press Junket, but all Disney awe and wonder is my own.
Having grown up in a family that is extremely into Disney, a trip to the Disney Archives was a mind blowing experience. My parents were inaugural members in both the Disney Vacation Club and D23 (the Disney fan club). So, I guess you can say that Disney fandom is in my blood. Recently, I got top secret access to the Walt Disney archives. Sure, we were also going to meet George Clooney on this Tomorrowland trip, but the mission to the Walt Disney archives now THAT is what my mom was jealous about!
Our host for this tour was name Kevin, one of the Disney Archivists. He was really fun to spend time with because, like my family, he was a huge Disney fan. Each and every day, he gets to handle bits and pieces of Disney history that are only seen by an elite few. He was kind enough to lead us into the Archives reading room, and pull some pieces of Disney history that filmmakers Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof used to bring Walt Disney’s vision of Tomorrowland to the big screen.
As soon as you walk into the archives, you are overwhelmed with the history you are surrounded by. At first glance, there is an old animator’s desk including partial drawings. There are glass cases filling the whole room with some of the first Disney collectibles; plates, pins, toys, and more.
My favorite part of the archives was seeing the actual items from Walt Disney and his brother Roy. You got to see Walt Disney’s own employee badge, number one of course. They also had neat items like Roy Disney’s reading glasses, cells from movies like Sleeping Beauty, and even awards that the Disney studios had won. We were really lucky and were able to hold an actual Oscar that Walt Disney had won for White Wilderness. This was such an amazing once in a lifetime experience. To actually hold something that was such an honor will be something that I will remember forever.
Since we were there for the Tomorrowland press junket, the guide had pulled out some fun artifacts from the warehouse that holds a lot of the archive materials. We were able to see the very first ticket sold for Disneyland, purchased by none other than Walt’s brother Roy Disney. There were also a lot of fun books and artifacts from the 1964 World’s Fair which plays a central role in the film. There was also an original “It’s a Small World” doll on the table. It was cool to see that, but my kids were kind of creeped out seeing it that close in my pictures. That made me LOL.
Getting access to the Walt Disney archives was something on my bucket list that I didn’t even realize was on my bucket list until I had a chance to go. It’s not something that is open to the public, so it was really an honor to be able to come face to face with the history that Walt Disney built. He built such a legacy that has touched so many lives it gave me goose bumps to be able to look at so many pieces of this history.
It was also really cool to see the pieces that helped inspire the movie Tomorrowland. Though the archives only started in 1970, they have done a really great job putting together bits and pieces of Disney history including Walt’s vision of what Tomorrowland would look like. Walt was always such a visionary, and having access to the archives really helped the movie show what Walt would’ve wanted the future to be. It’s something that can really give you chills being among such vision and history.
Love all things Disney? Make sure to check out the other posts from the Tomorrowland Press Junket including celebrity interviews, movie reviews and more! Make sure to also follow along on the Tomorrowland social media channels here!
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Tomorrowland opens in theaters everywhere May 22nd!
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