Disney Fan Must Do in San Francisco: Visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum #MonstersUEvent

Are you captivated by all things Disney? If you love Disney, add a visit to The Walt Disney Family Museum to your San Francisco travel itinerary as this little museum is an absolute treasure full of priceless artifacts relating to Walt Disney, the man, and the history of all things Disney.

Located in the Presidio district of San Francisco, the views alone and gorgeous location make it worth a visit as you can tell from my photos!  I was able to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum for a quick tour during my recent trip to San Francisco for the Monsters University press event. The museum is only a few years old and was co-founded by Walt’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller, and grandson, Walter E.D. Miller.

Look at this view of the Golden Gate Bridge from within the museum. Unbelievable. Breathtaking! Making it even more special, this view is located at a really inspirational part of your tour through the museum.

My guided tour of the museum was excellent and the tales from our guide mixed with the rich plethora of Disney artifacts – personal items, awards, animation art, and plans for both Disneyland, Disney World, EPCOT, and the FLorida project left me feeling even more enamored with Walt and his creative genius. Honestly the tour pretty much covered all things Walt Disney from his birth until his untimely passing at only 65 years old. I was tearing up at the end of the tour as this museum really tells the story of the man and the impact he had on the world around – whose legacy lives on today.

Here’s a big stack of photos highlighting some of my favorite tidbits from my visit. Enjoy this “photo” tour of the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Here’s a photo of Walt Disney as a Baby.

Baby photo Walt Disney

Did you know Walt went into the Red Cross at Age 16 so he could help the World War I efforts? He lied about his age so he could join up with the Red Cross where he drove this style ambulance in Europe during the War. Talk about a young start!

The first type of video camera that Walt used to filmed animations. Wow!

Original animation movie camera

The museum really tells the story of Walt’s success and his struggles which really helps portray him as a determined, inspirational and brilliant creative thinker and business man. Not to mention he was 100% a family guy which I love.

Steamboat Willie – aka one of Mickey Mouse’s first famous clips!

Steamboat Willie stills

1st known drawing of Mickey Mouse that has been preserved. Wow!

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Dumbo – a movie that really helped grow the studio along with others like Fantasia, Snow White, Cinderella, and many other classics we still all love today.

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Concept art for Cinderella. Magical!

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As the studio grew, Walt invested in his animators, started animation training and developed these great animation desks for his artists.

Walt Disney loved miniatures and collected all kinds of mini treasures. An entire room at the museum was full of his collections.

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At the same time, Walt was really a simple man. Check out his favorite foods- like JELLO !

Original proposal and drawings for Disneyland. Awesome seeing this deck.  What a business plan!

The original inspiration and rendition of the Sleeping Beauty Enchanted castle for Disneyland.

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3D models of Disneyland. Love these! You really can recognize everything and of coures some of the similarities that translate over to Disney World too.

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How true is this quote? The experiences Disney creates for us as families is incredible – from animated films, stories, to memories at the Disney Parks and now with Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney is truly incomparable. I profess I was in tears at the end of the tour!

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Another great quote on Walt. He brings out the magic in everything – for all us – no matter the age. This must be why I am such a Disney fan.

 

Admission Info:

The sneak peek at these treasured archives and the view in the Presido is gorgeous. I promise it will make this cost a real value for anyone interested in the lure of all things Disney.

Pricing is $20/Adult, $12/Child, and $15/Senior or Student. Free for children under the age of 6.

Hours: 10 am – 6 pm. Open Wedsnesday – Monday.

Note: Thanks to Disney for paying our travel and expenses to attend this press event for Monsters University. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

9 thoughts on “Disney Fan Must Do in San Francisco: Visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum #MonstersUEvent”

  1. I would love to see this museum. i have never done the west coast Disney. Your posts always make me want to go. Such a great reference blog for disney.
    thanks!

  2. My husband’s family is Disney Obsessed – Can’t wait to share your post with them. I’m sure they will be adding this to their bucket list of places to visit! Thanks for sharing!

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