Disney100: The Exhibition – A First Look
Today I got to take a first look at Disney100: The Exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA.
If you’re a lover of all things Disney, you must make your way to this exhibition!
I spent nearly two hours meandering through Disney100: The Exhibition, and I wish I could have spent more time!
There were so many amazing things from the Disney archives to linger over.
There are 10 themed galleries in the exhibit: Where It All Began, Where Do the Stories Come From? The Illusion of Life, The Spirit of Adventure and Discovery, The Magic of Sound and Music, The World Around Us, Innoventions, Your Disney World, The Wonder of Disney, and We Are Just Getting Started.
To introduce each new gallery there’s an interactive poster. Each of these posters was specially designed for this exhibit. And they’re available for sale in the gift shop.
The exhibition starts with the early years of the Walt Disney Company, with Laugh-o-Grams, the Alice Comedies, Oswald the Rabbit and of course the invention of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Over the course of the exhibition you’ll see artwork, costumes and props used in the making of the Disney movies and parks.
Some of my favorite exhibits were where we were exposed to the innoventions that made the magic – like the audio animatronic displays.
I really loved the gallery The World Around Us where nature documentaries were covered. In true Disney style, they even pumped in the smells of the jungle (in a good way)!
They have on display the board that was used to program the audio animatronic figures and some audio animatronics without their skins!
What is really cool is there’s even a display where you can turn knobs and make an audio animatronic hand move!
I also really enjoyed the section called The Magic of Sound and Music. They had a cool section with the things used to make sounds displayed (like a mobile made of metal) and then they showed you the clip of the movie where that sound was used.
There are headphones attached to many displays so you can hear the sounds and music of Disney. Or you can hear interviews with imagineers and animators as they discuss their work.
This exhibition runs in Philadelphia until August 27, 2023. Book your tickets now to visit!
If you’re in the area, I highly recommend visiting Disney100: The Exhibition on a weekday evening. The crowds tend to be much lower then.
Today was a preview for members of the Franklin Institute, which is a renowned and innovative leader in science and technology learning and a dynamic center of activity.
The exhibit opens to the public tomorrow, February 18.
Today’s crowd was filled with Disney fans sporting their Mickey ears and shirts from the parks or movies. It was so cool to be with my people in Philadelphia!
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Feature image: Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse attend the world premiere opening event for Disney100: The Exhibition at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, February 18, 2023.