PHOTOS & VIDEOS: First Look at Walt Disney — A Magical Life at Disneyland Resort
We have exciting news to share today!
Sleeping Beauty Castle – 70th Anniversary
In case you missed it, a new show is coming to the Main Street Opera House in Disneyland in honor of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration. Walt Disney — A Magical Life not only celebrates Disney’s history, but it also features an Audio-Animatronic version of Walt Disney — a first for Disney Parks.
Photo: Disney
We were fortunate to be invited for a preview of Walt Disney — A Magical Life, and we’re here to take you along with us!
Walt Disney — A Magical Life in Disneyland
The Main Street Opera House has officially been transformed, sporting a new sign advertising the classic show, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, along with the new show, Walt Disney — A Magical Life.
Main Street Opera House
Let’s go take a look inside!
Walking into the Main Street Opera House lobby, you will first see the “Evolution of a Dream” exhibit. This exhibit features pieces that show how Disneyland grew from an idea in Walt’s head to a revolutionary theme park.
There are relics and memorabilia from the early stages of Disneyland, like pencil drawings and concept artwork of preliminary plans, some of which have actually never been shown in public before!
And, there are banners representing the lands of Disneyland hanging up, with images and storyboards below showing both the past and the present, from their concept are to what they look like now.
You will also see treasures and merchandise from the earliest days of the park, like a display of Mickey ears through the years!
Here’s another look.
The lobby also has an area dedicated to Walt’s private apartment in Disneyland that’s located above the Town Square Fire Station.
You can see original furniture and décor from the apartment, including two rocking chairs, two dining chairs, a table, and a cranberry-colored lamp.
There are also photos of Walt and his family using the apartment on display.
There is also a selection of more then 30 artifacts from The Walt Disney Family Museum. These include things like Walt’s 1955 Emmy award for the Walt Disney’s Disneyland television series…
…his Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Johnson in 1964…
…and the Walt Disney Commemorative Medal presented to Lillian Disney by President Nixon in 1969…
…and several other awards…
…like this one from the Southern California Motion Picture Council.
And, don’t miss out on the exhibit showcasing the history of Audio-Animatronics storytelling! It features original and replica figures dating back to Walt Disney Imagineering’s earliest development of the technology.
There are figures from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room…
…and two of the animated birds from that attraction!
The exhibit also features a doll from the original run of “it’s a small world” at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair…
…and more! The portraits along the wall provide a closer look at Walt’s passion for working alongside Disney Imagineers and breaking technological boundaries.
There really is an amazing amount of Walt’s life captured in these pre-show exhibits, so make sure you check them out!
Walt Disney — A Magical Life begins with a pre-show video narrated by Disney CEO Bob Iger over video of Walt Disney’s life.
Walt’s Audio-Animatronic is located in a recreation of his Studio office. He “speaks” via recordings taken over many decades — take a look at him in our video below!
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When Walt Disney — A Magical Life officially opens to the public on July 17th (Disneyland’s actual 70th birthday!), there will be no standby queue offered. Instead, a virtual queue will be accessible within the Disneyland app for guests.
There will be two chances per day for guests to enter the virtual queue. Here’s how it will work:
- 7AM: Guests must have a Disneyland Park reservation for that day
- 12PM: Guests must be in Disneyland Park or be in Disney California Adventure with a Park Hopper ticket
Photo: Disneyland App
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