PHOTOS: The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
Hello from Destination D23!
Destination D23
We’re bringing you along as we experience the entire weekend, which promises to be full of special Disney experiences, sneak peeks, and surprises!
We’ve already gotten some shopping done, but now we’re heading over to an all-new exhibit, celebrating Disney’s storytelling. Let’s go!
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course, Disney’s Global Stories & Inspirations
The Charting the Course exhibit follows the history of Disney’s storytelling and influence, from black-and-white images to bright and bold concepts! To do so, the exhibit showcases a curated selection of models, props, and costumes.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
Joe Rohde’s research trip boots are on display, along with his sketchbook from the Imagineering research trip to Nepal. (We’ll touch on that research trip in a second.)
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
Check out his artwork that inspired Animal Kingdom:
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
There are photos of creative legends, like Mary Blair, hard at work, along with sketches and “visual developments.”
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
Disney is well-known for their immersive research trips, allowing Imagineers and other creatives to fully dive into the setting they’re working on. (Which, in my opinion, is what makes Disney’s storytelling so incredible.)
There’s a section dedicated to the research and goodwill tour to South and Central America that resulted in the creation of Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
Here’s the section dedicated to the Imagineering research trip to Africa and Asia, which influenced Animal Kingdom!
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
There’s concept art created by Disney icons like Mary Blair…
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
…a puppet from Tapestry of Nations…
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
…another puppet from Tapestry of Nations…
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
…and a small model of Millennium Village.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
There’s inspirational artwork for Mufasa, created by Sam Messer, on display…
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
…along with a scale model of Norway’s stave churches that inspired Arendelle’s architecture in the Frozen franchise.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
Fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (specifically Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) can check out Sao Fenge’s Floating Singapore Village Models, which are shown in multiple stages of development.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
The model is displayed with a sword from Mulan..
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
…along with a costume from the live-action film.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
The Italy Pavilion Bell Tower Statue is also here! This is the newest addition to the Walt Disney Archives.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
A Nilo’s River Adventure sign is also here, taken from the Jungle Cruise film…
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
…along with the maps to the Tears of the Moon Tree.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
Speaking of Jungle Cruise, outfits worn by Frank Wolff and Lily Houghton are also on display.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
There’s a Pumba maquette..
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
…and of course, a Timon maquette. (What would one be without the other?)
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
The Pride Rock Model was used for the live-action film, The Lion King.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
Take a look at this “Little Red” Audio-Animatronic Figure! Little Red was in Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Safaris from 1998 to 2012.
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
We also got to peek at a Germany Pavilion Model from 1982!
The Walt Disney Archives Presents: Charting the Course at Destination D23
That was our journey through the exhibit! If you’re at D23, we highly recommend heading over ot look at these artifacts for yourself!
And we’ll keep bringing you along for all the Destination D23 fun, so stay tuned to MickeyBlog.com.
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