One time in a writing class, a fledgling writer (like myself) asked our instructor, “How do you get inspiration to write?” The teacher responded that “getting inspired” was nothing more than expanding your mind— thinking about things differently than you normally do—or exposing your brain to something new. She recommended going to a museum.
The Disney Museum Logo.
I thought about that when I recently went to the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. It was definitely a jump-start the brain experience—better than a caffeine fix or Adderall (although I’ve never tried that stuff).
For me the Disney Museum was a natural high—as I’ve been high on Disneyland since I was little—and grew up next to the Happiest Place on Earth. Besides, Walt and I: simpatico on the Big Dreamer thing. The front page of the museum brochure shows Walt riding in a train with the text: EXPLORE … where dreams come to life.
Walt Disney's personal philosophy of life.
The Disney Museum opened in October of last year on the grounds of the Presidio, a former Army base and now a National Park.
The Presidio Army base, originally founded in 1776 by the Spanish and given to the U.S. in 1847, houses the new Disney Family Museum.
The reason the museum is located in Northern CA and not Southern CA is because one of Walt’s daughter’s, Diane Disney Miller, wanted it close to where she lives. The reason it was built at the Presidio was that the family felt the structure of the barracks resembled Main Street at Disney World. In addition, Walt was a “huge fan of the military and Gen. Pershing who commanded the Presidio.”
Admission is $20 for adults (less for seniors and kids). There are delicious treats at the café (operated by Wolfgang Puck) and a cool gift shop. But the museum itself is incredible. [Note: Wear comfy shoes as this place will wear you out.] (Also of note: Very friendly staff that wears purple uniforms.)
FuchsiaWoman cartoon creator in front of the Disney Museum full of beloved cartoon characters.
The museum comprises three floors. The lower level houses a theatre and two studios (no need to go there). The first and second floors represent a detailed history of Walt’s life (from pre-birth, the relatives, the homes, the early jobs, the service in WWI) and his accomplishments in cartooning, animation, live action and documentary films, innovations in music/camera/color/sound technologies, and of course, theme parks. It’s ALL there—in amazing displays that make you feel like you’re experiencing the kaleidoscopic output of a creative genius.
Everything was interesting, like:
+-+ One of Walt’s early businesses (in Kansas City, MO) called Laugh-o-Grams that went bankrupt in 1923. Of that experience he said, “It is important to have a good hard failure.” He thought it might be too late to break into the cartoon biz. But he decided to try anyway and moved to Hollywood, CA with only $40 to his name. (About $500 in present-day money.)
+-+ When producing Snow White (first animated feature; HUGE hit), his belief that people would sit through a full-length animated movie because “everybody was once a child….(there’s a) fine, clean unspoiled spot deep inside of us that we forgot and maybe our film helps us remember…”
+-+ Walt invented the storyboard and he considered the story department “the heart of our organization.” In fact, there is a circular org chart on the wall. At the top of the circle is a rectangle labeled Walt. Underneath it is one labeled Story. To the right of Story are scripts, story sketch, and writer. To the left of Story are story procurement, story development, and story research.
[Note: Hollywood take note. It ain’t about the technology. It’s about the STORY. Sheesh.]
Walt’s wife, Lillian, said her husband was about enthusiasm and optimism. You can see that plainly displayed in every square inch of this museum.
With one exception:
The one slightly negative inclusion: Walt’s involvement with a writer’s strike in 1941 and the purported Communist infiltration of the Disney Studio. This particular part of Walt’s life was glossed over at the museum. Personally, I think he went a little nutty with his thinking on this subject—but I suppose all artistic genius types are nutty over something.
Walt did testify at Congress’s House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. (Not mentioned in the museum).
Walt did start a conservative organization called the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideas. One of its goals was to fight “Communists, radicals, and crackpots.” (Not mentioned in the museum. But I’ll mention that while I am no fan of Communists, I rather like radicals and crackpots!)
Oh well, no one is perfect.
But the museum is a perfect way to excite your brain cells and get those creative juices flowing!
