Walt Disney Presents
Walt Disney Presents is an attraction located in Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Attraction History
The attraction that is today known as Walt Disney Presents was originally known as Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. Walt Disney: One Man's Dream was announced to the public on August 7, 2001 [1]. The attraction was initially created in conjunction with Disney’s 100 Years of Magic Celebration which celebrated what would have been Walt Disney's 100th birthday in 2001. When talking about the creation of the museum, Imagineer Roger Holzberg noted:
When we were researching the attraction, we found that many of our guests under the age of 15 did not know Walt Disney was a real person. They thought it was just a company name.” [1]
The artifacts that were housed in the attraction were transported from Calfornia to Florida by Federal Express. Finally, on October 1, 2001 Walt Disney: One Many's Dream officially opened to guests [2]. The attraction renamed mostly unchanged until April 2009 when D23 (the official Disney fan club) assumed sponsorship of the museum [3]. In 2010, the museum was refurbished, with additional exhibits being added [4]. Additions introduced at this time included the WED Imagineering Workshop. The Workshop featured models for the 1964 New York World's Fair, including the Audio Animatronic Abraham Lincoln used in "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" [5]. During the refurbishment, a new area entitled "The Legacy Continues" was added, which showcases the achievements of the Disney Company from the 1970s through the present [6]. Subsequently, on August 18, 2015 Walt's office was removed from the attraction and returned to the Walt Disney Family Museum in California [7].
Beginning in 2015, Walt Disney: One Man's Dream has temporarily showed previews for upcoming Disney films. Previews for The Good Dinosaur, Zootopia, The Jungle Book and Dumbo have all been shown [8] [9].
On August 11, 2017, Disney announced that One Man's Dream would be rechristened "Walt Disney Presents" [10]. Although the new attraction would continue to showcase historical items from Disney's past, the focus of the attraction will shift to previews of upcoming Disney attractions including Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge [10].
Attraction Plot
When guests first enter Walt Disney One Man's Dream, they pass by a series of photos of Walt Disney. The photos range from his creation of Mickey Mouse, to his presentations about EPCOT and the Florida Project near the end of his life. After passing by these photos, guests begin the self-guided tour by passing exhibits showcasing Walt's early life. Here, images of him and his family at a very young age are shown on both the left and right walls.
The next exhibits in the attraction showcase Walt growing up in Marceline, Missouri in the early 1900s. Here, the captions for the exhibit showcase how Walt's childhood in the small town would inspire him later in life (an example of this being his creation of Main Street USA). Other childhood events, such as Walt portraying Abraham Lincoln in a play, and Walt's love of trains are also showcased in this section. Continuing foreword, guests reach an exhibit titled "The Disney Brothers" which takes place in 1917. This exhibit shows how close Walt and his brother Roy were, as well as foreshadowing their eventual partnership in creating the Disney Company.
As guests enter the next room, they are shown various images of Walt creating Mickey Mouse. Special attention is given here to the shorts Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy. Besides just still images, a video screen in the middle of the room shows Walt drawing Mickey. Other early Disney projects, such as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the Alice series, and the Silly Symphonies are also showcased in this section of the museum.
As guests continue on, they hear Walt explaining how Disney uses its "art of animation" or multiplane camera to create realistic looking cartoons. Guests also pass by sections dedicated to various early Disney films including: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo, and The Three Caballeros. Artifacts such as a real Disney multiplane camera, models of the cottage in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and even the Oscars won by Walt for Snow White are housed in this section.
After passing by the animation exhibits, guests reach an exhibit which showcases the Carolwood Pacific Railroad- Walt's personal working steam engine. The creation of the railroad would prefigure the creation of the Walt Disney Railroads found in every Disney theme park. Across the way, a small exhibit pays tribute to the True Life Adventure series that Walt created in 1949. At this point in the museum, guests enter a room dedicated to Disneyland. Here, a large mural depicts Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland, as advertisements for the various lands located within the park loop on nearby television screens. Following the Disneyland section, guests pass by an exhibit dedicated to the Mickey Mouse Club. which was created in 1955.
Nearby, models for the different lands in the Magic Kingdom can be found, as well as an exhibit dedicated to the 1950’s Disney movies such as Lady and the Tramp and Alice in Wonderland. If guests look up they can see a Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride vehicle.
On their left, guests can also see a recreation of Walt's EPCOT announcement in 1966. The maps and designs Walt used during presentation are present, along with a cardboard cutout of Walt himself. The real announcement is also played on a television here. Nearby, a scene showing an Imagineer workshop where Imagineers are seemingly working on the Audio Animatronic for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln can be seen. Another exhibit in the area features Roy Disney dedicating Walt Disney World on his brother’s behalf.
Finally, in the back of the museum the Disney Company’s achievements after Walt's death are featured. These achievements include: Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's California Adventure, the Disney Vacation Club, recent Disney movies, and the purchases of ABC and Pixar. Guests can also see an exhibit dedicated to the Disney Archives in California, including various historical Disney merchandise. The final exhibit in the museum is a large-scale model of the 2012 Fantasyland expansion.
After touring the museum, guests can enter a small theater to watch a short biographical film about Walt’s life. The film (which is currently narrated by Julie Andrews) tells the story of Walt’s life from his childhood in Missouri to his death in 1966. Walt Disney himself narrates much of the film, telling guests about his family, cartoons, films, and eventually theme parks.
See the Film
To see the film shown at the end of Walt Disney: One Man's Dream click play below!
Trivia
- One exhibit of note in Walt Disney: One Man Dream features artifacts from extinct EPCOT Center exhibits. A robot from Horizons, Figment from Journey Into Imagination and vegetables from Food Rocks and Kitchen Kabaret can be seen here [2].
- Guests can ask Cast Members working at One Man's Dream for a trivia quiz. If you get all of the answers correct, you receive a certificate [2].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news/07aug2001-press-release---walt-disney---one-mans-dream-brings-guests-up-close-and-personal-with-entertainment-heritage.htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/11/one_mans_dream.html
- ↑ http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news/31mar2009-d23-joins-one-man's-dream-exhibit-at-the-studios.htm
- ↑ http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news/04nov2010-photos---one-man's-dream-reopens-following-3-month-refurbishment.htm
- ↑ http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news/04nov2010-photos---one-man's-dream-reopens-following-3-month-refurbishment.htm
- ↑ http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news/05nov2010-one-man's-dream-to-unveil-a-new-area-next-month.htm
- ↑ http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news/18aug2015-walts-office-removed-from-one-mans-dream-exhibit-at-disneys-hollywood-studios.htm
- ↑ http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news.htm
- ↑ https://wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news/05feb2019-sneak-peek-of-new-live-action-dumbo-coming-to-walt-disney-presents-.htm
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/one-mans-dream/news/11aug2017-one-mans-dream-to-become-walt-disney-presents-preview-center.htm