The Untold Story of the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco See and Feel the Magic at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco
Writer and Photos by: Daniel Locke
The Walt Disney Family Museum (WDFM), nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is a hidden gem that sheds light on the lesser-known aspects of the Disney empire. Contrary to popular belief, this museum is not primarily a tribute to Walt Disney himself, but rather a testament to the enduring legacy of his daughter, Diane Disney Miller, and her vision to preserve her father’s story and legacy.
Diane Disney Miller, along with her husband, Ron Miller, made their way to the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1980s, where they founded the Silverado Winery on land that had been purchased by Walt Disney’s wife, Lillian. It was here, in this idyllic setting, that the idea for the Walt Disney Family Museum began to take shape. The Walt Disney Family Foundation, established in 1995, became the driving force behind the museum project. With Walter Elias Disney Miller, Walt’s grandson, serving as the Foundation’s president, and Diane at the helm, the initial plan was to create a small ‘office museum’ space where Disney’s awards, memorabilia, and personal story could be preserved.
In Walter’s mind, the Foundation would conduct its business in an atmosphere that celebrated Disney—both his family and his career. The co-founders’ ideas grew, and they soon realized the “office museum” was impractical. After all, they wanted to invite the world in, and how could groups of schoolchildren or droves of visitors all comfortably visit a ‘small museum’ office? The Foundation now envisioned a need to build a large museum to accommodate more visitors, in addition they wanted to dispel common misconceptions and misunderstandings that had cropped up around Disney’s life and work. Though Walter felt that most people remembered his grandfather with “a big warm smile,” there were still those inevitable questions: Is he really frozen? Did he draw all those characters himself? And so on.
In addition to dispelling the rumors surrounding Disney’s life, the family wanted the public to know him as a person, not just as the face of a brand. In 1998, the family produced a biographical CD-ROM, followed by a virtual version of The Walt Disney Family Museum on the site waltdisney.org, which was published in 1999, thanks, in part, to The Walt Disney Company. The family also tried to reach more people with the release of a documentary film, “Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001)”. Despite all these wonderful projects, the family still felt they could do more. In 2001, the Foundation rented a warehouse on Gorgas Avenue in the Presidio of San Francisco to store personal artifacts relating to Disney’s life, and set it up much like a small, by-appointment-only gallery. But as the Foundation’s collection of art and artifacts grew, so did the scope of the museum project. Diane said of the collection. “The art is beautiful, but the truth of Dad’s life is so much more important to me.” The family needed a larger site for construction of the museum, so the idea came up from Diane to use the closed Army Base at the Presidio. This would be an ideal location as it is set in natural beauty and easily accessible for public transportation.
The Walt Disney Family Museum opened its doors to the public on October 1, 2009. In 2013, the museum applied to become its own nonprofit institution, separate from the Foundation, and acquired 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2014. When you visit the museum, you will find the history of Walt’s life from his birth to his death. Visitors will also notice there is really nothing about Walt Disney (Corp.) after his death as they would like to keep it separated. The 40,000 square foot space in the main museum building features the newest technology and historic materials and artifacts to bring Disney’s achievements to life, with interactive galleries that include early drawings and animation, movies, music, listening stations, and a 12-foot diameter model of Disneyland.
Check out my photos of how the Disney Family would like to have people to remember Walt Disney. Just click on the button on the left
The lobby displays hundreds of awards that Disney won during his career, including the honorary Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which consists of one full-sized Oscar alongside seven miniature ones (representing the Seven Dwarfs). There is also a Fantasia-inspired state-of-the-art digital theater on the lower level of the museum which screens Disney films daily. You will find interactive displays of his work through the years which visitors can either discover themselves by playing or you can have Walt Disney be your personal guide.
Next time you are in San Francisco, stop in and visit the Walt Disney Family Museum and check out the incredible life of Walt Disney, a pioneer and trailblazer of animated cartoon films plus so much more. The life of Walt Disney seems to circle back to the song Jiminy Cricket made famous “When You Wish Upon A Star”, as it surely seems all his dreams certainly did come true.
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