Although Walt Disney often said he personally identified with the character of Mickey Mouse, many fans would pick Donald Duck if they really thought about it. With his optimistic outlook on life yet temperamental nature and tendency to overreact, Donald’s a character we feel sympathy for and can understand. He often displays those aspects of our personalities we’re not always proud of but which certainly make us human. Donald Duck is like us, and for that reason we’re drawn to him. ...
As 101 Dalmatians is our Film of the Month in February, Floyd Norman, Andreas Deja and Don Iwerks will visit the Museum on Saturday, February 12th, to chat about a classic Disney film that will have you seeing spots!
In the 1940s, Walt Disney once referred to Donald Duck as the Clark Gable of his stable, meaning that the irascible duck was as important a talent to the Walt Disney Studios as Clark Gable was to MGM Studios. Donald’s importance to the Disney “stable” is evidenced by his starring role in more cartoon shorts (128) than any other Disney character, including Mickey Mouse.
As part of our month-long salute to Donald Duck, we asked Disney historian, Paul Anderson, to tell us about Donald's golden era of the 1940s.
Over Thanksgiving, our registrar, Anel Muller, traveled with her family to visit her parents in Miami. During this visit, Anel's father, Rene Rodriguez, wore his WDFM logo wear proudly, especially on the family trip to Walt Disney World, where he wore not only his cap but his logo tee-shirt as well.
Over the course of nearly eight decades, Donald Duck has become one of the most celebrated and fondly remembered of all Disney characters. What is sometimes not remembered is that Donald began life in 1934 as a very different duck. His physical appearance, in his earliest films, was one that many of today’s Disney fans would scarcely recognize.
To highlight our new exhibition of Disney Live-action film posters in our theater lobby, we asked Disney historian, Jeff Kurtti, to give us some background on why Walt Disney moved into that genre and the success he found there.
Design in the work of Walt Disney is a major emphasis in our programming here at The Walt Disney Family Museum during the first months of 2011. And, we are using the term “design” in a broad sense: of a duck and the voice of a duck; of new characters and a new look for Disney animated films with 101 Dalmations; and of a monumental classic—Mary Poppins—with a focus on costumes and music.
In most parts of the country, New Year's Day can be cold and dreary, but in my hometown of Pasadena, California, the roses are always in bloom. The Tournament of Roses Parade was first held in 1890 by members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club. The club members were eager to showcase their new home's mild winter weather...
For the new year, we're introducing a series titled "What Do YOU Do?" where we'll be asking a museum staff member to answer five questions about their position at The Walt Disney Family Museum, their fondest Disney memories, and other personal tidbits. This month, we highlight Jessica Blake!