Walt Disney Studios Tour

The information provided was a lot for me to remember so here is the Disney website about the history of the place and how it grew and why it’s home to many of our favorite movies they created: http://studioservices.go.com/disneystudios/history.html

We started our tour by the Hyperion building, the original and first building to the studios. Some information I can remember is that the atmosphere is like a college campus; the cast members prefer it that way. Sometimes when they are filming, the actors/actresses are eating at the local café there as well. When we toured, 2 ABC TV series were filming (can’t remember the names). There is a theatre there that was recently remodeled and currently reopened back up.

Across from this theatre, there is an office building that used to be the big animators’ building. The window shades are on the outside so that way each animator can get their own light that they needed and the shades captured the light better when outside.  =>=>=>=>

Then we walked into this building (I think) and down a hallway filled with TONS of pictures, original drawings, paintings (including background paintings for Lion King, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) Then after this, we headed towards yet another building (yes there’s a lot and no I don’t remember their names). This one has 6 160 ft Dwarfs (oxy-moron) “holding” the roof up and Dopey is above them “holding” the top layer up. Now on your way into entering this building, there is a walkway with many numerous people who was rewarded the “Disney Legends” award. Now some have just the name and others have their handprints in them. It means that those who have the handprints were awarded the award while they were alive. When W. Kimball was rewarded, he made his look like he had 5 fingers and 1 thumb. (He was a funny man).

They all receive this statue that looks like: Mickey’s sorcerer hand holding a wand, with stars and streaks coming off it and the castle top incorporated into it.

Also, there is a Partner’s statue that you can actually touch and take a closer picture with, and a bench with Roy Disney and Minnie there too that you can also take a picture with. Now inside this building was (besides a Starbucks, Bob Iger’s idea), a bunch of actual props from past Disney movies. They had a dress from the most current Alice in Wonderland, Gabriella’s dress from Enchanted, and numerous hats including: Johnny Depp’s, Marry Poppin’s, an original Mickey Mouse club ears, and even Walt Disney’s hats too! Now another room had Disney’s archives (ok a VERY small version of the ACTUAL archive), because this one was like a library room. It had Donald Duck brand products, Mickey watches, and props again from the movies.

They had the Wardrobe, and Mr. Tumnus frozen statue, the water globe from Marry Poppins movie, the cursed coin from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, MANY MANY books that were published throughout the years, and figurines too.  This was my favorite part and the fact that they had original pictures and actual corrections from Walt himself!