Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream - March 2003 - Disney-MGM Studios - Walt Disney museum

On Oct. 1, 2001 the 100 Years of Magic: Share a Dream Come True celebration began at Walt Disney World. It was also Disney World’s 30th anniversary, but celebrating 100 years of Walter Elias Disney was a bigger event to celebrate. The big announcement for this celebration was that each park was going to get a new parade. Blah. I was hoping for more rides, but the parades were cool. What I was most excited about was NOT the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat blocking the Chinese Theater, but that MGM was getting a new Walt Disney attraction! One Man’s Dream opened on Oct. 1, 2001. Being a HUGE Walt Disney fan all my life, I was very eager to check this out. Luckily today (2021) the attraction is still open after 20 years, educating guests about the person of Walt Disney.

In June 2001 more than 400 artifacts flew on a FedEx Airbus A300 (“The Spirit of Imagination”) from California to Walt Disney World. Archivist Dave Smith oversaw the coast-to-coast transport. Guests enter under the “Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream” marquee and explore down a winding walkway. The floor below changes from yellow brick in Walt’s early life, to wood during the Marceline years, to linoleum in the 1950s. Overhead there was a colorful banner that said what was going on in the world during each time period. The dates were removed in a 2009 rehab. The exhibits and pictures on display have a Connection Card next to it, connecting the item to Walt in some way.

In the beginning guests would walk down the curvy walkway looking at small items and pictures from Walt’s childhood. They would reach a series of closed doors with a sketch map of Disneyland on them that would open to the next section. In my 2003 home video these doors remained open, and I didn’t have to wait. In later years, this section with the doors, with the gorgeous map, were removed. In the next room, travelers would turn the corner and see bigger items such as Walt’s office and the “War Room” where Walt presented the Epcot film. Models of theme park icons are in this room. There is a smaller room before entering the theater that displays more current park models. The final treat was a 15 minute film about the life of Walt Disney. It was originally narrated by CEO Michael Eisner, but when he left Disney in 2005 Julie Andrews took over. The film features plenty of narrative from Walt himself, taken from writer Pete Martin’s recorded interviews for the Saturday Evening Post in the summer of 1956. The theater in recent years has been used to show sneak peeks of upcoming movies.

In this 2003 home video you will see…

Exterior. This attraction was attached to another building to the left, that housed things such as Narnia and the Legend of Jack Sparrow. This part of the building was removed in 2018 to make way for the Toy Story Land entrance.

Entrance. When I walk in, 3D gold letters on the left say “Walt Disney, One Man’s Dream”. These are not there anymore since the name is now changed to “Walt Disney Presents”. Most of the iconic Walt photographs are still the same today, and “When You Wish Upon a Star” is still played.

Walt’s school desk. In one of the first displays is Walt’s second grade school desk with the initials “W.D.” carved in. This is a recreation of the actual desk, which is on display in Walt’s hometown, Marceline, Missouri. There’s a picture of Walt with the desk, so you might think it is the real thing. The actual desk is too big for this display case. The desk is still there today.

Main Street U.S.A. Next there is a model of Disneyland’s Main Streets U.S.A. from 1954. The sign said it is from the Imagineering Collection, artists: Fred Joerger and Harriet Burns. This model is still here in 2021 with the same turn of the century music playing in the background.

Animation Camera Stand (1923-1935). The first three Mickey Mouse cartoons were created on this camera table on loan from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Walt donated it to the museum in 1938. It was returned back to Los Angeles shortly after this video and an “early animation table” is on display there now.

Multiplane Camera. A smaller replica of the actual thing. I saw a real one in the lobby of the archives building in Burbank once. Three originals still survive today.

Granny Kincaid’s Cabin. Walt learned carpentry from his father and built this miniature room based off a set from the 1949 movie So Dear to My Heart.

“Dancing Man” figure. Buddy Ebsen was filmed dancing against a grid background and a pre-audio animatronic figure was made complete with moving parts. Walt built the miniature opera house.

I ran out of space to describe the next room, so I will write about the other items in the comments section below.