New museum preserves Disney legacy

by Judith Khan

Walt Disney and his innovative creations come alive when visiting the new Walt Disney Family Museum at the Presidio.

The Museum, located in three historic buildings at 104 Montgomery St., near the Main Post, contains seven chronologically arranged galleries. In them, the life of Disney, and how he pioneered the animation industry, bringing it to a state of art that was unheard of in his day, comes alive.

Little was known about animation when Disney started in 1921. In the 1920s most artists produced extremely simple films that relied on the novelty of drawings. Some were based on popular newspaper features and comic strips.

One enters the world of Disney by taking an elevator entitled "The Santa Fe," the name of the train that Disney took from Kansas City to California in 1921. The interior of the elevator gives the feeling that the passenger is riding in a coach car looking out at the Kansas country side. While strolling through the galleries, the public learns how Disney created his beloved characters, like the seven dwarfs, Dumbo, Mickey Mouse, Bambi and Pinocchio. Clips show his early films, like the "Comedies of Alice" from his popular film "Silly Symphony."

The museum frames the story of Disney's life and the creation of his characters by incorporating a wide range of materials and technologies, including historic documents, artifacts, interactive displays and listening stations.

On display are the studio's original camera cranes, an underwater camera used for "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," and the Lilly Belle Train, which was modeled after the Carolwood Pacific Railroad's Old Engine known as Engine No.173. The train is a 1/8-scale model of a real steam engine, which burned coal, with 11 box cars and yellow caboose. Folks who came to visit Disney at his home would enjoy riding it around the grounds.

In addition, there is the ambulance that he drove in France during World War II and the optical printer that was used to create magical effects in "Mary Poppins." At many of the exhibits the public will hear recordings of Disney himself, or his colleagues, talking about how he created some of his outstanding films, such as "Fantasia," his beloved characters or the award-winning live-action documentary "Seal Island."

Each gallery shows pivotal moments of Disney's life and work from the time of his birth in 1901 until his death in 1966. For example, the time he came to California with his brother Roy in 1923 with $40 in his pocket and rose to international fame with the creation of Micky Mouse, and his movie masterpieces, and his first successful film, "Alice Comedies."

Disney is known for his visionary powers and commitment to excellence. It was this commitment that empowered him to make his visions become a reality. His innovations were many. He created the first films that successfully synchronized sound and animation; he created the first movie soundtrack to be released as a consumer recording; he produced one of the first nature documentaries and was one of the first to receive an Academy Award for a documentary film.

He also created an innovative tram system with no on-board motors in Disneyland, called the PeopleMover. He created the first theme park of its kind - Disneyland, and he embraced television as a platform to test and promote his ideas.

Disney recognized the power of art and sparked the imagination of his staff and others. He was not a man to slow down - even after achieving success.

"He would push himself and his company to the breaking point as he pursued the highest level of excellence in every thing he did," said animator Marc Davis.

After the production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Disney said: "We cannot let down, we must keep building."

Disney insisted that his drawings not only move but they move as full personalities with individual characteristics that affected the way they moved. They had real feelings, which in turn made them seem more real to the audience.

Disney paid his animators to attend figure drawing classes at The Chouinard Art Institute. Later, he opened a school on the studio lot and eventually founded Cal Arts.

"It was under his leadership that the principals of animation and communication were established," explained cartoon director Chuck Jones.

Disney's animators found a new cinematic expression, which they called "sincere animation," a magical communication between moving drawings and audiences. The animators made us believe fantastic things because the creations did fantastic things, such as Bambi ice skating or two dogs having a romantic dinner.

John Canemaker pointed out that Disney once said that the most important aim of any of the fine arts "is to get a purely emotional response from the beholder." It was this belief that caused the public to become so attached to his characters.

Disney grew up drawing. When he was a young child on a farm his father's sister, called Little Maggie, would bring him huge tablets and pencils and he would entertain his sister Ruth with his drawings when she was sick. He recalls in one of his sound clips in the exhibit that he would go once a week to the barbershop and draw "caricatures of all the critters that hung out there." He created a cartoon every week in exchange for a free hair cut.

When working for the Kansas Star, he took every chance he could to visit the art department. The paper had a great art department and was known for its comic strips - in particular its editorial cartoons with stock characters that represented current public figures and topical situations.

While attending high school, as a freshman he worked on the school's newspaper. There, he created a comic strip called the Tiny Tribune. He would draw cartoons of events that occurred around the school and echo gags students played on each other.

Marc Davis, an animator, recalls those days.

"We saw every ballet, every film. If a film was good we would see it five times, anything that might produce growth that might be stimulating - including the cutting and staging of scenes. Everybody was studying constantly. Every day was exciting. Whatever we were doing had never been done before," he said.

Through talks, lectures, classes and screenings, the Walt Disney Family Museum plans to continue to explore Disney's impact on animation and his push to perfect new technologies. Talks and lectures feature scholars of animation and the life and work of Disney. Upcoming concerts will showcase performances by some of the Bay Area's best musicians.

To learn more about the museum, call (415) 345-6800 or visit the Web site at www.waltdisney.org. The museum is open daily, except Tuesdays and major holidays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.