On Tuesday November 8th, 2017 The 3rd Annual Walt Disney Family Museum Gala was held at the Golden Gate Club inside the Presidio in San Francisco California.  The club exterior was lined with classic roadsters and decor seemingly straight from Adventureland and led guests to the fundraiser event honoring John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, with the Diane Disney Miller Lifetime Achievement Award.

The notable accolade — which has only been presented twice before (to Disney Legends Richard Sherman and the late Marty Sklar) — recognizes those who have made an outstanding impact in the field of arts, education, community involvement, and technological advancements.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Huge thanks to our newest writer Sergio Lopez for covering this event for MouseInfo. Sergio has been a long-time reader and supporter of MouseInfo and we’re so happy to have him cover his first event for us at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Keep an eye out for more from him here on MouseInfo!

Interviews

John Lasseter

The man of the hour, John Lasseter arrived on the carpet and had a moment to speak with us about how he felt about receiving this honor from the Walt Disney Family Museum and what Walt Disney meant to him.

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

We also got to chat with the Oscar-winning songwriting duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.  They spoke about how it was collaborating with John Lasseter. We also asked how it felt to becoming a part of the Disney Legacy stemming from their first project with Finding Nemo – The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida, through the blockbuster success of Frozen and the upcoming film, Coco.

Pete Docter

Pete spoke highly of John Lasseter stating that his creative process was heavily inspired by John’s collaborative nature at Pixar by always listening and taking the best ideas from the group. We also asked Pete about the recent announcement of Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure and Pixar’s involvement with the theme parks.

An Enchanting Evening

The evening’s silent auction was set at “Lasseter Landing” themed to the loading dock of the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland (one of John’s former workplaces as a Jungle Cruise Skipper) where Disney and Pixar memorabilia was bid on by the Gala attendees.  One of the highest bid items was a speaking role in the upcoming Toy Story 4 film.  The demand was so high that John opened up the bidding for two more speaking roles on the spot. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Family Museum)

The evening concluded with performances by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez who sang their newest song “Remember Me” from the upcoming film Coco and, as a surprise for the event, surprise guests Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell sang their hit songs from Frozen and as a tribute to John sang a duet of “You Got a Friend in Me”. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Family Museum)

(Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Family Museum)

On the Red Carpet

Andrew Stanton, John Lasseter and Pete Docter pose on the Red Carpet at the 2017 WDFM Gala. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Family Museum)

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Family Museum)

Bonnie Hunt, Sam, Nancy and John Lasseter on the Red Carpet of the 2017 WDFM Gala. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Family Museum)

See it for Yourself

The Walt Disney Family Museum presents the fascinating story and achievements of Walt Disney, the man who raised animation to the level of fine art, transformed the film industry, tirelessly pursued innovation, and created a global yet distinctively American legacy.

The Walt Disney Family Museum has created many world-class exhibitions, such as Disney and Dalí: Architects of the Imagination; MAGIC, COLOR, FLAIR: the world of Mary Blair; and Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong, several of which have traveled to other museums around the world. The most recent, Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle, is the eighteenth original exhibition originated by the museum since 2012.

For tickets and more information, visit waltdisney.org.