Disney100: The Exhibition is a special touring collection that will recall fond memories from the Walt Disney Company since it’s inception back in 1923! The official exhibition poster and trailer were also revealed today.

Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse plus Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline, Head of the Walt Disney Archives and D23 Michael Vargo, and Executive Producer/Director of Semmel Exhibitions Christoph Scholz, the Disney100: The Exhibition was officially opened.

The exhibit pays homage to the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company. Courtesy of Disney, below is a look at the expansive exhibition. clearboth

• Ten Immersive Galleries: Guests will experience ten imaginatively themed galleries enhanced with innovative technology. They will relive classic favorites and explore the sources of inspiration for some of Disney’s most beloved and iconic films—embark on a quest to uncover hidden artifacts from favorite Disney adventure films, peer through an interactive window of Captain Nemo’s legendary submarine, and step into a recreation of Main Street, U.S.A.
  • Galleries include: Where It All Began, Where Do the Stories Come From?, The Illusion of Life, The Spirit of Adventure and Discovery, The Magic of Sound and Music, The World Around Us, Innoventions, Your Disney World, The Wonder of Disney, and We Are Just Getting Started
• Disney’s Crown Jewels Immersed within the galleries are more than 250 of Disney’s “Crown Jewels,” original artworks, artifacts, costumes, props, and other memorabilia—many rarely seen—including the earliest sketches of Mickey Mouse and animation drawings from his debut in Steamboat Willie (1928), the Spell Book from Hocus Pocus (1993), Cinderella Castle model for Magic Kingdom® Park, a Genie maquette from Aladdin (1992), and the Black Panther costume from the 2018 film.
• Disney MagicStage: Welcoming guests into the exhibit is the Disney MagicStage, where a vision of Walt Disney himself stands life-sized and shares an inspiring message about innovation. Partnering with Disney StudioLAB, DisneyResearch|Studios, and Industrial Light & Magic, the team utilized cutting-edge technology to digitally bring Walt to life and create this unique greeting.
  • Tapping the vast resources of the Walt Disney Archives, two separate audio recordings of Walt were assembled, creating his vocal script. The Disney Archives also provided footage of 1960s-era Walt to DisneyResearch|Studios, who used their super-resolution A.I. upscaler to convert the archival footage to high definition. The result was a recreation of Walt Disney and a collaboration across all parts of The Walt Disney Company. As he famously said, “We’re always exploring and experimenting.”
• Original Soundtrack: Composer Steve Mazzaro, whose work can be heard on the soundtracks of such Disney-produced films as The Lion King (2019), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), and The Lone Ranger (2013), composed an original soundtrack for the exhibit blending themes of such beloved classics as “When You Wish Upon A Star” from Pinocchio (1940) and “Let It Go” from Frozen (2013) with a new theme crafted exclusively for the exhibition.

Photos

See it for Yourself

Disney100: The Exhibition at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA opened February 18, 2023.

Additional stops will be in Chicago, IL, and Kansas City, MO on the North American tour. The international unit of the exhibit will open on April 18, 2023, in Munich, Germany.