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Sumptuous princess gowns, delicate sketches, vintage photographs, and exceedingly rare collector’s items: with hundreds of millions of these gems, Disney has gathered over a hundred years of history, constituting a vibrant mosaic of Hollywood’s cinematic past.
Celebrating a century of existence on the forthcoming October 16, the renowned studio has recently unveiled the treasures within its colossal vault nestled in its headquarters in Burbank, not far from Los Angeles. This initiative is designed to reveal to the public what Becky Cline, the director of archives, fondly refers to as “the tip of the iceberg.”
Resembling a bibliographical sanctuary, this venue harbors a myriad of precious relics and treasures. Among these, one finds the very first script of the legendary Mickey Mouse, the legal document enshrining the creation of Disney Studios, and an array of costumes from the superheroic Marvel universe.
“We accumulate so many items that we are constantly in search of new spaces to accommodate them,” says Nicole Carroll, the chief archivist. With vintage vehicles, from the roller coasters of their amusement parks, to assorted accessories from various film productions, the Burbank site is but the visible portion of a much larger iceberg. Indeed, Disney has preserved millions of artifacts and mementos scattered across “five or six” repositories “scattered” throughout the Los Angeles region.
A significant number of these items are slated for public display during the Disney100 exhibition, currently showing in Munich and Philadelphia, before traveling to other destinations, including London. To celebrate its centenary, the studio is also curating an immersive “multi-sensory experience” in Paris, at CentQuatre, emphasizing the friendships that unite its most iconic characters.
Founded in 1970, the archive team, now consisting of around thirty people, strives to preserve a “symbolic representation” of each of the company’s achievements. Thus, for a production requiring 250 costumes, they will select “a few iconic outfits from each character” to preserve for posterity. Ms. Carroll notes that, despite this selective approach, at each production’s conclusion, “hundreds of items” could potentially enrich their collection.
Among the cherished treasures of the place, one can find giant storybooks from the movies “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Sleeping Beauty,” as well as a crystal slipper salvaged from the live-action remake of Cinderella. The collection includes the documentary archives, which compile the original editions of many animated films, tickets for the opening of Disneyland in 1955, and a multitude of corporate documents. The studio’s total collection amounts to “several hundred million” items, according to Becky Cline.
For Disney enthusiasts, the most mythical site undoubtedly remains the personal offices of founder Walt Disney, renovated a decade ago at the Burbank site. It is in these historically charged quarters that the visionary constructed his vast entertainment empire, from 1940 until his last breath in 1966.
The items that have endured the relentless march of time have been meticulously cataloged. Each element of the office, from books on Nikola Tesla or Salvador Dali, precisely angled, to the placement of unfinished amusement park plans, everything is arranged exactly as it was during Walt Disney’s time. These offices also house character models, testaments to Walt Disney’s boundless creativity, as well as the multiple Oscars that the artist accrued throughout his career.
This emblematic place, sacred for diehard Disney fans, only opens its doors to a select few groups each year. Laura Sanchez, a tour guide, attests to the palpable emotion these visits evoke: “People walk in and cry for this extraordinary human being. It allows them to tread the past, to brush up against history.”
Thus, on the occasion of its centennial, Disney Studios invites us to embark on a journey into the heart of its exceptional heritage, which continues to enchant generations through its multiple eras. This invaluable treasure is emblematic of creativity, which has transformed a small animation business into a cinematic empire whose renown transcends borders.
With AFP
