On our last trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios Toddler Son surprised us by how thrilled he was to tour this museum exhibit on Walt Disney. Of course we all love it, but really had no idea how excited the 2 1/2 year old would be to look at the models and displays of Disney art. At only 4 rides (only 1 of which a Toddler can ride) Hollywood Studios is not the most fun place for a little guy. When combined with the lack of an icon that engages the very young (say Cinderella Castle or Spaceship Earth) we could sort of tell he was left without a really strong point of reference. We were there for Star Wars Galactic Nights so missed the toddler programming. But he was beyond excited upon discovering this exhibit and from then on he started having the attitude of someone who found the Walt Disney at this Disney Park. Toddler Son loves old Walt Disney Small World & Carousel Of Progress videos on YouTube so he knows who "Wal Dis" is, and he immediately recognized Walt Disney from the classic photo of Walt & Mickey in a car at Disneyland.
Toddler Son loves castles, having been raised on a generous diet of Disney films/TV and Disney Channel/Disney Junior. So he would get excited at seeing the castle logo before movies. At some point between Disney World commercials and our visits he made the connection that the castle is a real place which only made him more of a fan. He has started to make the distinction between Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland and Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World.
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| Disneyland Display - 2018 |
The exhibit gives some background to the life of Walt Disney and Disneyland, Walt Disney World and beyond. The exhibit used to lead to a film on the life of Walt Disney, but now it is usually a film preview instead (we saw the first scenes of Incredibles 2). Over the years the exhibit has been truncated and an unrelated meet and greet has been added(Starlord & Groot from Guardians of the galaxy were there). Still what is left is still something worth seeing and it certainly made Toddler Son's night.
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| Disneyland Castle Model- 2015 |
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| Walt Disney World Castle Model- 2015 |
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| Disneyland Paris Castle Model - 2015 |
For Toddler Son he loved the castle displays and the It's A Small World exhibit as that is his all time favorite ride. He also was very intrigued by the Jungle Cruise model. At home we have a lot of toys of castles and monorails so he likes to recreate the Disney experience at home in between visits.
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| Small World Exhibit -2018 |
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| Small World Exhibit- 2015 |
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| World's Fair/Small World Exhibit- 2015 |
We've been to this exhibit 3 times (photos have the date they were taken), although it has shrunken in size over the years we are very glad it remains in some form. Highlights are always the castle art and the wonderful Imagineering models.
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| Disneyland Concept Rendering- 2018 |
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| Spaceship Earth- 2015 |
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| Peter Pan's Flight Model- 2015 |
On our first visit there was a wonderful mockup of Walt Disney filming the EPCOT film, but sadly this has been removed.
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| Walt & EPCOT- 2015 |
Years ago we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and there was a large mural of the Ryman concept painting of Sleeping Beauty Castle...the one before the castle had been "turned" around. Dad took a picture with Teenage Son when he was a toddler in front of this mural like we were "walking" into the mural. A few years ago we recreated the photo at this exhibit...and on this trip we recreated the picture again this time with Toddler Son joining the fun.
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| At the Ryman Sleeping Beauty Castle Concept Art Mural, Hollywood Studios- 2018 |
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| At the Ryman Sleeping Beauty Castle Concept Art Mural, Hollywood Studios 2015 |
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At the Ryman Sleeping Beauty Castle Concept Art Mural, Disneyland Hotel Lobby- 2006
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