Five things not to miss at ‘Disney100: The Exhibition,’ premiering at the Franklin Institute this week
The exhibition spans 10 galleries, with themes from “Where It All Began” to “We Are Just Getting Started.”
Disney fan club members came wearing Mickey Mouse ears and Minnie Mouse dresses and TV news crews arrived from as far away as Japan for the media preview of “Disney100: The Exhibition” at the Franklin Institute on Wednesday.
The exhibit, which opens to the public Saturday, celebrates 100 years of the Walt Disney Company and is making its world debut here, in Philadelphia. Franklin Institute president and CEO Larry Dubinksi said ticket purchases have already been made from as far away as Thailand.
A visual and auditory feast, the exhibit traces the history of the company from Walt Disney’s childhood and his first cartoons to the many properties the company owns today, like Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar (so if you’re wondering why there’s Dharma Initiative props from Lost or a can of Binford paint stripper from Home Improvement on display, it’s because Disney owns ABC too).
Kerwin and Keith Yarde, King of Prussia residents and hosts of Father and Son: A Star Wars Podcast, attended the preview with their wife, mom, and producer of their show, Tanya Manning-Yarde, with a specific eye toward exhibits from a galaxy far, far away, like a BB-8 puppet and a Storm Trooper uniform.
“I gotta say it’s amazing. I was kinda sad that the Star Wars part was pretty small, but the rest of it was awesome,” Keith Yarde, 11, said. “Walking into this exhibit, I didn’t know how far and how deep Disney’s roots went.”
The exhibition spans 10 galleries, with themes from “Where It All Began” to “We Are Just Getting Started.” Unlike some other experiences today, it’s not designed just for the ‘gram or selfie opportunities, though there are those too (should you want a photo of yourself cuddling up next to a sleeping Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs).
The focus of this show is on how Disney tells stories — where the ideas come from, how they’re brought to life, and the ways in which they connect us. This isn’t an exhibit to be blasted through, and if you try to rush it you may leave disappointed. But if you take the time to explore each gallery, to pick up the audio handsets and listen to the stories and music, you may come away with a whole new world of understanding about the story of Disney, and the Disney stories you love.
Here are five not-to-miss features of “Disney100: The Exhibition:”
Say ‘Hi!’ to Walt
When you first enter the exhibit, a film with a vintage Mickey Mouse in his sorcerer’s apprentice outfit plays before you. Stay long enough, and Mickey will introduce to you his “pal Walt.”
While not a hologram, per se, the video of Walt Disney does look life-sized, realistic, and recently-filmed. The Disney Company partnered with Industrial Light & Magic to create the digital likeness.
Two separate recordings of Walt Disney’s voice were used to make the accompanying audio track, and the video was created using archival footage of Walt Disney from the 1960s, an actor, and artificial intelligence technology.
Interact with the exhibits
While the “thrilling ride vehicles” billed at press preview for the exhibit last year turned out to be stationary ride cars from the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Peter Pan rides at Disneyland that you can’t even sit in, there are other cool interactive elements of the show.
In the “Where Do Stories Come From” gallery, check out the Sleeping Beauty storybook. When you flip a page in the book , corresponding pages on a large screen in front of you flip simultaneously and contain animation not seen in the hard copy.
At “The Spirit of Adventure and Discovery” gallery, be sure to pull the lever at the giant Nautilus video window (inspired by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), to peek in on underwater scenes from Disney movies like The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Finding Nemo.
Take time to listen
In a small alcove behind a statute of Mickey Mouse in “The Magic of Sound and Music” gallery, make sure to pick up the headsets for all three of the videos playing.
In the first, of Moana singing “How Far I’ll Go,” you’ll hear her switch from singing in Greek to Russian to Danish and more. In another, you’ll see and hear vocalists from around the world singing their version of “Let It Go.”
And in the “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” clip, you can choose one of 20 languages (from Icelandic to Tagalog), and you can seamlessly toggle between them at any time.
For those seeking a solid dose of nostalgia, don’t skip the wall of Disney music, where you can listen to short clips of songs you probably haven’t heard in ages, including “Candle on the Water” from Pete’s Dragon, and “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” from Cinderella. Personally, I rocked out hard to the theme from Duck Tales (”Woo-oo!”).
Behind the scenes
At the “Innoventions” gallery, guests can see the equipment that runs the animatronics inside Disney rides and get a look at the inner mechanisms that move our leaders faces in the Hall of Presidents (though you may never look at Abe Lincoln the same way again).
The real highlight of this gallery, though, is getting a peek at the storyboarding process, which was created by Disney animator Webb Smith. Old videos show writers pitching The Lion King through storyboards, and one exhibit allows you to watch scenes from Big Hero 6 or Dumbo side-by-side with the storyboards that inspired them.
Easter eggs
As you walk through the exhibit, pay close attention to the walls — especially the empty ones. You might see a grinning Cheshire Cat appear above you or Tinkerbell flying by overhead.
Daytime tickets, which include access to the entire museum, are $45 for adults and $41 for kids. Tickets for evening admission, which only includes the “Disney100″ exhibit, are $25 for adults and children. Tickets may be purchased in advance at fi.edu.
An end date for the exhibit has not been announced.