Disclosure- I was invited by Disney to attend this all expense paid press trip but all opinions are 100% my own.
Growing up in South Florida with easy access to Walt Disney World I have always been a fan of all things Disney but never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted that I would one day have the chance to peek inside Walt Disney’s office where all the magic happened from 1940-1966. Just think about all the films that came out during that era- HELLO, BAMBI! Being inside this 3rd floor office suite was so surreal. Our tour started out in Walt’s secretary’s office where his secretary, Tammie Wilck, worked for Walt Disney until 1968, just a few years after his death and when the office closed. Can’t you just picture her sitting there taking notes for Mr. Disney?
Once the office was closed, Dave Smith found the archives in Suite 3H and inventoried everything in Walt Disney’s offices. Over the years the office has been remodeled several times and occupied by several people such as Disney President and CEO Ron Miller (1972-1984), Disney President and Chief Operating Officer Frank Wells and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner (1986-1990), Disney Vice Chairman of the Board Roy E. Disney (1991-2003), Producers Shaun Cassidy and Ned Nalle (2008-2011), and Producers Marc Cherry and Sabrina Wind (2011-2015). In 2015 the offices in 3H were renovated to look like how they had looked when Walt Disney originally occupied them and they were reopened as a permanent exhibit honoring Walt Disney.
Walt Disney had 2 different offices, one just past the other. Each office was filled with pictures, knick knacks, and memorabilia that Walt loved. The first one was his Formal Office where he conducted most of his business. It is where he held appointments with important guests and conducted important business. It is said that he spent at least a few minutes each day behind his “formal desk” signing letters to fans and business associates around the world.
Walt Disney even had a grand piano in his office where composers and songwriters such as Leopold Stokowski and the Sherman Brothers were known to stop by to play for Mr. Disney. I can just imagine what it must have been like when other famous voices would stop by the office and gather around the piano to play tunes for Walt Disney!
Just past the formal office was Walt Disney’s working office. This is where Walt spent most of his days meeting with producers, directors, writers, artists, and others. He conducted his daily business here and the room was often filled wall to wall with people. I wonder who graced these halls? Who stopped by to go over ideas for new projects and movies with Walt Disney in this office? Historians say that sometimes the office was so crowded that people had to sit on the floor. Imagine sitting on the floor in Walt Disney’s office with him going over ideas?!??!
Walt’s office suite even had a kitchenette. I wonder how many late nights he spent at his office needing to fix himself a quick meal? Who did Walt serve meals to in this kitchenette? Such history right in front of my eyes. The whole experience was surreal.
You can see in the pictures below how much attention to detail the archivists took when recreating Walt’s office to be exactly the way it was when he occupied it. This private room and gallery space is where his private quarters were located. It was designed as an apartment/overnight space but he rarely used it as such. Usually he just used this space to relax at the end of the day.
There was no shortage of pictures on the walls and knick knacks on shelves. Walt Disney surrounded himself with things he loved. Look at all these caricatures, cartoons, and sketches of Walt Disney.
There was even a torch from the 1960 Olympics!
It wasn’t part of Walt’s office but I wanted to share another special photo with you. As we left Walt’s office and made our way to another building we were taken down to a special underground tunnel. What’s so special about this tunnel? It was built so artists could take the cells of movies they were working on from one building to another without worrying about it getting wet if it was raining outside. I wonder what movie cells passed through this tunnel that I passed through? I get chills just thinking about it!
You can learn about the Disney Archives and more by visiting d23.com/walt-disney-archives/.
