A Visit to the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives

April 10, 2013 in All Posts, Big Kids, d23, disney archives, disneyland resort, fun facts, other so cal tourist attractions, vacation planning, walt disney by Kendra Kuske

Located in Simi Valley, just 70 miles from the main entry plaza at Disneyland, the Reagan Library is the temporary home to the largest exhibit of Disney memorabilia that has ever been on display in one location- Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives. The Archives have been on display since last summer but I haven’t been able to get the kids there until this past weekend. Included with the price of admission ($21 for adults and $6 for children 10 and under) is a self-guided tour of the library, Air Force One Pavilion where you can tour an actual Air Force One 707 airplane, and the D23 Treasures of Walt Disney Archives. The Archives are a small, but mighty portion of the tour with over 500 different artifacts to see including art, props, and costumes.

Having had so much exposure to Disneyland and many, many Disney movies was a great advantage because they were excited to see characters and costumes that they recognized. Most all of the items were displayed low enough that I didn’t have to pick them up to see, which I really appreciated. Emma’s favorite were the Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty prop books (the ones shown at the beginning of the movies), and Evan’s favorite was the Captain Rex prop from the original Star Tours ride. I loved seeing all of the amazing costumes and replica of Walt Disney’s office.

Emma, Evan & the dragon from Fantasmic!

Captain Rex from the Star Tours ride

Cruela De Vil costume worn by Glenn Close

Elizabeth Swann & Jack Sparrow costumes

Book prop featured in the opening credits of Cinderella

Book prop featured in the opening credits of Snow White

Book prop featured in the opening credits of Sleeping Beauty

As the Mom of two young children (ages 6 and 3) I was slightly worried about taking Evan and Emma to a museum that wasn’t necessarily geared towards children. I opted to skip the Library and Air Force One tour and instead went straight to the D23 exhibit just in case the kids were tired or weren’t quite ready for all that is required of them while at a museum (i.e. quiet voices, not touching, and staying close by). I have to say that we had a great time and that I was pleasantly surprised by how excited they were to see all of the different items that were on display.

Exact Replica of Walt Disney’s Office (left side)

Walt Disney’s Office (right side)

If you’re a Disney fan, history buff, or simply want to take a little weekend road trip; look no further than the Reagan Library. There are only two weekends left before the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit closes (April 30th), making this weekend a great time to visit!!

Be sure to follow Kendra on Twitter or on Instagram @kendrakuske for more updates and photos.

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4 Comments

About Kendra Kuske

Kendra is excited to be able to share her experiences with readers and hopes to help guide them on their Disney journeys and holds the record as the Babes In Disneyland contributor with my most on-property stays at resort hotels and the most character dining experiences. She can be followed on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Comments

Vy T. says

April 10, 2013 at 4:58 pm

Great post Kendra! My fiance and I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit as well!

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Kendra Kuske says

April 11, 2013 at 3:37 am

Thanks Vy! Glad you loved it too!

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Steve K. says

April 12, 2013 at 8:08 pm

I agree! That tour was pretty awesome. To see a lot of the props from my favorite movies made the trip more than worth it.

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Steve K. says

April 12, 2013 at 8:10 pm

I agree!! Touring the exhibits and seeing the props from some of my favorite movies (the tron light cycle was my personal favorite) was more than worth the trip.

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