New Exhibit Based on Pete Docter’s ‘Directing at Disney’ Book Coming to The Walt Disney Family Museum

On October 17, 2024, a new exhibit will be unveiled at The Walt Disney Family Museum in its Lower Lobby and Theater Galleries. Directing at Disney is the name of this exhibit. It is inspired by the recent book of the same name written by Academy Award®-winning director and Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Pete Docter and Disney historian and author Don Peri. The exhibit is guest curated by Docter and Peri along with the museum’s Director of Collections and Exhibitions Marina Villar Delgado, Directing at Disney will spotlight many of the legendary directors whose creative talent and innovations made Walt Disney’s animated films possible.

“We’ve all seen the classic Disney animated features like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Pinocchio (1940),” says Docter, “but virtually no one can name the directors. Yet they were key contributors to these films, often reflecting Walt Disney’s journey as a world class creative leader.”

When guests check out Directing at Disney, they will get to see an extensive selection of rare film artifacts from The Walt Disney Studios. There will also be archival photographs that feature Walt Disney, his early production teams, and legendary directors. These will date back as far as the 1930s! On top of that, there will be objects and ephemera on display that include detailed production and story meeting notes, storyboards, concept paintings, layout drawings, original sheet music, office memos, and hand-written letters. There will also be additional content through touchscreen interactives and opportunities to scan QR codes to access additional digital content.

“Walt expected everyone at Studios to ‘plus’ their work—to make it better, to take it to the next level,” remarks Peri. “This exhibition is plussing our book by providing an opportunity to engage with our story through film clips from the directors’ films, related artwork and personal artifacts, and at fun touchscreen interactive kiosks. Pete and I are so excited to see our book come alive in this exhibition!”

The Walt Disney Family Museum shared how the role of directors in animation has evolved over the years. The museum shared that, “in the early days of animation, there were no directors. What appeared on screen was the domain of the animator. Beginning in the 1920s, Walt Disney led the creative direction of his productions, deciding almost every frame and shepherding the stories from inception through final revision. While not credited as such, Walt was, in fact, the first Disney director. But as his company grew and his interests progressed to live-action films, television, and theme parks, Walt expanded his team at the Studios and delegated greater responsibilities to the directors who worked for him, relying on their creative input and trusting their vision to complete the enormous task of producing both short and feature-length animated films.”

Through the last hundred years, The Walt Disney Studios has continued to be on the cutting edge of the evolution of animation and the people who bring it to the screen. This has seen a lot of change in the process, but not in the culture of innovation that began with Walt Disney and continues today.

“We have been honored to collaborate with Pete Docter and Don Peri over this past year to create this exhibition,” says Executive Director Kirsten Komoroske. “Their passion in bringing their co-authored book to life in this special exhibition is a testament to their commitment to preserving Disney history.”

Directing at Disney will continue to be offered until March 2025. There will also be an exclusive talk on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at the ILM Premier Theater in the Presidio with Pete Docter and Don Peri. The two will share about the process of creating their book. More information and tickets can be found at: waltdisney.org/education/talks.