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Walt Disney Family Museum Reexamines Alice in Wonderland with Contemporary Artist Camille Rose Garcia alongside works by Disney Legend Mary Blair

The Walt Disney Family Museum is pleased to present the exhibition Camille Rose Garcia: Down the Rabbit Hole. On view from May 9 to November 3, 2013, the exhibition features some 40 works by Garcia alongside seven Alice in Wonderlandconcept paintings by Disney artist Mary Blair from the Museum’s collection. Organized by guest curator Tere Romo, the exhibition celebrates not only Garcia and Blair’s artistry across decades and artistic styles, but also the power of art to draw us into magical worlds that spark engagement and inspiration.

Since its publication in 1865, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been re-interpreted visually in a wide-range of artistic styles and media, including as an animated Walt Disney film in 1951. Over half a century later, Garcia has updated the enduring classic with her distinctive illustrations that capture a young girl’s surreal adventures after following a rabbit down a hole. In this exhibition of Garcia’s book illustrations, Alice’s encounters with the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and Red Queen are quirky renditions of the main characters set against colorful backdrops. With her conscious disregard for perspective or scale in her compositions, Garcia creates a fresh and contemporary depiction of the dreamlike story. Her illustrations not only draw from a Goth sensibility, but also the thriving “low-brow art” movement in Los Angeles and its references to classic cartoons, 60’s TV sitcoms, rock music, and comic books. However, in keeping with Lewis’s intended audience, the illustrations retain the animation quality of the Disney film that continues to appeal to all generations.Read More »Walt Disney Family Museum Reexamines Alice in Wonderland with Contemporary Artist Camille Rose Garcia alongside works by Disney Legend Mary Blair

Walt Disney Family Museum Reports Successful Year

Diane Disney Miller with Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas from ABC’s Once Upon A Time in front of a few special Academy Awards at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Congratulations are in order to the team at the the Walt Disney Family Museum who all contributed to making 2012 a banner year. Since November 2011, annual attendance has increased by 13 percent from 90,000 to 103,000, the number of member households has increased by 43 percent, and the Museum welcomed a 25 percent increase in group sales.

Gabriella C. Calicchio joined the WDFM in November and under her direction, the Museum developed its first-ever, five-year strategic plan, launched an exhibitions program, and opened the first major special exhibition—Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic, which was celebrated by visitors and critics alike. In the intimate theater gallery, the Museum presented two additional exhibitions—Heinrich Kley: From Fantasy to Fantasia and Between Frames: The Magic Behind Stop Motion Animation. The exhibitions have been popular among a wide variety of Bay Area visitors, including young professionals, seniors, and students, as well as tourists and cultural travelers.

Museum co-founder and Board President Walter Elias Disney Miller states, “With a renewed leadership in management that brought us the collaborative development of The Walt Disney Family Museum strategic plan along with our staff and volunteers—who are the heart and soul of this Museum—we now have a clear vision to guide us towards the best museum experience we can offer our visitors while showcasing the legacy of not only my grandfather Walt Disney, but also the men and women of his organization that brought his dreams to life through inspiration and innovation.”Read More »Walt Disney Family Museum Reports Successful Year

A visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum

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Ed note: welcome back long time blog author Whit Honea. The Walt Disney Family Museum has been lambasted over the fact that it is located in San Francisco rather than in a town with a more direct link to the legacy of its namesake. I… Read More »A visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum

Mickey and Minnie Dolls Help the Walt Disney Family Museum

If you’re looking for a way to help support the Walt Disney Family Museum and share your love of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, you can now purchase a pair of Mickey and Minnie dolls, available only through the museum’s website or at the museum store.… Read More »Mickey and Minnie Dolls Help the Walt Disney Family Museum

Walt Disney Family Museum in S.F. to celebrate Disneyland’s 55th anniversary

If you’re unable to be at Disneyland on July 17 to celebrate its 55th birthday, here’s something that might be a bit more special and honor the man who dared pursue a dream others said would never work. The Walt Disney Family Museum at The… Read More »Walt Disney Family Museum in S.F. to celebrate Disneyland’s 55th anniversary

Walt Disney Family Museum opens to public

It’s been a long time dream of Diane Disney Miller, and others in the Disney family, to open a museum to honor her father Walt and now that dream is a reality. I still have a major quibble with the museum’s location, in the Presidio… Read More »Walt Disney Family Museum opens to public