Disney is kicking off its 100th anniversary celebration at D23 Expo. To celebrate, this year’s Walt Disney Archives exhibit is showcasing props, costumes, and historical artifacts that take Expo guests on a journey through the last 100 years of Disney. Walt Disney Archives presents Step in Time is a chronological showcase of historical assets in immersive, themed environments. 100 Years of Disney history is on display, from Disney’s animated shorts, films, television productions, and even the Disney Parks. Here, D23 Expo guests leave today and enter the worlds of Snow White, Mary Poppins, Walt Disney World’s Haunted Mansion, and beyond! Let’s explore!
Step in Time: Celebrating Disney100 with the Walt Disney Archives
The Walt Disney Archives exhibit, “Step in Time,” opened with a ribbon cutting and confetti burst on Thursday night in a special welcoming ceremony for invited guests. We were lucky to be there to watch Archives director Becky Cline along with D23 head Michael Vargo do the honors.
Once open, we were treated to a special sneak preview of the new exhibit that takes guests on a 100-year journey through the Walt Disney Company. Below, take a video tour of the exhibit in our video below:
The exhibit is broken up into mini-galleries, each focusing on one creative milestone from 10 decades of company history. The galleries each feature a themed photo backdrop as well as a display of artifacts from each decade’s creative milestone. The exhibition begins, of course, with Steamboat Willie in the 1920s.
Early Mickey Mouse merchandise and ephemera are on display here, showcasing the early days of the Mouse who started it all…
The 1930s are represented by Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 
Commemorative souvenir guide from the premiere of the film at the Cathay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. 
The Snow White dress from the Annie Leibovitz “Disney Dream Portrait” series from the 2000s.
Disneyland highlights the 1950s, with a floral Mickey backdrop and authentic attraction posters — just like you stepped into the park. 
Posters on display are posters once displayed in the park at the main entrance and in the tunnels. 
Ephemera and items from Disneyland’s grand opening are on display. 
Hand-written notes by Walt Disney for the plaques above the train station tunnels — cool! 
The 1960s take us on a jolly holiday with Mary Poppins. A cute photo op with penguins for the ‘gram.
Carousel horses and Mary’s dress are on display…
So cool to see this in person! 
The 1970s are highlighted by the opening of Walt Disney World. Here, authentic props and the old Bride animatronic from the Magic Kingdom’s version of the Haunted Mansion are on display. Spooky!
TRON takes center stage for the 1980s:
The glowing neon from Flynn’s arcade serves as a great photo op.
Take a seat at Club Ritz and enter the 1990s world of Dick Tracy.
The 2000s are represented by Disney Channel’s Wand ID commercial segments. These segments featured stars from shows such as Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven, and many more.
The wand itself is on display! 
The acquisition of Lucasfilm in the 2010s rounds out the Walt Disney Archives’ immersive gallery exhibition.
Get up close with BB-8.
R2 and C3PO! 
What do you think of this year’s Walt Disney Archives exhibit? While I do like the immersive photo-ops, especially the Steamboat Willie and Walt Disney World ones, I do wish there had been more artifacts on display. After all, this is an exhibit by the Walt Disney Archives and we’re celebrating one hundred years of the Walt Disney Company. Without question, there’s so much more we could have been shown — and with an Expo this big, plenty of space to accommodate it! In any case, what’s curated here are some great steps in time through Disney’s rich and unique history. We can’t wait to see what the Walt Disney Archives have in store during the rest of Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration!
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And come see MiceChat at the EXPO! We are giving away some incredible prizes including a 2-Night stay at the HoJo House of the Future Suite and 2 x Two-Day parkhopper tickets to Disneyland, as well as dozens of other incredible prizes from local theme parks, hotels, and restaurants!
Our booth will also host animatronics master Garner Holt, movie critic extraordinaire Leonard Maltin, and David Koenig, the author of “Mouse Tales.”
And last but not least, we’ll reveal some exciting news about the next Gumball Rally (here’s all the fun from 2022’s Rally), and there’s a special opportunity for teams who stop by during the expo!