The Walt Disney Company celebrated its 100th anniversary on Oct. 16, 2023, and to mark the momentous milestone, MiceChat’s Dusty Sage and publicist Jeffrey R. Epstein gathered a veritable who’s who of Disney family members, voice actors, animators, Imagineers – and even a few Disney Legends – for a fabulous party at Walt Disney’s Storybook Mansion in Los Feliz, Calif.
Although Disney planned a few events for the 100th, many guests at the Disney Mansion felt there was no better place to celebrate the company’s anniversary than the home where Walt lived when he made the first full length feature film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Luminous guests, including former Imagineers Bob Gurr, Tony Baxter, and Chris Crump; voice actors Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse), Bill Farmer (Goofy), and Michael-Leon Wooley (Louis the alligator in “Princess and the Frog”); and legendary Disney animator Floyd Norman mingled in the backyard overlooking Los Angeles.
It was easy to imagine the posh parties Walt and Lillian Disney must have hosted in the same spot, and to add a dash of Hollywood glamour (as Walt and Lillian’s parties surely would have had as well), John Stamos and his wife Caitlin shared favorite stories with Disney friends.
“This isn’t just an incredible party filled with incredible people, it’s also the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company,” host Dusty Sage said. “We put together this little soiree so we could do a proper celebration of the gentlemen who made THE Disney company something we all love so much. Here’s to Walt & Roy Disney and all the people with us here today that are themselves a piece of that century of magic.”
The evening included light bites, plenty of lively cocktail party conversation, and, of course, a champagne toast to Walt and Roy. Guests also celebrated the birthday of Disney Legend Bob Gurr, who turns 92 on Oct. 25th – “only eight years behind the company,” he notes.
Joanna Miller, whose grandfather and great-uncle Roy started the Walt Disney Company 100 years ago, spoke about Roy and Walt’s beginnings in their uncle’s house, which she’s currently restoring just down the hill from the mansion.
“[We’re celebrating] the fact that Roy talked his brother Walt into coming to California, and that [their] Uncle Robert welcomed them into his home…and gave them the garage when he saw that grandpa needed some place to do his art,” she said. “Thank you so much for having this, so we get to be here and thank Roy and Walt (grandpa).”
Other highlights included a piano performance by Michael-Leon Wooley of “Feed the Birds” from “Mary Poppins” (Walt’s favorite song), and animators Terry Shakespeare and David Molina of Creative Capers debuting new episodes of their charming “The Wonderful World of Walt” stop-motion shorts in Walt’s private screening room. MiceChat will showcase the new episodes until Walt’s birthday on Dec. 5, 2023.
“We used to listen to interviews of Walt from the late 50s,” Terry explained. “We’d done 2D animation but never stop-motion, so we decided to make a puppet of Walt and found little snippets from those interviews – little tiny stories. We did five one-minute episodes based on those interviews, and we’re doing five more for the 100th anniversary.”
You can see the first 100th-anniversary episode here:
“All of you are part of the story of 100 years,” Dusty said as he raised his glass to toast the crowd. “Whether you created the magic or you consume the magic – and most importantly to the two incredible Disney brothers who brought us the Walt Disney Company – Cheers to you.”
The lovingly restored Disney mansion on Woking Way was donated for the evening by its current owner, famed motion picture Director Timur Bekmambetov, who stated: “I’ve spent a lifetime being inspired by Walt Disney and his brother Roy. It is my deepest honor to pay tribute to their legacy by filling these storied halls with today’s Disney legends.”
Additional upcoming special events hosted by Dusty Sage are the Grim Grinning Gala to benefit the Garner Holt Foundation on Oct. 28, 2023; several exclusive history (and haunted) tours of Walt’s mansion throughout October (including an extra special Halloween night event with Bob Gurr); and “The Weird World of Rolly Crump” panel discussion at the Bowers Museum on Nov. 11, 2023.
You can find details and ticket information for all three in our articles below:
Come Out To Socialize at a Grim Grinning Gala by an Animatronics Legend
The Thrilling & Chilling Tales of Walt Disney’s Real-Life (Haunted?) Mansion
LAST CHANCE: Step Into The Weird World of Disney Legend Rolly Crump
