I was more than a little intrigued when we were asked to leave our belongings, our cameras, phones and any other recording devices in a conference room outside of the mysterious doors of the Disney Animation Research Library. Even the location is held secret by Disney.
This is a safe haven for all of the Disney animation property. It’s state of the art. They are constantly researching new and better ways to preserve their priceless pieces of Disney history. Beyond learning about preservation, we were there to learn about how the classic Peter Pan from 1953 was able to guide filmmakers as THE PIRATE FAIRY was created.
Firstly, the Disney Animation Research Library is said to contain over 65 million unique pieces of various artifacts from Disney history. The specialists work to catalogue and maintain these artistic treasures. Walt Disney felt that preserving these was of importance for in-house use. They were a source of inspiration and also as a reference for new productions.
Each sketch is packaged meticulously with gloved hands. It was amazing to see just how many hours it took and so much attention to detail in how each sketch was treated. If a print is torn or damaged, the specialists do their best to fix it. Sometimes a tiny piece will be bagged along with the print from which it came from. And other times, these tiny pieces serve a larger purpose. They are used as a method of research to test out new means of restoration.
As we went through the tour, I understood why we were not allowed to tweet, share our location, or bring our phones or even pens with us. So much of Disney’s priceless artifacts were housed in this undisclosed location.
Our group was able to view the very sketches used to make the original Peter Pan. The drawings of the characters, the pirate ship, even Skull Rock!
These sketches were used as inspiration for the new Disney’s THE PIRATE FAIRY by the filmmakers and the animation department.
But how are all of these priceless artifacts preserved? In a place they call “the vaults.” They are locked, temperature controlled and house hundreds of thousands artifacts: sketches, glass panes and models. Records allow them to easily retrieve what is needed from these large, high-tech, mechanical bookshelves.
My favorite part of the tour was the Image Capture Room. In our day, we do not hop in our car and go visit the card catalogue at the library to find the book we would like. We have different means, as do Disney filmmakers. Photographers armed with different types of high-tech cameras capture the images from previous movies. These take just under a few minutes to capture and are sent over a secure online database.
We were also able to meet some fun members of the ARL design team. They are the masterminds behind the artwork in many of the Disney exhibits. They work with color, from the colors that the prints are matted on to the walls on which they are hung. I have to say that one of the highlights of the trip is to visit the design department and see how it differed from the rest of the ARL. It was a bit on the messy side, but oh so colorful! Even the rainbow display of guitars showed just how creative this department was!
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip into Disney’s library. I love how the filmmakers took such effort to refer back to the original Peter Pan when they created The Pirate Fairy. Be sure to check back to hear all about the new Disney film THE PIRATE FAIRY!
All opinion are honest and 100% my own. Disney provided an all-expense paid trip to cover the event.
That is so cool. I love behind the scenes things like this and I am obsessed with Disney!!
such an amazing place. and to think of how many people don’t know it’s there, or what’s inside!
I got to meet with Jenni Magee-Cook this week and she mentioned this inner sanctum. You folks were so lucky to get a tour!
I loved visiting the Animation Research Library last August. It’s so awesome to see how the films are made and sketches are stored. So much attention to detail goes into “simple” drawings, it’s amazing.
Very cool place to tour! I would love to see an animation studio or own a real animation sketch from a movie.
How cool! I love seeing how things are done behind the scenes.
How cool to get to go see this big secret! I’d love to get to see it!
That is awesome! My kids would freak to be able to see that – I can’t imagine how many thousands upon thousands of items they have in their vaults! I would love to have a peek!
What a neat opportuntity!! Looks like an amzing experience!!
Wow lucky you! I would have loved to be able to have a peek in the Disney Vault!
I loved reading this. I always like learning new things so this must have been an awesome trip for you to be on..I’m pretty envious. 😉
Wow so neat you got to go there! I want to take my girls to Disney when they get a little bit older!
This is too cool, what a great experience, thanks for sharing! I love behind the scene secrets!
So neat that it is all ‘top secret’!! How exciting that you were able to check out all of that stuff!!
What an amazing experience! I love that they keep all of the those sketches and really a lot of priceless pieces from Disney films!
This looks like such an interesting place to visit. I love Disney animation. I think my daughter is going to love the new fairy movie!
How cool is that?! I’d love to go on a tour and see some of their priceless artifacts!
Now that I know how much The Pirate Fairy is based on/inspired by Peter Pan, I really want to see it! My 3 year old has just become a Peter Pan and Jake and the Neverland Pirates fan, so he’d probably want to see this too.
Disney is one of the most amazing animators. I love almost every Disney movies. 🙂 It’s great to get some fresh ideas and perspective on how animation evolves throughout time. I am happy that you have given a chance to experience this inspiring tour. 🙂
How exciting that must have been to go in the vault! I bet that’s a trip you’ll never forget!
What a cool tour! You guys no doubt got to see some awesome memorable stuff!
This is so cool! This reminds me of their movie, “Behind the Scenes at Walt Disney Studios” from the Walt Disney Treasures line of dvds. I would love to see archival stuff of Sleeping Beauty.
It is amazing how much work and research go into these movies! Disney is just the best at what they do!
Oh man, that looks like a great trip! I bet it would be awesome to work there too.
This is probably one of my favorite places on earth. When I got a tour I wanted to find a room to hide out in forever.
This is so cool. I love learning how they do the graphics in movies.
That is so cool! I love that it’s all Top-Secret!
What an amazing experience to go behind the scenes like that! Viewing those originals must have been really exciting!
Peter Pan is my all time favorite Disney Movie!! I love all the photos!
That is really amazing! It is like you are in a super secret club. 🙂 What a very cool event you attended. Disney has a high standard and I love their commitment to preserving their work.
I would love to go in there. What a magical place, to have all that artwork in one area.
Oh how I would love to see a behind the scenes in how it all works. I can’t wait to see this film either, I think my kids will love it. What a wonderful experience.
You sound like you had do much fun thanks for letting us experience it too.