Walt Disney Family Museum
add photosMuseum officially opens October 1st, 2009.
A wonderful and fascinating journey into the life of the Disney family, it's roots, story, and the building of an animation empire. An inspiring museum, but definitely not for young kids. Ages 6+ would probably do fine. No strollers are allowed in the museum.
8 Reviews for Walt Disney Family Museum
4
10 families found this helpful
"Fabulous, Modern Museum - Not for Kids"
This fairly new, modern museum in the beautiful Presidio of San Francisco is not to be missed for fans of Disney. The backside of the museum has a fabulous view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The museum is divided into different areas which take you through Walt's entire life. The museum is beautifully done. The highlight for me was the large model of Disneyland.
I personally really enjoyed the museum and would give this 5 starts from my adult point of view, but my kids would have been bored to death. There's nothing 'fun' from a kid perspective except for one exhibit where you can do sound effects. For this reason I'm giving it 3 stars.
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0 families found this helpful
"Walt Disney Family Museum – not just for kids"
The Walt Disney Family Museum – not just for kids
My wife, and our two boys (age 1 and 4) visited The Walt Disney Family Museum in 2011 as part of the “Family Magic” package offered by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco’s Financial District. The museum is located in the Presidio and was a quick drive from our hotel. We easily found metered street parking directly in front of the museum (it was a Friday).
Upon entering through the front doors of The Walt Disney Family Museum, my wife and I were amazed by the beautiful entry space. Even in the lobby, the attention to detail is admirable. The Walt Disney Family Museum is more sophisticated than Disneyland (not to say that the happiest place on earth doesn’t have its own unique charm.)
My 4 year old was mesmerized by the museum’s exhibits. He’s not yet familiar with all of the Disney Characters but it didn’t seem to matter to him. The cutting-edge interactive exhibits are especially fun for children. There’s a miniature version of Disneyland on display; it was my son’s favorite. I suppose this was my favorite exhibit too! It brings back memories of my visits to Disneyland as a kid.
Though a little younger than the recommend age to visit, our 1 year old still had fun running around, watching animated shorts on the multitude of screens and, as usual, drooling every step of the way. The Walt Disney Museum is engaging for both children and adults. For example, while kids may enjoy watching the original version of Steamboat Willie, adults would be interested in how Congress has extended the copyright for the film preventing it from entering the public domain. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying my visit more than I had anticipated.
There is a movie theater in the basement that shows different movies throughout the year. Admission to the theater is free with a paid museum ticket. However, after such an incredible day, my wife and I were too pooped to enjoy the show. We were told we could come back and use the theater tickets on another day. Cool!
The museum has a café with pre-made sandwiches and snacks as well as a gift shop that promises to clean out your wallet if you dare step foot in it. Needless to say, we did not enter the gift shop but we did have a nice lunch at the café. My only regret is our lack of pictures, no pictures are allowed inside the museum
Next stop, Disneyland! Hopefully this visit gave our kids a little background on The Magic Kingdom so they can appreciate it all the more when we make it to Anaheim.
*This review is based on a complimentary visit to The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, CA. I received no other compensation besides complimentary tickets to the museum. The Walt Disney Family Museum did not request that I express any particular point of view and my reviews always reflect my honest opinions.
1 family found this helpful
"Interesting, but not for young kids"
We decided to try this first without our kids and were glad we did. In our opinion it is not for children at all. It is a lot about Walt's life and we found it very hard to hear. Exhibits were so close to each other it made hearing each one hard. There is very little here that a child of any age would enjoy unless they were in High School and had a strong desire to know about Walt. It is very expensive too for what you get. We saw a special deal on tickets after we went that would have made them 1/2 price that is more what it is actually worth. They have a place inside for snacks.
0 families found this helpful
"The Wonderful World of Disney in SF!"
The Walt Disney Family Museum tells two histories. It provides visitors with an in depth, creative and cool walk through the life and imagination of Walt Disney himself. At the same time it also lays out an interesting educational look into the early years of animated shorts.
This museum is chalked full of interactive exhibits allowing visitors that opportunity to hear audio commentary for early illustrators, employees from the Disney studio color lab and actors. There also exercises in matching music to character and sound effects to soundtrack.
Intertwined in the history of Disney's empire, is the story that is the birth and growth of Disney's own family. Lilly Disney and the couple's two daughters along with their families are all represented here. It is really a touching tender and intimate look at the man behind the far reaching Disney culture.
Some of the most memorable points of interest for me:
- Disney Studio's work during WWII -- some of the signs and poster art displayed are entertaining! Image Donald Duck warning bugs to stay out of the victory garden and Mickey Mouse throwing gunk in the der Fuhrer's face!!
- The expansive model of early Disneyland! It's amazing how much of the original is still there!
- Video footage introducing, "It's a Small World."
- Video explaining animatronics used to manufacture a display where Abe Lincoln appears on stage and gives talks to visitors at the NY World Fair and during the early days of Disneyland. It is positively creepy!! We're talking Honest Abe giving talks from the grave!!
- A photo of Mr. Disney with the first two children to ever enter Disneyland.
- An entire wall (and it is a long wall) of editorial cartoons and telegrams expressing the grief and sadness over the Mr. Disney's death. Very touching!!
This museum will make you nostalgic for your childhood, inspire you to use your imagination and touch your heart. What an amazing legacy!!
NOTE: Despite the Disneyland connection and the great vestige to childhood, I do not recommend taking young kids here. Our kindergartener had a very hard time holding attention or interest. Many of the topics were technically and emotionally beyond his grasp. Our eight-year-old however, was fascinated by most of what she saw.
1 family found this helpful
"Walt Disney Family Museum, San Francisco"
This museum is fabulous if you're a "Disneyphile" like I am. But it's not so good for taking little ones. It's different than what most of us expect for a "family" Disney activity. For starters they don't let in strollers. Secondly, the museum exhibits are not geared for young children. Our two got very bored and in the end my husband just left with them. The two older kids (13 & 14) stayed with me and we all very much enjoyed the museum.
2 families found this helpful
"Most appropriate for older kids"
My kids and I (ages 4 and 5) went to the new Walt Disney Family Museum on opening day. The museum is geared towards celebrating the life of Walt Disney. It pulls out all the tricks and surprises you would expect, and even more than that!
Walking into the museum, you are treated to a display room of all the awards Disney won in his lifetime. I had never heard of some of the awards. The special oscar for Snow White is there, too. It was cool to see that close up.
You can watch his old cartoons, see photos of him in the early days, and see all the studio equipment he and his teams developed (including the multi-plane camera). Throughout the museum are interactive, colorful displays that my kids really enjoyed.
The crown jewel of the museum is a miniature replica of Disneyland. It includes Disneyland as Walt envisioned it. Some of the rides are ones parents will remember from childhood. Some were never built. Some are there now. My kids could have looked at this model for hours.
We are big Disney fans, so my kids LOVED this museum. Still, I think for a kid to get the most out of it, they should be at least 8 or 9. There are some great historical lessons to learn in there (they had stuff on the House Committee For UnAmerican Activities, for example). You could make it a learning journey.
Truly fascinating museum that should be visited if you are a Disney fan.
3 families found this helpful
"A chance to discover the man behind the mouse"
We were fortunate enough to get a peek inside the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco last Sunday. The museum opens on Thursday October 1st and is located in the Presidio Park.
Before going, I made sure that my two daughters (7 3/4 and 11) knew that this was not a walk in Disneyland but an insider view on the life of the man behind the company. If you do not want to risk disappointment, your family needs to be aware of this.
What we liked
Learning about the personal and professional life of Walt Disney through videos, family pictures. It is the whole purpose of the museum and it is a success.
There is too much to tell and it was such a pleasure to discover the museum that I do not want to give too much away but you will discover the original drawings (it was interesting to see the original Mickey Mouse sketches), the Alice series, the awards, especially the Oscar(s) received for Snow White (you will locate the award right away), the process behind the music, the sounds, the colors, the cartoons, the movies, etc, there is so much to learn and enjoy about the achievement of Walt Disney.
You think that you know so much about the man, well, think again, unless you are a die hard fan, I am sure you will spend a lot of time in the first two galleries discovering his life before creating Mickey Mouse. .
The interactive screens: my daughters played some game of pairing some music and characters. Lots of kids had fun playing that game. There were also some synchronizing images and sounds activities.
I was surprised by
The Gift Store: I thought the quality of the items is really high. Nothing plasticky as we often see in the Disney store. A lot of Art items are available.
What we did not like so much
My children lost interest at the Disneyland Park gallery. They liked the model of the park but for some reasons, this area did not touch them the same way the previous galleries did. They were more familiar with that part and instead of exploring the gallery,decided that they would rather whine about how they never get to go to Disneyland (even though their uncle took them to Disneyland Paris last summer!)
The Timed-entry. You have a window of 15 minutes to show up at the entrance with your printed ticket. My GPS sent us first to Montgomery Street in Downtown San Francisco and we arrived 5 minutes before scanning time even though we left really early. If you arrive after your window expired, they will try to get you in as soon as there is an opening or a slowdown in entrance. And if it never happens, you will have to come back another day. Well, you do not want this to happen, so plan accordingly.The galleries are not big and pacing out entries make complete sense. There was a lot of people in the museum but we never felt it was overcrowded so obviously it works.
Know before you go
No strollers allowed
Do not go with children under 7. I doubt they would like more than the cartoons in some of the galleries.
Buy your tickets before you go, it is a timed-entry, make sure you do not leave in a hurry. You can buy the tickets 60 days in advance.
Is the the ticket price worth it?:
Adult: $20
Child: $12.50
The tickets are not cheap. We stayed almost three hours in the museum and really had a nice time. I am highly recommending it if your children can read and are big enough to process all the information. I definitely do not recommend it with toddlers.
The Disney Family Museum gave my family complimentary tickets . I received no other compensation besides the tickets, and the Museum did not express any requirement that I express a particular point of view.
5 families found this helpful
"Wonderful museum for adults (and kids over 6+)"
We had the opportunity to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum this weekend with our two kids (6 and 3). The museum is located near the Golden Gate Bridge, on the grounds of the Presidio of San Francisco, a former army base which is now part of the National Park System. The museum offers a fascinating look into the history and life of the Disney family, as well as the founding of the iconic Walt Disney Company by Walt and Roy Disney.
The museum is world class in it's fit and finish, but be forewarned that it is first and foremost a museum and not a theme park. The museum starts off with the history of the Disney family and moves into the captivating story of the growth of the nascent animation industry. It showcases the pivotal role that Disney played in advancing the art and science of animation. I found all of it fascinating and I learned quite a bit about the history of animation. Our kids were engaged by the plethora of video animations, but spent the most time in the Disneyland model area near the end of the museum. Our 6 year old likes to draw and was especially intrigued by the history and the process of animation.
The tickets are available on a timed-entry basis and can be reserved up to 60 days in advance. Strollers are not allowed in the museum, so make sure your little ones are up for walking quite a distance. Limited stroller parking is available, but I would recommend not bringing one. Due to the lack of stroller access and the grown up nature of the museum, I would only recommend it for kids over 6 years old. There is a small cafe on site run by Wolfgang Puck, but the sandwiches were nothing to write home about. The tuna wraps we ate were soggy and wet. I'd recommend skipping it unless you need a quick snack. The museum store is nothing like your typical Disney store and has a variety of interesting and unique items that I'd seen no where else. A kid-friendly theater is also located on the premises which shows various Disney films. Admission to this theater is included with admission and can also be purchased separately.
All in all, the museum was a fun journey into Disney history and can be worth the price of admission for Disney and animation buffs. Kids over six years of age should enjoy it. At $20 for an adult ticket and $12.50 for kids, it did seem a bit steep, but one could very well spend 2+ hours in the museum experiencing all that it has to offer.
*This review is based on a complimentary admission to the Walt Disney Family Museum for press/media. I received no other compensation besides the admission ticket and the owner did not express any requirements that I express a particular point of view.
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