Credit: Jess Colopy, Inside the MagicWalt Disney was born in a two-story house in the Hermosa neighborhood of Chicago in 1901. He founded the animation studio that would become The Walt Disney Company a few decades later. After a century, the Walt Disney Archives brought the magic back to Walt’s birthplace with Disney100: The Exhibition.
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Two versions of Disney100: The Exhibition will tour North America and internationally for five years. After kicking off its United States tour at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the traveling exhibit made its way to Chicago, Illinois. Naturally, the Inside the Magic team had to check it out.
The museum takes up 15,000 square feet at the Exhibition Hub Art Center in the Bucktown neighborhood. It contains artifacts from before Walt created Mickey Mouse through films as recent as The Little Mermaid (2023). There’s something for every Disney fan, full of Disney Park, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and music nostalgia that calls out to the child in all of us.
Planning Your Visit to Disney100: The Exhibition
Advance tickets are highly recommended for Disney100: The Exhibition. Timed admission tickets start at $30 per adult and $25 per child and reach as high as $40 per adult and $30 per child. An extra $20 guarantees a VIP lanyard, exclusive pin, photo-op, and priority entry. For another $5, VIP guests receive all those benefits plus admission at any time on their selected day.
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Unlike a visit to Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort, guests without the VIP flex ticket must enter during their timed admission window. Early entry may be permitted but isn’t guaranteed. Guests should plan for around two hours, and, of course, the souvenir shop at the end.
Coat check costs two dollars per guest. Parking is free, and the venue is disability accessible. If you’re early for your reservation, pass the time at the snack bar with some chips and a drink.
Can’t make it to the Windy City? Disney100: The Exhibition will open at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, in May 2024.
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For international Disney fans, Disney100: The Exhibition is currently in London, United Kingdom, after its grand opening in Berlin, Germany. The exhibit hasn’t announced its next worldwide tour stop.
The Artifacts Tell the Story
The Disney family had something special. Walt and Roy Disney, co-animators, and Imagineers created stories and theme parks that became irreplaceable parts of pop culture.
Through ten immersive galleries, Disney100: The Exhibition takes guests on a journey from Walt’s early days as an artist, losing the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and creating Mickey Mouse. One of the oldest artifacts, shown below, is the legal contract for Alice Comedies. It’s now considered the founding document of The Walt Disney Company.
Disney CEO Bob Iger shares his perspective throughout each gallery but opens Disney100: The Exhibition with this:
“There are few companies that have both a legendary past as well as a limitless future. Walt founded this company grounded in the spirit of creativity and innovation, which continues to define Disney 100 years later, allowing us to keep moving forward to meet the future without ever losing sight of who we are and where it all started.
‘Disney100: The Exhibition’ showcases more than 250 of Disney’s ‘Crown Jewels,’ including rarely seen artwork and artifacts, costumes and props, and other memorabilia from the Walt Disney Archives. Using innovative and immersive technology, we invite guests to step into their favorite stories throughout the 10 galleries of the approximately 15,000-square-foot exhibit.
A century of creativity, innovation, and determiniation created The Walt Disney Company we know today—the most enduring and beloved name in entertainment. But Disney is more than that—it’s a global cultural institution that has captured the world’s imagination, entertained billions of people, and earned affection and appreciation across continents and cultures.
And today, we are proud to carry forth Walt’s vision of delighting fans and families of all ages by pairing unrivaled storytelling with innovative immersive experiences in a way that only Disney can.
As Walt once said, ‘No adventure is either improbable or impossible.’
This exhibition is a testament to that. Today and always, we embody Walt’s spirit of boundless creativity in everything that we do. And we’re grateful to you, the generations of fans all around the globe who have invited our stories and characters into their lives. Thank you.”
Your journey will begin with a photo-op and a short movie explaining the thought behind the traveling exhibition. At the end, you can purchase the professional photo edited onto multiple Disney-inspired backgrounds.
Each visitor creates their own experience. Fourteen interactive displays allow guests of all ages to test early animation tricks, create sound effects, and more.
Should You Visit Disney100: The Exhibition?
Many of Disney100: The Exhibition’s “crown jewels” have previously never left the Walt Disney Archives. Check out concept art for Peter Pan or the Mickey Mouse plush Walt Disney held on Disneyland Resort’s opening day. Come face to face with puppets from Star Wars or drawings by Disney Legend and original animator Ub Iwerks.
Disney100: The Exhibition looks not just to the past but to the future. Displays hint at developing animatronic technology and movies in the works, like Pirates of the Caribbean 6.
Though it might be difficult for little ones to focus, this traveling museum is a perfect afternoon adventure for fans of The Walt Disney Company and its creations.
Disney100: The Exhibition runs at the Hub Art Center in Chicago until January 28, 2024. Tickets are available here.
What part of Disney100: The Exhibition excites you the most? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments!