Walt Disney: One Man's Dream opened in 2001 as part of the company-wide 100 Years of Magic celebration, marking the centennial of Walt's birth. The pre-show of this movie is as much the attraction as the film itself, featuring a museum of Disney artifacts, including Walt's office from the real Disney Studios (which used to be displayed at Disneyland), as well as Disney's Academy Awards for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (one regular-sized Oscar and seven miniatures) and Imagineering models of several attractions.
One display within the exhibit also explains the development of the Disney Studio's innovative multiplane camera, which helped give certain shots within Disney's animated films a three-dimensional feel.
Yet the centerpiece of the attraction remains the filmed biography of Walt, exploring his journey to Hollywood and life at the studio. It even includes rare footage of Walt talking about the creation of Mickey Mouse.
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream got quite a bit of support in a recent Theme Park Insider discussion on the most underrated theme parks in America. Reader Thomas Caselli wrote: "Walt put his life into Disneyland and his brother Roy did the same with Walt Disney World and this attraction gives one a glimpse of what they went through to build the entertainment empire that is Disney."
It might be hard to call an attraction that rates a five seed in the tournament "underrated," but Walt Disney: One Man's Dream is certainly beloved by its fans.
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Sadly, the frantic pace and short attention span of the average theme park visitor generally causes most folks to skip this attraction entirely. What a shame.
Really? Boring? Even my A.D.H.D. friends loved this attraction.
Its the attraction that Disney should have had since Walt's Death. However, I think it should be at the Magic Kingdom, not Hollywood Studios.
Other than that, one of the most underrated attractions out there! The bio film is paticularly good since Walt Disney actually narriates some of it!
Gotta disagree with you about the location. One Man's Dream fits perfectly in its current location: a park dedicated to media production.
On the other hand, I could see how you may want it on Main Street, U.S.A., since Disneyland and The Magic Kingdom were the only parks Walt oversaw during the development stages (and, in a minor way, Epcot). Still, overall I feel that the Studios is a more fitting location.
Maybe a discussion topic?
Joshua, I'm assuming you know about the Walt Disney Family Museum that just opened (relatively speaking) in San Francisco. Here's the link in case you didn't:
disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/index.html
Miceage's columnist Sue Krause also reviews it.
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I'd love to see Disney take a stab at a museum. Not only is the display content amazing, but the presentation of the displays gets huge points. It feels like what the Disney Studio in Burbank might have felt like (based on "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination" by Gabler) back in its glory days.
9-Outstanding.