Disney Legend Don Hahn takes Members on a virtual tour of the top-secret Disney Animation Research Library
“Today, I’m speaking to you in hushed tones and parked on a remote country road, because we’re going to a highly secretive place,” says a seat-belted Disney Legend Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King), peering up from the driver’s seat and into a camera lens with the eager energy of a man on a mission. “That place is incredibly special in the history of The Walt Disney Company … and you will be mindblown when you see what’s inside!”
So begins the latest Don Hahn-directed (and hosted) episode of “Disney Drop-In,” the award-winning Disney Vacation Club YouTube series that “drops in” on interesting Disney places with equally interesting Disney people (available now as part of the Disney Files On Demand YouTube playlist). In this case, “interesting” is a bit of an understatement, as the “place” is the tightly guarded Disney Animation Research Library, an off-limits-to-the-public facility in which talented teams preserve, protect and make available to today’s Disney storytellers a treasure trove of more than 65 million pieces of original artwork spanning the 100-year history of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
“It’s the kind of place you really have to see to believe,” said Disney Files Magazine Editor and Disney Files On Demand Producer Ryan March. “You may never have known this place existed, but as a Disney fan, you’re so happy it does.”
Viewers of the new National Geographic TV special “Making the Disney Wish” (which previewed aboard the 2022 Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise) get a quick glimpse into the library’s chilly vaults, briefly following Disney Imagineers as they researched and referenced Disney Animation art in designing the new Disney Cruise Line ship.
“If that National Geographic special ‘peeled back the curtain’ on the Disney Animation Research Library, this made-for-Members film tears the curtain right off the rod,” Ryan added. “Don has so much history with the studio and this library, forming relationships that bring an unusual amount of access. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that he chose to share that access with us, allowing our audience not only to see an eye-popping array of artwork that has shaped this company’s history, but also introducing us to some of the incredibly talented people entrusted with ensuring that the artwork in their care will continue to inspire the storytellers shaping this company’s future.”
Speaking to the library’s inspiring mission, Research Manager Fox Carney says in the film, “Somebody once asked, ‘What’s the value of the artwork in this collection?’ And I say, ‘What’s the value of any piece of artwork in our collection sparking the imagination of an artist nowadays to create something new?’ That’s beyond price.”
Don expanded on the library’s immeasurable value as he admired visual development art from Cinderella, saying, “It’s priceless on so many levels. It’s affected all of our lives, but also affected the history of Disney and the success of the studio. If it weren’t for Cinderella, the studio would’ve gone bankrupt, because it was going bankrupt after the war, and Cinderella brought it back. And now here are the original drawings from Cinderella!”
The film follows Don through a variety of research and collection rooms, climate-controlled vaults, digital preservation facilities and other exclusive spaces as he examines historic character sketches (including one pre-dating Mickey Mouse), layout drawings, concept paintings, model sheets, production cels, sculpted maquettes, hand-written x-sheets (studio lingo for “exposure sheets” noting intricate camera instructions for every drawing) and more, all while promising not to touch anything.
“What I love most about this film is that Don and the incredible people he meets along the way take the time to examine each artist's unique human touch, showcasing the art of animation in a way that’s deeply personal,” Ryan said of the film.
“A tour that could easily have felt technical instead becomes rather emotional. I was so fascinated by his footage that I just couldn’t bring myself to cut it down to the usual 12-15 minute format seen in most ‘Disney Drop-In’ episodes. This is so much more than a ‘webisode.’ It’s a beautiful, enlightening, 26-minute film, and we’re beyond proud to share it with Members as we celebrate 100 years of The Walt Disney Company and the studio from which it was born. While we also posted the film in more bite-sized, 12-13 minute halves for those who prefer the shorter format, my advice is to grab some popcorn, get comfortable and enjoy the full, 26-minute ride. You’ll see Disney Animation through new eyes.”