Semmel Exhibitions, a creator of award-winning blockbuster exhibitions, has announced that Disney100: The Exhibition, which is the largest exhibition the Walt Disney Archives has ever created, is now open at Munich’s Small Olympic Hall.
The exhibition, which debuted earlier this year at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, will be open in Munich until 3 September, and will then embark on an international tour. At the official opening, media representatives, members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club and selected VIP guests were the first in Europe to discover the exhibition, which features films and stories from an unprecedented perspective across ten themed galleries.
It was opened by Dieter Semmelmann, CEO of Semmel Concerts, the parent company of Semmel Exhibitions; Bavaria’s Prime Minister Dr Markus Söder, MdL; Becky Cline, director of the Walt Disney Archives and Roger Crotti, country manager GSA, The Walt Disney Company. ceremoniously opened the exhibition. Guests included Michael Vargo, vice president of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club and Disney legends Don Hahn and Andreas Deja.
Celebrating 100 years of Disney
“We are proud to be the German entertainment organiser to produce and host the exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the world’s most important entertainment company,” says Semmelmann.
Crotti adds: “After a successful world premiere in Philadelphia, we are delighted that the European tour of Disney100: The Exhibition will now start in Munich, making the treasures, memories and special moments from 100 years accessible to fans all across Europe.”
Cline says:
“The Walt Disney Archives spent years planning and curating more than 250 objects to capture the 100 years of storytelling, creativity, and unparalleled magic of The Walt Disney Company. We cannot wait for fans and families to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event celebrating the iconic characters and stories that have captured the hearts of audiences around the globe.”
Ten immersive galleries, Disney treasures and more
The exhibition includes ten uniquely themed galleries with cutting-edge technology. Guests will be able to relive old favourites and discover where some of Disney’s most cherished and iconic movies got their inspiration. They will go on a quest to find hidden artefacts from their favourite Disney adventure movies, look through an interactive window of Captain Nemo’s fabled submarine, and enter a recreation of Main Street, U.S.A.
The ten galleries are: Where It All Began, Where Do the Stories Come From?, The Illusion of Life, The Spirit of Adventure and Discovery, The Magic of Sound and Music, The World Around Us, Innoventions, Your Disney World, The Wonder of Disney, and We Are Just Getting Started.
More than 250 of Disney’s “Crown Jewels,” original artworks, artefacts, costumes, props, and other memorabilia, are displayed throughout the galleries, many of which are rarely seen. These include the earliest sketches and animation drawings of Mickey Mouse from his first film, Steamboat Willie (1928), the prop book from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the glass slipper from Cinderella (2015), the animation maquette for Remy from Ratatouille (2008), and the costume worn by Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow (2021).
The Disney MagicStage welcomes visitors to the exhibition, where a life-size statue of Walt Disney himself stands and delivers an energising speech on creativity. The team, which included representatives from Disney StudioLAB, Disney Research Studios, and Industrial Light & Magic, used cutting-edge technology to digitally recreate Walt and produce this distinctive greeting.
Two different audio recordings of Walt were combined to create his vocal script using the immense resources of the Walt Disney Archives. The Disney Archives also gave Disney Research Studios a film of Walt from the 1960s, which the team upgraded to high definition using their super-resolution A.I. upscaler. The outcome was a collaborative effort between all areas of The Walt Disney Company and an accurate replica of Walt Disney, who famously said, “We’re always exploring and experimenting.”
An original soundtrack
Steve Mazzaro, a Disney-affiliated composer whose work can be heard on the soundtracks of movies like The Lion King (2019), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), and The Lone Ranger (2013), created an original soundtrack for the exhibition that combines themes from well-known Disney films like “When You Wish Upon A Star” from Pinocchio (1940) and “Let It Go” from Frozen (2013) with a new theme created especially for the exhibition.
Disney100: The Exhibition, took four years to plan and create. It includes footage and photos from all 12 Disney Parks around the world. Across the 10 galleries, guests can discover 11 costumes, 14 interactive elements and 25 animated maquettes of iconic Disney characters. In total, there are over 250 artefacts, artworks and documents. 31 languages are represented in international musical roles and there are 93 memorable scenes from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm during the prologue of Into the Wonder
Disney100: The Exhibition was developed and curated by the Walt Disney Archives and Semmel Exhibitions.
The company collaborated with The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and Marvel Entertainment to create the Marvel: Universe of Super Heros exhibition. The exhibition made its world premiere in April 2018, at the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle.
Semmel Exhibitions is the producer of The Discovery of King Tut (in North America) and Tutankhamun – His Tomb and His Treasures. It has also collaborated with The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and Marvel Entertainment to create the Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes exhibition.
