This post contains affiliate links and our team will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links.
The Walt Disney Archives has opened its vaults to mark 100 historic years of making magic! In honor of this global celebration of a century of Disney storytelling, the ABC Owned Television Stations will present a 30-minute special, “Disney100: The Exhibition — Making the Magic,” hosted by Alicia Vitarelli and TaRhonda Thomas of 6abc/WPVI-TV Philadelphia. The special will debut March 23 (7:30 p.m. EDT) on 6abc and across the ABC Owned Television Stations on linear, digital, and streaming platforms, and will be available on the Localish network and for Hulu subscribers. For participating stations, viewers can check local listings.
The special goes behind the scenes of Disney100: The Exhibition, which debuted at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on Feb. 18, 2023. Created for the 100-year celebration of The Walt Disney Company, the exhibit, which is open to the public and where people can see many rare Disney artifacts for the very first time, runs through Aug. 27, 2023, before it travels to other destinations across the United States. A second unit of the exhibition opens in Munich in April.
“Disney100: The Exhibition — Making the Magic” is a dazzling journey through this immersive exhibit, featuring more than 250 artifacts and works of art, costumes and props, and memorabilia from the Walt Disney Archives’ vault of treasures, including many of its “crown jewels,” such as the following:
- Disneyland Employee Badge No. 1, issued in 1955 to Walt Disney
- Costumes from “Black Panther,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Cruella,” “Enchanted” and more
- Prop storybooks featured in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Sleeping Beauty”
- Skywalker Lightsaber Hilt from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” used by Daisy Ridley
- Attraction vehicles from Matterhorn Bobsleds and Peter Pan’s Flight at Disneyland Park
Viewers will pay a visit to the Walt Disney Archives in Burbank to see how this incredible 15,000-square-foot exhibition was produced and will have an insider’s look into how Disney has created some of its most popular characters, films, shows, and attractions—from Disneyland to Walt Disney World and beyond.
It will also document for the viewer how the Walt Disney Archives crafted the 10 magnificent and imaginatively themed galleries at The Franklin Institute, featuring moving stories, unique interactive installations, and exciting insider details, which take guests on a virtual journey through 100 years of The Walt Disney Company, celebrating the classics from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” to the upcoming “Peter Pan & Wendy” as well as the latest members of the Disney family—Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and National Geographic.
“Disney100: The Exhibition — Making the Magic” will reveal how the philosophies of visionary filmmaker and innovator Walt Disney laid the foundation for The Walt Disney Company. From the contract that established the company and the creation of Mickey Mouse to immersive theme parks and blockbuster films such as “Frozen” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” viewers will experience incredible moments from Disney’s rich legacy.
