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Friday 20 October 2023

Celebrate Walt Disney's Los Angeles - Part 1

Walt Disney with his four Oscars at the 26th Academy Awards
Photo: The Academy, Facebook

Celebrate the centennial of Walt Disney Studios with our guide to Walt Disney's Los Angeles part 1.

On Oct. 16, 1923, 21-year-old Walt Disney signed a contract with New York based distributor Margaret J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice Comedies films. That was the date that Walt and his 30-year-old brother Roy O. Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Los Feliz. Today the Walt Disney Company is a global media and entertainment colossus headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.

Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago on Dec. 5, 1901. In July 1923 Walt moved to Los Angeles, where Roy was convalescing from tuberculosis. According to Disney lore, Walt arrived in LA with just $40 and a tattered suitcase.

Walt Disney lived in Los Angeles for 43 years, from the summer of '23 till his death in 1966. It was in LA where Mickey Mouse was born; where Disney made movie history with the first feature-length animated film (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs); where he met his wife Lillian and they raised their daughters, Diane and Sharon.

Disney is widely regarded as a towering figure of the 20th century, a beloved national treasure and a cultural icon with a legacy that spans generations.

From historic movie studios to cultural attractions and favorite restaurants, read on for a guide to key Los Angeles locations in the extraordinary life of Walt Disney.

STUDIOS

KINGSWELL AVENUE

After founding the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt and Roy set up shop in the back of a real estate office at 4651 Kingswell Ave. in Los Feliz. With money from the Alice Comedies starting to come in, they were able to take over the adjacent space, 4649 Kingswell Ave, and the nascent studio had its first proper location.

Lillian Bounds started working at the Kingswell Studio in January 1924 as a secretary and animation cel inker - she and Walt were married a year and a half later. When Walt showed her a new character named "Mortimer Mouse" in 1928, Lillian famously suggested "Mickey" instead and the rest is history. Today the real estate office and original studio are the Kingswell skate shop and Extra Copy, respectively.

HYPERION STUDIO

In January 1926, the brothers moved their studio to a new location at 2719 Hyperion Ave. and the company was renamed the Walt Disney Studio. During the Hyperion Studio era, Mickey Mouse made his debut in Steamboat Willie (1928) and Disney released the first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

Walt Disney Hyperion Studio | Photo: LAPL

Thanks to the financial success of Snow White, Disney was able to put a $10,000 deposit on a 51-acre parcel of land in Burbank to build a state-of-the-art animation studio. Pinocchio and Fantasia were already in production, so the studio needed to expand - the move to Burbank was completed in 1940. A few buildings from the Hyperion Studio were relocated to the new facility, but the rest of the complex was sold and later razed in 1966. All that's left is a Gelson's and a marker that designates the site as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 163.

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

Acclaimed Mid-Century architect Kem Weber designed the Walt Disney Studios original buildings and custom furniture, including the famed Animator's Desk (see Academy Museum below). Weber's Streamline Moderne design for the Burbank lot's Animation Building is regarded as the crown jewel - Disney insisted on as many windows as possible to allow natural light for the animators. Numerous Disney classics were drawn here, including Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Jungle Book.

Built in 1990, the Michael D. Eisner Building (formerly Team Disney) is the studio's main building and Disney's corporate HQ. The whimsical Michael Graves design is best known for the caryatid-style Seven Dwarfs holding up the roof. The terracotta statues are 19 feet tall, except for the two-thirds sized Dopey. The building faces Disney Legends Plaza, which features a copy of the Partners statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse designed by Imagineer Blaine Gibson.

The official fan club of the Walt Disney Company, D23 hosts a 2.5-hour walking tour of the Walt Disney Studios for members. The bucket list experience includes a visit to Walt Disney’s office suite, the Walt Disney Archives, and Legends Plaza. Weekend tours offer a glimpse of the Animator’s office exhibit that's only open on Saturdays for D23. Guests can also shop at the Disney Studio Store and Employee Center and purchase items that are only available on the studio lot.

ACADEMY AWARDS

Walt Disney received 59 Academy Award nominations and won 22 competitive awards - both totals are records. Retracing Disney's Oscar wins will take fans to some of LA's most famous and historic Academy Awards venues.

At the 5th Academy Awards in 1932, Disney won his first Oscar for Flowers and Trees, in the new category Short Subjects, Cartoons (now known as Best Animated Short Film). He also received an Honorary Oscar for the creation of Mickey Mouse. The following year, The Three Little Pigs likewise won Short Subjects, Cartoons. Both ceremonies were held at the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel.

Millennium Biltmore

Disney continued to dominate the animated short category after the ceremony moved to the landmark Millennium Biltmore, which is celebrating its centennial in 2023.

The Tortoise and the Hare (7th Academy Awards)
Three Orphan Kittens (8th)
The Country Cousin (9th)
The Old Mill (10th)
Ferdinand the Bull (11th)

Disney received an Honorary Oscar at the 11th Academy Awards "for creating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon." The special award features an Oscar statuette and seven miniature statuettes (representing the Seven Dwarfs) on a stepped base.

TCL Chinese Theatre

One of LA's grandest movie palaces, the TCL Chinese Theatre (then known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre) hosted the 16th, 17th and 18th Academy Awards. Disney animated shorts were nominated at all three ceremonies but didn't take home the Oscar. The world premiere of Mary Poppins was held at the Chinese on Aug. 27, 1964. Mary Poppins was nominated for 13 Oscars and took home five: Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song ("Chim Chim Cher-ee").

Pantages Theatre

The Oscars were held at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood from 1950-60. Disney added to his collection with ten more wins. At the 26th Academy Awards, Disney was nominated in four categories and won them all: Best Short Subject (Cartoon), Best Short Subject (Two-reel), Best Documentary (Feature) and Best Documentary (Short Subject).

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Disney won his final Oscar at the 41st Academy Awards, a posthumous win for Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.

*Words by Daniel Djang