Walt Disney Office Tour + Studios Lot Scavenger Hunt

Come with me on a Walt Disney Office Tour! As part of the #HanSoloEvent, we were able to take a tour of Walt Disney’s Offices in Suite 3H in Burbank. They are located in the Walt Disney Studios Lot in the Animation Building. As a huge Disney fan, I found myself tearing up when walking around and hearing the history of the man behind my home away from home.

Thank you, Disney, for providing travel and accommodations for the Han Solo Event. All opinions of my favorite brothers – Walt and Roy Disney- are my own. Sorry, I even like them better than the Property Brothers.

Walt Disney Office Tour

When you tell a Disney fan that they get to walk around Walt Disney’s offices, a rare opportunity, said fan will begin to geek out. That was me.

I don’t know what it is about Disney, but I become like a child when I get near it. Breathing Disney air is intoxicating.

When Walt Disney died in 1966, Disney Legend Dave Smith archived and catalogued all his items. He wrote down all the details even down to the books on his shelves and items on his desk.

The restoration of Walt Disney Offices are thanks to the Walt Disney Archives. They have used the very items that Walt Disney had in his offices, not just replicas. That’s why it’s so important to preserve everything, and why we couldn’t touch anything.

First up was the secretary’s waiting room. Here you could find awards presented to Disney like Oscars, magazine awards, and even an award on the filing cabinet presented by Brigham Young University – my alma mater!

Walt Disney Office Tour – Walt’s Formal Office

Next is Walt Disney’s Formal Office. Here you can find pictures of his children, his collection of miniatures, and a piano where the Sherman Brothers would come play for Walt Disney. He wasn’t a piano player, but he did love “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins.

I really love that Walt Disney had a collection of toys and miniatures, because I also keep my favorite toys on the window sill of my office.

This reminded me of the movie Saving Mr. Banks and the Sherman Brothers coming to work on music with Walt Disney.

Walt Disney’s Working Office

On to the next room was Walt Disney’s Working Office – you know where stuff got done. The first thing I noticed was a huge map of Disneyland and then in the left corner, plans for my home – Walt Disney World.

Even further left out of picture range is a photo of Roy Disney, Walt’s brother, who made sure Walt Disney World was completed even after Walt’s death.

 

They included details like Walt’s rotary telephone, favorite gifts from friends and family, and even a kitchen that could be opened with a push of a button. Very Tomorrowland, don’t you think?

The doors slide back and in the cabinets you can find cans of Spam and canned chili. They make his favorite chili in the cafeteria on the lot. Walt often worked late hours and rarely had time to eat. The drinking glasses on the end have his initials engraved in the glass.

This was such a special experience. Some people admire Walt Disney for being a great businessman, others for his creativity, and others for his tenacity. When you get to Disney fanatic level – like me- it’s hard not to walk through these offices, take note of details, and get swept away to the memories you and your family have had in their theme parks and films. I found myself tearing up several times as I learned more about Walt Disney’s legacy.

Walt Disney Studios Lot Scavenger Hunt

So as if one dream wasn’t enough…then they say oh, you get to run around the Walt Disney Studios Lot on a scavenger hunt to celebrate Petter Pan’s re-release on Blu-ray! Well, color me pixie-dusted!

We were put into teams – we were Team Wendy- given clues and a treasure map and GO! We were so excited for this adventure, that I literally ran past Bob Iger – yes, that Bob Iger – and did not notice him. I was running. In Sanuk Sandals.

We had to follow clues to find hidden bottles of pixie dust, Peter Pan’s shadow, and perform different challenges. I don’t think the challenge was to wear your prop of choice, but hey, I’m extra.

There were even clues in the underground tunnel that connects the Animation Building to the Inking and Painting building. The passageway helped protect the artists’ hand-drawn cels from weather when they were delivered between the buildings. Seriously, how amazing is this?

Though we were not the winning team in this challenge, we had a blast! I pinch myself every time I get to step foot on the Walt Disney Studios Lot.

Peter Pan is on Blu-ray on June 5th! Here we gooooooo!