A Stageful of Sugar

As if visiting the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank was not special enough for this Princess, the chance to see the Julie Andrews' Stage in person was out of this world.

This plaque is the only sign highlighting the history behind the stage:

Julie Andrews Stage 2

Mary Poppins

filmed here

June - September 1963

The Princess Diaries

filmed here

October - December 2000

Walt's 100

Situated in the Walt Disney Studios' Legend's Plaza is a statue familiar to almost all Disney Theme Park Geeks.

The Partner's Statue is situated here, facing the Michael D. Eisner Building, pointing up at the dwarfs on the building.

The plaque at this statue shows the following inscription:

Walt Disney once said "We should never forget that it was all started by a mouse." But we at the Walt Disney Company know it was all started by a man. He was born 100 years ago today, but his legacy as a storyteller and entertainer lives on... it urges us all to continue the work... to make the magic fresh and new... for young and old, for generations to come.

Michael D. Eisner  Roy E. Disney

December 5, 2001

And the one unique thing about this Partners Statue? It is at a level that you can get up close and personal with Walt and Mickey!

Further Legends

Heading back over to the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, and we can see another familiar statue in the Partners' Courtyard.

You may recognise this beautiful tribute to Roy O. Disney - you can find it in Tokyo and the Magic Kingdom Disney parks, in a similar vane to here in Burbank. A nice tribute to the man who helped bring Walt Disney World to Florida.

The Root of All Legends

If you are a long-term DF'82 reader (first of all, thank you!), you will remember an article looking at the Disney Legends Statue in front of the Disneyland Hotel in Disneyland Paris. Have a look here to refresh your memory. The Statue in Paris celebrates those Europeans who have became Disney Legends.

But if you are lucky enough to visit the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, you will come across the original Disney Legends Statue, which is a replica (albeit at a much larger scale) of the award a person will receive when they become a Disney Legend.

Standing at the end of Legend's Plaza, the Statue has some descriptors underneath - and we all know how much Princess Fee loves a plaque!

Disney Legends

On this seventy-fifth anniversary of the Walt Disney Company,

we dedicate the Disney Legends Plaza and the Disney Legends Sculpture

to acknowledge and honor the many individuals whose

imagination, talents, and dreams have created the Disney Magic

Michael D. Eisner     Roy E. Disney

October 16, 1998

And the inscription on the Sculpture itself reads as follows:

This sculpture is dedicated to the Disney Legends;

a program honoring the many individuals whose work has made a significant

and lasting impact on the Disney Legacy.

The spiral stands for imagination, the power of an idea.

The hand holds the gifts of skill, discipline and craftsmanship.

The wand and the star represent magic: the spark that is ignited when imagination and skill combine to create a new dream.

Building of Dwarfs

When you visit the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, there is one building that will not go unnoticed. And one of the most infamous buildings in Disney History.


The Michael D.Eisner Building (Team Disney) was completed in 1990, currently houses the boardroom for the Directors of the Walt Disney Company and Bob Iger's (CEO) offices, as well as several other persons of high importance within the Company.

The building was designed by the architect Michael Graves, who also created the Swan and Dolphin Resorts in Walt Disney World and Disney's Hotel New York in Disneyland Paris. It is iconic in the sense that the building's roof is 'held up' by the Seven Dwarfs, from the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film. Interestingly enough, the film, which was Walt Disney's first feature length animation, provided the Studios with the revenue to buy the Burbank Lot where the Michael D. Eisner Building currently stands.

Originally named the Team Disney Building, it was re-dedicated as the Michael D.Eisner Team Disney building in 2006 to celebrate Eisner's 21-year leadership of the Walt Disney Company.

Legends: Part Five

It's the last day of our look at the Disney Legends of the Legends Plaza. I hope that you have enjoyed this journey, and there are even more Legends that we haven't even touched on!

Remember to click on the links to read more about the Legends - we may come back and have a look at some of them in more detail here at DF'82!

Carl Barks (Animation & Publishing)    Sterling Holloway (Animation)

Fess Parker (Film & Television)    Bill Walsh (Film & Television)

Bob Schiffer (Film Production)    Randy Newman (Music)

Carl Bongirno (Imagineering)    Ron Logan (Parks and Resorts)

Robin Williams (Film & Animation)    Leota Toombs Thomas (Imagineering & Attractions)

Tony Anselmo (Animation Voice)    Bill Farmer (Animation Voice)

Legends: Part Four

If you have managed to stick with our tour of the Legends Plaza at the Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, thank you! We have another few today, and a few more tomorrow, so let's go look at Legends!

Remember to click on the links to read more about the Legends - we may come back and have a look at some of them in more detail here at DF'82!

Roger Broggie (Imagineering)    Joe Fowler (Attractions)

John Hench (Animation & Imagineering)    Richard Irvine (Imagineering)

Fred MacMurray (Film)    Ub Iwerks (Animation & Imagineering)

Les Clark (Animation)    Milt Kahl (Animation)

Angela Lansbury (Film)    Dean Jones (Film)

Wathel Rogers (Imagineering)    X Atencio (Animation & Imagineering)

Legends: Part Three

Remember to click on the links to read more about the Legends - we may come back and have a look at some of them in more detail here at DF'82!

  Kathryn Beaumont (Animation Voice)    Kurt Russell (Film)

Vladimir Tytla (Animation)    Wilfred Jackson (Animation)

Roy E. Disney (Film & Animation & Administration)    Norman Palmer (Animation)

James Alger (Animation & Film)    Lloyd Richardson (Animation)

Dick Van Dyke (Film)    Glynis Johns (Film)

Masatomo Takahashi (Administration)    Matsuo Yokoyama (Character Merchandise)

Marc Davis (Animation & Imagineering)    Ward Kimball (Animation & Imagineering)

Frank Thomas (Animation)   Ollie Johnson (Animation)

Legends: Part Two

It's another day here at DF'82, and it's time to look at more Disney Legends. I hope you are enjoying these as much as this Princess is!

Remember to click on the links to read more about the Legends - we may come back and have a look at some of them in more detail here at DF'82!

 Tom Murphy (Administration)    Roone Arledge (Television)

Dave Smith (Archives)    Lucille Martin (Administration)

Sir Elton John (Music)    Joe Ranft (Animation)

Peter Jennings (Television)    Jimmy Johnson (Music)

Richard Sherman (Music)    Robert Sherman (Music)

Julie Andrews (Film)    Don Dagradi (Film)

Ken Anderson (Animation & Imagineering)    Mary Blair (Animation & Imagineering)

Claude Coats (Animation & Imagineering)    Bill Evans (Imagineering)

Legends: Part One

As mentioned in yesterday's post, every day this week we are going to have a look at some of the Disney Legends from the Legends Plaza at Walt Disney Studios, in Burbank.

Remember to click on the links to read more about the Legends - we may come back and have a look at some of them in more detail here at DF'82!

 Lillian Disney (Founder)    Edna Disney (Founder)

Floyd Gottfredson (Publishing)   Al Taliaferro (Publishing)

 

Betty White (Television)    Bea Arthur (Television)

Rue McClanahan (Television)    Estelle Getty (Television)

Phil Collins (Music)    Maurice Chevalier (Film & Music)

Sir Tim Rice (Music)    Sir John Mills (Film)

Alan Menken (Music)    Howard Ashman (Music)

George Bruns (Music)    Frank Churchill (Music)

Building Dedicated to a Legend

Frank G. Wells is a Disney Legend, and there is very few Disney Geeks who have not heard of this great man. He joined the Walt Disney Company in 1984, and worked alongside Michael Eisner through many great achievements of the Walt Disney film, animation and theme park divisions.

Wells, unfortunately, died in 1994 in a helicopter crash, and a building at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, is dedicated to this great man.

Frank G. Wells

1932-1994

President of the Walt Disney Company

1984-1994

"Here was a man to hold against the world,

A man to match the mountains and the sea

As when a lordly cedar green with boughs goes down

With a great shout upon the hills,

And leaves a lonesome place against the sky"

From "Lincoln Man of the People" by Edwin Markham

Humility is the Final Achievement

The building was opened in 1998 and currently houses the Walt Disney Archives and several divisions of the ABC Television Station.