Episodes
Published 03/22/23
Join Bri and Chris on the newest episode of WD-FM Museum Musings as they share upcoming museum programs and share some of their favorite Disney topics. In celebration of the premiere of Muppets Haunted Mansion on Disney+, join Muppet Performers Dave Goelz and Bill Barretta—the hands and voices behind The Great Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn—in this special interview where they share behind-the-scenes moments from this spooky new special.
Published 10/08/21
Join Bri and Chris on the newest episode of WD-FM Museum Musings as they share upcoming museum programs and share some of their favorite Disney topics.
Published 09/17/21
Join Bri and Chris on the newest episode of WD-FM Museum Musings as they share upcoming museum programs and share some of their favorite Disney memories.
Published 08/13/21
Time for this month's WD-FM Museum Musings! Hear Chris and Bri discuss upcoming important dates in Disney history and upcoming museum events. Director of Events, Carla Flores, and Senior Group Engagement Coordinator Kate Nickles join the podcast to discuss virtual events and venue rental opportunities available at The Walt Disney Family Museum.
Published 06/10/21
The Walt Disney Family Museum debuted our fifth Community Access Exhibition, Veterans’ Voices: Painted Realities, featuring original artworks by U.S. military veterans. Hear from exhibition co-curator Antonia Dapena-Tretter and Veterans Alley founder Amos Gregory about how this exhibition came together, the challenges of the past year, and the importance of creating a space for veterans to tell their own stories. Learn more about the exhibition at waltdisney.org/veteransvoices
Published 05/26/21
Time for this month's WD-FM Museum Musings! Hear Chris and Bri discuss upcoming important dates in Disney history, ways to prioritize your mental health like Walt during Mental Health Awareness Month, and Asian American artists that worked at The Walt Disney Studios during Walt's lifetime. Director of Exhibitions and Collections Marina Villar Delgado rejoins the podcast to discuss virtual exhibitions and some of her favorite objects in the museum's collection.
Published 05/07/21
Wish upon a star with WD-FM as Chris and Bri take a deep dive into Walt Disney's second animated feature film, Pinocchio (1940). An epic of animated cinema, Pinocchio is full of moments of artistic beauty and fun entertainment. Learn how this film was developed and some fun facts about the technology used to bring the film to life.
Published 04/21/21
Enjoy a new episode of our monthly WD-FM Museum Musings where you can catch up with Chris and Bri on upcoming events, programs, and more on our upcoming virtual exhibition, Conserving the Magic of Our Planet: A Virtual Community Art Exhibition. Stay for a special interview with Director of Education Travis Lacina about the difference between workshops and classes, how his team adapted to teaching animation virtually, and his favorite museum artifacts.
Published 04/07/21
Fall in with WD-FM as we explore the history behind our newest special exhibition, The Walt Disney Studios and World War II. Hear excerpts of interviews with Exhibition Curator Kent Ramsey, Director of Exhibitions Marina Villar Delgado, and Exhibitions Assistant Kaitlin Buickel to hear how they helped to bring this unique exhibition to the public. Learn more about The Walt Disney Studios and World War II and ways to visit The Walt Disney Family Museum at waltdisney.org/wwii.
Published 03/26/21
Join Bri and Chris for this month's Museum Musings episode of the WD-FM Podcast, and stay for an interview with Executive Director Kirsten Komoroske discussing the museum's upcoming reopening. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch the video version on our YouTube channel.
Published 03/12/21
Jump into the storybook with us as the WD-FM podcast takes a deep dive into the creation of Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This groundbreaking film redefined animation and entertainment for families around the world. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. A video version with closed captioning is available in our show notes posted on our blog.
Published 02/24/21
We are excited to present our revamped WD-FM podcast! Join Bri and new co-host Chris for our first Museum Musings episode, featuring museum updates, upcoming programs, and an interview with our Public Programs Manager Tracie Timmer. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch the video version on our YouTube channel. Stay tuned for our Deep Dive episode later this month where we will be taking a closer look at Walt Disney's first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
Published 02/05/21
In honor of International Podcast Day we are celebrating Walt's innovation with sound. Much as podcasts have become a way to reinvent storytelling for the auditory medium, Walt sought to do the same with sound. Explore some of the innovative ways Walt reinvented the wheel, using sound to further expand the art of storytelling. The Walt Disney Family Museum is a center for art, animation, and inspiration. Located in the historic Presidio, a national park in San Francisco, California, the...
Published 09/30/20
Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men were some of the most talented artists at The Walt Disney Studios during Walt’s lifetime. Moderated by curator Don Hahn, this special talk—which will close out the Nine Old Men: Masters of Animation exhibition—you will hear from those who knew the legendary animators best: their children. The program was originally presented on January 5, 2019.
Published 07/08/20
Join us for a conversation with out Collections team and hear about their unique jobs and the fascinating challenges they face when working with the objects in our collection. Featured is our Senior Registrar Jamie O'Keefe, Conservators Martin Salazar and Tonja Morris, and Preparators Ryan Mortensen and Maureen Shields.
Published 01/03/20
In this episode we explore the Silly Symphonies, Walt’s musical series of shorts that changed the landscape of animation as an art form forever. The Silly Symphonies, beginning with The Skeleton Dance, eventually grew to 75 total shorts between 1929 and 1939, produced and released concurrently with Mickey Mouse cartoons. The Silly Symphonies were a platform for Walt to stretch the art of animation while bringing new animators into the fold. 
Published 11/20/19
Even after decades of success, Walt Disney always wanted the world to remember that his entertainment empire was “all started by a mouse.” This episode chronicles Mickey’s influence on art and entertainment over the past nine decades and tells the story of his origin, rise to fame, and enduring world-wide appeal.  The Walt Disney Family is presenting the special exhibition, Mickey Mouse: From Walt to the World now through January 6, 2020. 
Published 09/18/19
Hear from the voice of Mickey Mouse, Bret Iwan, and legendary animator and director, Eric Goldberg from the 2019 D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA.  
Published 08/30/19
Walt’s first venture into the all cartoon medium started with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. From 1927 to 1928 Walt and his team would produce 26 Oswald shorts and by March of 1928 the character and half of Walt’s animators would be taken away by distributor, Charles Mintz. Learn about Oswald's early beginnings and his eventual return to The Walt Disney Company. 
Published 06/05/19
Humor is best shared with those you love. Walt shared a lifetime of laughter with the world, but more importantly, he shared love and laughter with his family and friends. This week we celebrate the love story between Walt and Lillian Disney. Whether celebrating their anniversary playfully dancing at the Golden Horseshoe Review, or a small puppy popping out of a hat box, Walt and Lilly showed the unique bond forged by love and laughter.
Published 04/24/19
Walt went back to the drawing board when he moved to Hollywood. Our hosts explore the beginnings of The Walt Disney Company with the first series the Alice Comedies. 
Published 03/20/19
Highlights from this episode include odd jobs, dental hygiene, and the kindness of strangers. What do these things have in common? Be prepared to find out! Learn about the people who had a huge impact on Walt's life after Laugh-O-grams went under, and hear how Walt remembered these kindnesses long after he climbed out of the inkwell and into a successful career.
Published 02/27/19
Join our hosts as they flip through Walt's early beginnings into animation. From early stop motion to hand drawn animation, learn more about how Walt discovered how to bring his drawings to life.
Published 02/20/19