If entering through the gates seemed surreal then walking down an absolutely empty Main Street was just ridiculous. In all my years of visiting the parks I have never been on such a quiet Main Street. Our group were the only people here and it was delightful. I was able to fully appreciate the background audio which sets the tone of small town Middle America at the turn-of-the-century. Of course, this is a nostalgic and romanticised version of what a town like Marceline, Missouri (where Walt spent a few of his early years) would have been like. It is said that Walt based many of the buildings along Main Street on that of Marceline.

Marc and I without absolutely no one else in shot!

Adrienne looks on, blissfully unaware that I just split my shorts open...

"whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king,  born of England" - Not me then!

The entrance to the Temple of the Forbidden Eye

Marc and I in Walt's Apartment with the famous lamp on the right

Our first stop was at a particularly well-known sign post. The famous signpost for Dopey Drive and Mickey Avenue is found at what is labelled on the curb as Pluto Corner. Strictly speaking, some of the additional directions for certain areas of the business are not accurate directions. There are no other direction and road signs like this throughout the property and according to the archives, it was installed as a prop for the studio tour segment in the Disney feature ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ and was then left in place.

Also at Pluto corner, is a cheeky bit of humour. You see, as well as the sign post, there is a fire hydrant on the corner and if you look closer you can spot three paw prints in the concrete road. It was clear that Pluto had been but it was as if he was only standing on three legs... I’ll let your imagination do the rest of the work. It was a fun little bit of humour that you wouldn’t normally get anywhere else.

We were then guided along up towards the Main Theatre, the largest of several screening spaces on the lot and directly opposite that, was the animation building.

The walls along the corridor in here are adorned with countless pieces of animation art and sketches, representing the numerous characters that have been created by the animators over the years. My favourite element in here was the ‘Steamboat Willie’ Mickey Mouse flooring which, so I have read, cast members do not walk across, only around.

We then took a utility tunnel which took us under the road and into the Ink and Paint building. This tunnel was put in so that the original animation drawings and painted cels could be moved back and forth without being exposed to the outside elements and weather. Back in the studios’ height, the Ink and Paint building was home to over 100 ‘ink and paint girls’. As we walked between the buildings we could actually see inside the rooms and all the countless jars of coloured ink. Each and every one of them numbered and named for association with specific characters. For instance, there are a whole range of greens used solely for Ariel’s (The Little Mermaid) tail.

I find it quite difficult to pinpoint and explain how it felt walking around these buildings. The best term could be that I was in awe. To many, they are just a bunch of buildings but that is not what I was seeing. I was seeing the very buildings that played a part in my childhood. Within these walls, stories, movies and characters were created that filled my childhood with memories of adventures, laughter, sadness and joy. Many of these memories are what fuel my obsession with Disney and my desire to learn everything I can about the company. In some ways, being at this site and walking through these buildings put me back in touch with what really started my love for The Walt Disney Company and what makes me so passionate about it.

The feeling of being in awe was just about to get a further boost as we rounded the corner to the front of the Frank G Wells building. It was opened in 1998 and dedicated to the former president of the Walt Disney Company (1984-1994) by the then CEO, Michael Eisner and Well’s widow, Luanne. It was originally designed very specifically for Walt Disney Television Animation. Nowadays it is home to the Studios Mail Centre, the Disney Music Group and the Walt Disney Archives. Our next stop!

We were all led into the building and I had to chuckle that they even have their very own Starbucks on site! We were asked to wait just outside the archive rooms whilst Michael went off to make sure they were ready for us. In the meantime, I was drawn towards an artefact that again, would leave me in awe. There in the lobby was a huge multiplane camera. I can’t remember if I read it or if Summer-Rose told us, but this was one of only three extant multiplane cameras used by Walt Disney Animation. This was a piece of technology that was developed by Disney and was used to great effect in Disney movies. Essentially it allowed the camera to pan through layers of foreground, such as a forest of trees to give the shot more depth. The last film to use the technique in this fashion was The Little Mermaid before being made obsolete by the implementation of a digital multiplane camera. I was stood alongside something that shaped movies like Pinocchio and the Jungle Book. This camera was an absolute game changer for animation.

Thankfully, before I could gush over the camera for too long, we were directed into the Walt Disney Archives. As we entered there was a real animators’ desk set up how it would have been in its heyday.

There was an impressive array of artwork on the walls, one of my favourite pieces was of Mickey Mouse on a ‘set’ in front of a representation of what is now known as Disney’s Epcot park. I say that it is a representation because I suspect that the painting may have been done ahead of its opening? I am not entirely sure when the painting dates from but I have been trying to research it. If you do know any more about it, please let me know in the comments below.

Also impressive was a sealed copy of the Sentinel Star newspaper from Orlando, Florida dated October 3rd, 1978. It’s headline announcing the launch of the project to create the Epcot park.

All along one wall there was a bookcase of Disney publications. By all accounts, this was just a small representation of the archives’ collection of books. Just that small collection makes my home collection look insignificant by comparison.

There were a couple of large cabinets with memorabilia and pieces from the various attractions from the different parks. The section that really caught my eye was the shelf dedicated to Figment. To me, Figment is like a mascot for the Epcot centre. The Journey into Imagination attraction that is his home has had changes over the years and many deride the current attraction but I will always have a soft spot for the squeaky voice dragon who sings about sparks of imagination. I have read a few rumours since our trip that suggest the attraction is set to close. I just pray they keep hold of Figment and give him a new place in the park if the rumours are true.

Over in the middle of the room they had laid out some photo albums, absolutely full of images from various points in the Walt Disney Company history. We were asked not to photograph the albums so I cannot share any images, but I will say that you could easily lose a couple of hours just looking through the photos, let alone reading the books and examining the other artefacts.

Finishing up in the archives, we had the opportunity to have a picture with a real Oscar Statuette. I was quite surprised by the weight of it if I’m honest but I also felt quite honoured to be able to hold one, especially one that had been awarded to Disney.

Our next stop was Disney Legends Plaza which is situated in front of the Michael D. Eisner building, previously known as Team Disney and home to the senior management of Disney, the boardroom for the board of directors and of course, the office of current President and CEO, Bob Iger.

The plaza itself pays homage to all of the recipients of the Disney Legends award. Along with the famous ‘Partners’ statue created by Imagineer Blaine Gibson, there is large statue of the award at the opposite end of the plaza. The award was originally created by Andrea Favilli which is handcrafted from bronze and is made up of three distinct elements which characterize the contributions to the company made by the recipients. The Spiral represents imagination and the power of an idea. The hand holds the gifts of skill, discipline and craftsmanship. Finally, the Wand and Star represent the magic and the spark that is ignited when imagination and skill combine to create a new dream.

The awards themselves have been given out every year since 1987 (before the plaza was created in 1998). Each of the recipients is honoured with a bronze commemorative plaque that is displayed in the plaza. The names on display have shaped, or continue to shape the company into what it is today. I could have spent a lot more time taking pictures of every single plaque. There was actually a few I am a bit gutted that I missed. It was a little overwhelming being in this place that my mind wasn’t necessarily on having pictures taken with the plaques, especially in the limited time we had. If I was ever to return I would hopefully suppress the excitement a little more to get more pictures of the plaques for people who are personal heroes and inspirations.

As we headed off, we made our way back past the other side of the Animation Building, with our guides pointing out precisely where Walt Disney’s office was. I know that they have recently restored the office back to how it looked when Walt was there (having had several other uses over the years) but alas we were not allowed to go up there. The guides also pointed out that the office overlooked what was the original entrance to the studios, meaning that Walt could observe all of his team coming and going. His office also had a vantage line of sight down to his brother Roy’s office. It was just along from here that they filmed exterior shots for the movie ‘Saving Mr Banks’.

We continued along this road to get a great view of the famous Water Tower at the studios. Many Hollywood studios had water towers for the emergency supply of water in case of fire. Naturally, the Disney one had to be a little different in that it has six legs instead of the usual four. This tower was also replicated for what was formally Disney’s MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) but then removed in 2016 and also in the Walt Disney Studios park at the Disneyland Resort in Paris.

Our final short stop was at Stage 2 which is one of the largest sound stages in Los Angeles. It is even more special because it is named the Julie Andrews Stage and was where they filmed Mary Poppins. To know that we were just on the other side of a wall to the same studio where they filmed one of the most beloved Disney movies ever was just very cool and humbling. Add to that, that they also used the soundstage to build attractions for Disneyland and for filming for the attractions at the parks, this was a very special building which has been a huge part of the Disney history!

Back on the coach, we were off to our next stop, the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale where we would be having lunch. On paper, it seemed a little odd that we were heading to an old airport terminal that was built in the 1920s, however it soon became clear that it makes up part of Disney’s Grand Central Creative Campus.

The building itself ceased to operate as an airport in 1959 to make way for the Grand Central Business Park. In 1961 WED Enterprises, now known as Disney Imagineering, opened a creative workshop on the same business park. It is also worth noting that since our trip I also discovered that it was to this business park that Walt Disney Feature Animation was moved in 1985, away from the Burbank Studios. (Animation returned back to Burbank in 1995 in a new building now called the Roy E. Disney Animation Building).

It was in 1997 that Disney took over ownership of the old Air Terminal building and in 2015 it received a restoration. The restoration of the building was very impressive and it was a little bizarre being in such a relatively small building and thinking that it was once an airport and also a key element in the development of the United States aviation industry.

It was not long before we were being introduced to Dave who would be taking us around another of the buildings on the Campus. For me at least, this was the big one, in an almost spiritual fashion. I cannot possibly understate just how big a deal this was for me, as it is the home to my absolute dream job. We were heading to Imagineering!

For those who are not in the know, Walt Disney Imagineering was formed in 1952 as a separate company from the studios called Walt Disney Inc before becoming WED Enterprises in 1953. Walt set up this company tasked with creating Disneyland and has been responsible for the design, creation and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions worldwide. Imagineering is very much a form of storytelling in a physical setting. Whether it is a Disney Park, the Disney Cruise line or even a Disney Store. They are designed to tell a story.

By its very nature, Walt Disney Imagineering is very secretive and very careful about the information it releases. Whether it is their future developments or the secrets behind the illusions used in the attractions, they keep things close to their chest until they are ready for the information to be made public. For starters, we were told beforehand that there was to be absolutely no photography of any kind throughout the tour.