Disneyland Reveals NEW Exhibit of Park History, Including Some Plans and Artifacts Never Seen Before

There is a new gallery experience opening at the Main Street Opera House alongside the “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” show, featuring the evolution of Walt Disney’s dream of Disneyland and the advancements in Audio-Animatronics technology over the years.

This new gallery experience is a huge collection of images, art, and artifacts, highlighting the park's history. For these new experiences in the lobby, Disneyland is collaborating with The Walt Disney Family Museum, which has lent more than 30 artifacts. We got an early look at this impressive new gallery exhibit as part of a media preview today and will share photos below!

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New Gallery Experience at Main Street Opera House

The new gallery experience called “Evolution of a Dream” shows Disneyland before, during, and after Walt’s dream became a reality. You'll see pencil drawings and other concept artwork of preliminary plans for the park. One of the highlights of the exhibit is the site plans, some of which have never been on display before publicly.

The layout ideas below were sketched in May 1953 before a location had been chosen for Disneyland.

Here is another preliminary layout sketched for Disneyland, completed later in 1953.

Below is the third preliminary scheme of Disneyland, and the first designed specifically for the chosen Anaheim property.

Featured in the gallery are different sections representing the lands of the park, with images and storyboards that show the past and present of these areas, from early concepts to how they appear today.

Here is a look at some of the artwork for Main Street U.S.A. on display.

It's pretty cool to see these images capturing the essence of this iconic area of the park.

Here is some of the early artwork of the architecture, attractions, and landmarks of Fantasyland at Disneyland.

It's so interesting to see the evolution of the concept artwork for this land!

Here is the section highlighting early drawings and concept artwork for Frontierland!

Here is artwork highlighting the attractions along the Rivers of America, including Tom Sawyer Island.

Below, you can see some of the early artwork for Adventureland at Disneyland.

Here are some more of these concepts, including early depictions and sketches of the Jungle Cruise.

Here is some of the artwork for Mickey's Toontown and Bayou Country, featuring older artwork of original attractions in these lands and newer concept artwork that reflects recent changes.

Here is some of the artwork on display for the New Orleans Square area of the park.

Among the items on loan from The Walt Disney Family Museum are some original items from Walt’s private apartment above the Fire Station on Main Street. In the display below, you'll see the original items, including two rocking chairs, two dining chairs, a table, and a cranberry-colored lamp.

Also on loan from The Walt Disney Family Museum are some awards and humanitarian accolades, including Walt’s 1955 Emmy award for the “Walt Disney’s Disneyland” television series, his Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Johnson in 1964, and the Walt Disney Commemorative Medal presented to Lillian Disney by President Nixon in 1969. Another fun accolade on display is Walt's plaque from the Racing Pigeon Association, recognizing the greatest contribution to the sport of racing pigeons.

In the gallery exhibit, you'll also find some special cases of vintage merchandise from the early days of the park, including a display of Mickey ears!

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There is also a display showcasing Disney watches over the years.

Further into the lobby is a special display highlighting the history of Audio-Animatronics technology. Here is a look at the display for Pirates of the Caribbean, which was a pivotal attraction when it came to the development of realistic Audio-Animatronics at the park!

Another classic attraction featured in the exhibit is “it's a small world,” where some of the animal and human figures from the attraction are on display, including a doll from the original run of the attraction at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair.

Also featured is the Walt Disney Enchanted Tiki Room, which was the first attraction to feature Audio-Animatronics technology when it opened in 1963. The display highlights Walt's inspirations for Audio-Animatronics and explains how the original Audio-Animatronic birds in the Tiki Room worked.

Two animated birds are included in this display!

In this area, you can also see a video called “Memories of Walt,” in which those who worked alongside him and were inspired by him share anecdotes and reflections.

As you exit the new show, you'll see a tribute to the Disneyland Cast Members. On the other side of the exit lobby are some new murals that were created for Disneyland's 70th anniversary celebration and this new attraction, featuring entertainment and the history of the park, as well as a glimpse forward at the future.

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