The Walt Disney Family Museum will commemorate its 15th anniversary with the publication of a new book titled Walt Disney Treasures, penned by Walter E.D. Miller and the staff of the museum. To be published by Insight Editions on Oct. 1 ($50), the book chronicles the legacy of the legendary American artist, storyteller, filmmaker, and visionary through iconic objects that represent his life and career. Through historical research, firsthand accounts, and Walt’s own words, readers will uncover treasured artifacts that tell the true story of Walt Disney and his family, as well as the significance of each item to Walt’s personal and professional life.
Compiled by Walt’s grandson Walter E. D. Miller with executive director Kirsten Komoroske and museum staff, Walt Disney Treasures commemorates the museum’s 15th anniversary and presents more than 250 images from its vast collection and the Disney family’s personal archives. Some of the artifacts showcased in this book can only be seen inside The Walt Disney Family Museum galleries, while others have never been seen by the public.
Readers of all ages and backgrounds will be inspired and entertained by images and stories of the unique personal ephemera, artifacts, and treasures found in the book, which include Walt’s handwritten designs of EPCOT, the bronzed hat gifted to his wife Lillian, original animation artwork from Disney animated films, concept art for groundbreaking Disneyland attractions, Walt’s miniature steam engine the Lilly Belle, and Walt’s individual record-setting collection of Academy Awards.
Walter Miller, grandson of Walt and Lillian Disney and son of Diane Disney Miller and Ron Miller, serves as President of the Board of The Walt Disney Family Museum. The museum, co-founded by Walter with Diane Disney Miller in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in the Presidio of San Francisco. Walter was previously President of the Walt Disney Family Foundation. Walter is the Executive Producer of the film Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001), showcasing Walt’s inspirational life and career and offering an intimate look at a man whose legacy continues to inspire the world. He is also Executive Producer of Walt & El Grupo (2008), a film that explores Walt’s 1941 goodwill tour to South America.
“Every item featured in this book tells a story—some that are well-known Disney lore, and others that are rarely told—each representing an important brick that helped build a global empire, but also exploring who the person Walt Disney truly was,” says Miller. “My grandpa was an extremely curious man, and with his legacy, the public has grown to be curious about him. Who is Walt Disney, and what made him so successful and talented at what he did? Yet, there is a whole generation that does not know that he was a man, a very decent man: a man who worked hard all of his life, a man who loved people and who is much more than a corporate symbol.”
See sample spreads below:
