Disney fans have been rewarded in the form of Disney+’s new series Prop Culture. The series is hosted by Disney fan and dedicated collector Dan Lanigan. He takes fans on a journey through a movie’s history and shows how props and artifacts have impacted it. It gives viewers a look at a world of magic created through props, settings, costumes, and imagination.
To help reveal the story behind hit films like Mary Poppins and The Nightmare Before Christmas, Dan Lanigan interviews those involved in the film--from behind the scene experts to the actors that bring these incredible characters to life. He also brings certain props from the film into focus by having people who helped design them explain the significance behind them, as well as having the actors who used the props or wore the costumes explain why they’re important to them.
Prop Culture relies heavily on the Disney Archives to showcase rare props and borrows some of them to bring to their original creators or actors involved in the movie. The Disney Archives is like the Willy Wonka Factory for Disney geeks. It’s full of knick-knacks and trinkets that tie directly into a beloved film. If you’ve watched Prop Culture, then you’ve likely wondered at least once: “Is the Disney Archives available for the public to access?”
The short answer is no. According to Attraction Magazine, the Disney archives are primarily used as a research library for current cast members and employees. It’s used so they can find info pertaining to new projects. Therefore, if you don’t have some association with Disney, then you can’t access the Disney Archives. However, the public can view props, costumes, and other things that live inside the Disney Archives.
Starting in March 2020, to help celebrate 50 years of the Disney Archives, The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California became the first stop on the Disney Archives exhibit tour. The Bower Museum is supposed to have the exhibit until August 30, 2020, and then it was supposed to travel to another location in the country. However, due to the coronavirus, the exhibit has no future plans to move to another location.
The public also cannot physically access the exhibit due to the stay at home orders. However, Disney fans can see props from their favorite films through a virtual visit hosted through Bowers’ website. Through your phone, you can take a virtual tour of the Disney Archive exhibit. The tour lets you read the history behind some of the props, Walt Disney’s vision, and creations, and see photos of the displays.
The Laughing Place also got to be part of the initial media opening day, and they took a whole over 30-minute video of the exhibit. You can view the entire video below:
The Disney Archive exhibit is over 10,000 square feet of artwork, props, costumes, and set pieces from Disney classic and new films. It includes over 400 artifacts. The original Disney Archives was created in the 1970s by Roy O. Disney to help preserve some of the magic of the films after Walt Disney died. It started as a one-man operation in Disney’s animation building that grew into a 30 person staff.
Prop Culture features the Disney Archives in almost every episode, and it really helps capture the significance and magic of these movies.
Source: Attraction Magazine, Laughing Place