Today, Graceland celebrates the opening of “Inside the Walt Disney Archives.” The opening marks the second appearance of the traveling exhibit in the United States, after prior appearances in Santa Ana, California, and Japan. The 450 objects on display span the history of the archives, beginning with the man Walt Disney himself, all the way through more recent films, like Frozen and the live-action Beauty and the Beast.
“When you think of American pop culture and its pillars, there are very few names that rise to the top. Elvis and Disney are among the biggest names,” says Angie Marchese, Elvis Presley Enterprises vice president of archives and exhibits. “When we first built this exhibition center, our goal was to bring world-class exhibitions that represent the best of American pop culture. [This exhibit is] the merging of two icons.”
The exhibit contains original artwork, costumes, props, old ride animatronics, and even some of Walt Disney’s personal belongings. “We wanted to give people the opportunity to see what we do in the Walt Disney archives,” says Becky Cline, director of the Walt Disney Archives. “We’ve shared a way to actually look at the archives. We are open to studio tours in California, where you can come in and see the reading room and Walt’s office, but no one gets to go back into the warehouse where all the treasures are.”
This exhibit is a re-creation of that experience. Visitors begin their tour in the Reading Room, which is a re-creation of the actual room where the Disney team does their research, and then they make their way to the back where they can have a peek into some of the never-before-seen treasures that the warehouse typically holds.
“We wanted to explain what the archives actually does, explain that it’s not just beautiful props and costumes because the eye-candy, I tell ya, is really great,” Cline says. As such, labels throughout the rooms include stories from the staff members talking about what they do for their jobs — the research, proofreading, fact-checking that goes behind the scenes for every item on display. “We have wonderful treasures,” Cline continues, “and we want to share them with the people who love them the most, which are the fans.”
But as Marchese says, “It’s not all Mickey and Minnie.” After all, the exhibit is at Graceland. “Elvis is actually a part of the Disney archives,” she continues, “A few years ago, Disney acquired the 20th Century Fox archives. Elvis’ first movie, Love Me Tender, was filmed at 20th Century Fox; he actually had several movies filmed at 20th Century Fox.”
So the exhibit also contains a few Elvis Easter eggs, including movie posters and original artwork of Stitch, of Lilo & Stitch fame, dressed up as Elvis, Lilo’s favorite singer. “I like to say that Stitch wanted to come back to Graceland to say hi to Elvis,” Marchese says. “In 2002, Lilo and Stitch introduced Elvis’ music to a whole new generation of Elvis fans.”
The archives also include the Swan computer from Lost, Julia Roberts’ red dress from Pretty Woman, Wilson the Volleyball from Cast Away, and so much more. “There’s something in here for the whole family,” Marchese says.
The exhibit will remain open until January 2, 2022, and for the next six months, Graceland will host a wide array of Disney-themed events, including Tour & Tea parties, trivia nights, a Princess and Pirate Day, and movie screenings of Disney classics at the Soundstage, the first of which will be Alice in Wonderland on Sunday, July 25th at 2 p.m. Marchese says, “It’s gonna be so much fun for everybody.”
To keep up with upcoming events or to purchase tickets, visit graceland.com/exhibition-center. Tickets for self-guided tours are $15 (adults), $8 (children 5-10), and under 4 free. VIP tickets are $50 and include a professionally guided tour, special access to a VIP lounge, a commemorative lanyard and pin, and a $15 food voucher. The exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
