Disney100: The Exhibition has made its way to Kansas City. To celebrate the traveling archive collection’s arrival in (one of) Walt’s hometowns, D23 held a special premiere event on Friday, May 24th. Luckily for me, KCMO is just a few hours away, so this event provided a great opportunity to finally experience this exhibit.
For its Kansas City residence, Disney100: The Exhibit has been set up at the historic and gorgeous Union Station. This happens to be the perfect place for many reasons — not the least of which ties into Walt’s well-documented love of trains. In fact, as we learned during the event, the train tracks at Union Station connect to Marceline, Missouri, which was the inspiration for Main Street USA.
As for the D23 event, after parking at Union Station, I spied the check-in line just upstairs from the exhibit entrance. Upon arrival, we were given wristbands that noted our timed entry into the exhibition. Of course, with this being a D23 event, we were also presented with some gifts. In this case, the bounty included a Disney100 medallion, a poster featuring Walt’s Dreaming Tree and Marceline, a special collectors edition of Union Station On Track (basically a program/magazine), and a free drink coupon to be redeemed during the event.
Conveniently, the entirety of the event was held in the same basic area. Downstairs, there was the entrance to the exhibit itself (which you could enter once your item arrived). This was right across from the room which hosted a few special presentation lectures as well as the food and beverage selections for the evening. Lastly, back on the main floor where we checked in, guests could meet Mickey and Minnie during multiple appearance times.
Since I got there pretty early, I was given a 7:15 p.m. entry time. This meant that, after grabbing a couple of charcuterie-style snacks, it was time to step into Disney100: The Exhibition. However, before entering the attraction proper, I enjoyed exploring the first room, which highlighted connections between Disney and presenting sponsor Bank of America as well as to well-known Kansas City businesses such as Hallmark. Some of Walt’s KC and Marceline history was also on display in this section — although a lot came up in the exhibit itself as well.
Heading into the pre-show, I had completely forgotten the hubbub that surrounded the Walt “hologram” before it debuted. After seeing the display for myself… wow was that all overblown! Maybe it was just the angle I was at, but it really just looked like a regular film with a stage in front of it. Sure, the reanimation was a bit weird, but it really wasn’t worth all of the worrying it received.
Anyway, after the brief presentation, we got to step into the exhibit. Our own Jeremiah has covered these displays a few times before, so I won’t rehash his coverage here. However, I will say that I thought the team did a good job at mixing interactive elements with interesting items from the archives. Some of my favorite items included the Winnie the Pooh from Christopher Robin, some of the Parks items, and the Marvel displays.
On the way to the gift shop, the hall was lined with a number of posters for recent and upcoming Disney releases. Additionally, there were some tables where guests could grab a coloring sheet and try out their own artistic talents. And, while the gift shop did have some great items, I decided to pass and headed back to the D23-rented room.
Because I decided to enter the exhibit right away, I did miss the welcome remarks from D23’s Michael Vargo as well as the “Union Station: 110 Years of Kansas City Memories” presentation by Union Station president and CEO George Guastello. So, my first presentation was from Walt Disney Hometown Museum founder (and resident of Walt Disney’s former home) Kaye Malins, titled “Walt Disney’s Marceline.” I happened to see Kaye just about a year ago when I went to a D23 event in Marceline itself. And while I’m sure I heard some of the same stories here as I did then, she is always delightful to hear from.
After Kaye’s presentation, a selection of “Walt Disney’s Kansas City Films from the Vault” were shown. This included several shorts produced at Laugh-O-Gram Studio. I had actually visited the building where this studio stood on a previous trip to Kansas City. Work in renovating the building and turning it into a museum is ongoing.
For my last lecture, Walt Disney Archives director Becky Cline presented “Walt Disney, Cartoonist: The Kansas City Years.” No photos or video were allowed for this portion of the evening but, needless to say, Becky shared some great stories and images from Walt’s time in KC over the years.
And with that, it was time for me to head home. Overall, I had a great time at this event and thought it was a perfect way to finally experience this traveling exhibition. That said, with adult tickets to Disney 100: The Exhibition coming at a cost $25, there was quite a premium paid to do this D23 event. Was that cost made up in gifts, drinks, and content? I’m not exactly sure that’s the case — but I don’t regret going this route (and I could have saved myself some money on tickets if I were still a D23 Gold member).
In any case, if you’re in the Kansas City area, you can visit Disney100: The Exhibition at Union Station. Tickets can be purchased online or on site.