Right before the entrance to Disney100: The Exhibition at Union Station, the first display case in the "Local Connections" gallery includes objects from the Library’s Missouri Valley Special Collections. 

Although Walt Disney made it big in California, his roots were in the Midwest. Disney was born in Chicago, and his family moved to Kansas City in 1911 when he was 9. He took Saturday art classes at the Kansas City Art Institute, and reportedly started drawing animals inspired by books checked out from the Library. 

Union Station is one of only three locations across the United States to host Disney100: The Exhibition, which opened May 24. President and CEO George Guastello says it provides an opportunity to celebrate Disney’s ties to Kansas City.

“This is where Walt Disney walked,” says Guastello. “This is where Mortimer Mouse, who then became Mickey Mouse, was created with (artist) Ub Iwerks.” 

A small mouse in one of Disney’s desk drawers at Laugh-O-Gram Studio, at 1127 E. 31st Street, reportedly sparked the creation of Mickey Mouse. When the animation studio went bankrupt in 1923, Disney left for Los Angeles. 

For this exhibition, Union Station found organizations in Kansas City with ties to Disney or with Disney artifacts in their collection, such as the Library.  

One item from the Library in the gallery is a 1937 typewritten letter from Walt Disney to acting librarian Irene Gentry. 

“The letter is the real kind of gem of our Library's connection to Disney,” says Jeremy Drouin, Missouri Valley Special Collections manager, “because he mentioned going to the Library and checking out books.” 

Disney wrote that “any book that offered information on drawing” was likely on his checkout list from the Library when he was first learning about animation. He also recalled overdue books depleting his bank account; these days, the Library imposes no fines.  

One possible book Disney might have perused in the Library’s collection was Animals in Motion: An Electro-Photographic Investigation of Consecutive Phases of Muscular Actions (1907) by Eadweard Muybridge, with photographs of animals in states of motion.   

Other items on display, like 1900s postcards and a souvenir brochure of “Kansas City’s Coney Island,” highlight Electric Park located just a short streetcar ride from where Disney’s family lived at 3028 Bellefontaine.  

“He’s often mentioned Electric Park as an inspiration for a lot of aspects of Disneyland and Disney World,” says Drouin, “especially the trains and the light shows at night, the parades, and things like that.” 

“Walt Disney had a vision,” says Guastello. “‘If you can dream it, you can create it, you can believe it.’” 

Disney100: The Exhibition marks the centennial of the Walt Disney Company. Ten themed galleries highlight films such as Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Encanto (2021) with visuals, audio, and interactive elements. 

The exhibition features more than 250 objects from the Walt Disney Archives, including costumes, artwork, props, and memorabilia.

The script from Steamboat Willie. Captain America’s shield. The snow globe from Mary Poppins. Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber.  

“This exhibition goes through the 100 years of the evolution of Walt Disney, but it’s still the same,” says Guastello. “It’s still the magic, the movies, and the emotion.” 

Since 2010, Becky Cline has served as director of the Disney Archives, which she describes as “an amazing creative playground. I still come into work every day and get excited about the possibilities.” 

The company, says Cline, started with small exhibitions at the studio and the theme parks. Now, they organize traveling exhibitions around the world; they also have about 60 assets on loan.  

“Our mission statement was always to protect and preserve the history of the Walt Disney Company,” she says. “But I added the word share, so it's to protect, preserve, and share the history of the Walt Disney Company.” 

As the keeper of the Library’s institutional archive, Drouin views Disney100: The Exhibition as another means to celebrate the Library’s 150th anniversary year.  

“I think it’s a great time to highlight our history,” he says, “spotlighting interesting stories, interesting anecdotes about patrons – especially such a famous patron of the Library.” 

Disney100: The Exhibition runs May 24 - Nov. 30, 2024, at Union Station, 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64108.