Walt Disney Studies

Board the submarine Nautilus and plunge into a strange undersea world of spellbinding adventure as we kick off our Walt Disney Studies series with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea! This evening's event will be hosted by Jeff Kurtti with a post-screening presentation by Disney Historian Kevin Kidney! Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre star as shipwrecked survivors taken captive by the mysterious Captain Nemo, brilliantly portrayed by James Mason. Wavering between genius and madness, Nemo has launched a deadly crusade across the seven seas. But can the captive crew expose his evil plan before he destroys the world? Disney's brilliant Academy Award®-winning (Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects) adaptation of Jules Verne's gripping tale makes 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea a truly mesmerizing masterpiece, his first feature in the widescreen CinemaScope process!

Our Walt Disney Studies series is headed down the rabbit hole as present a brand new 4K restoration of the original 1951 classic Alice in Wonderland! And make sure to get their early as our host for the evening, Jeff Kurtti, will be giving a very special presentation before the film! In this beloved and oft-filmed story, bored young schoolgirl Alice falls down a rabbit hole and lands in a strange world where nonsense rules. She encounters “curiouser and curiouser” characters as she travels through Wonderland, trying to learn the logic of the place and find her way out. Made under the supervision of Walt Disney himself, Alice in Wonderland and its animation are often regarded as some of the finest work in Disney Studio history, despite the lackluster, even hostile, reviews it originally received, though it did receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score! In the presentation “Walt in Wonderland”, Jeff Kurtti tells the story of Walt Disney’s lifelong affection for the Lewis Carroll heroine, and how the stories wove a pathway through a lifetime of Disney projects, from the 1923 Disney “Alice in Cartoonland” shorts to coming to life in Disneyland.

Up next in our Walt Disney Studies series is a pair of remarkable documentaries from renowned director Leslie Iwerks that tell the story of Disneyland in two directions: the influence of film design professionals on the building of Disneyland, and how Disneyland has in turn impacted and influenced film professionals over seven decades. And during the interval between the features, there will a discussion moderated by Disney Historian Jeff Kurtti. Disneyland Handcrafted documents the exhilarating year that gave rise to The Happiest Place on Earth. Assembled entirely from rare archival footage and original audio recordings, this film reveals the extraordinary artistry, grit and pressure it took hundreds of craftspeople to build Walt Disney's impossible dream into a reality, from groundbreaking to Opening Day. Disney Worldbuilders goes behind-the-scenes of how movies and franchises such as Frozen, Zootopia, and more are turned into immersive worlds across the global Disney parks. James Cameron, Kevin Feige, Jon Favreau, Pete Docter, Jennifer Lee and Jared Bush are among the filmmakers who feature in the documentary. Jeff Kurtti is the most prolific nonfiction author in Disney history, with more than 40 volumes to his credit over 25 years. A leading authority on The Walt Disney Company, its founder, and its history, Kurtti is also a writer-director of award-winning documentary content, and a respected public speaker. He was creative director, content consultant, and media producer for The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, and a producer of The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story, a critically acclaimed documentary about the famed songwriters. In June 2024, Kurtti was appointed Presidential Fellow in Walt Disney Studies at Chapman University in Orange, CA. All schedule details and speaker lineups are tentative and subject to change without notice.

Our Walt Disney Studies series continues on November 1st with a very rare screening of Swiss Family Robinson! And as an added bonus, special guest Kevin Kidney will be giving a special post-screening presentation entitled "A Swiss Family Robinson Adventure"! This spectacular screen version of the literary classic is full of breathtaking South Seas scenery, exotic animals and treacherous pirates. The heroic tale chronicles the courageous exploits of the Robinson family after they are shipwrecked on a deserted island. Using teamwork and ingenuity, they skillfully overcome the obstacles of nature and transform their new home into a "civilized" community. But the ultimate challenge comes when a band of cutthroat pirates threatens to destroy the Robinsons' impromptu paradise. "A Swiss Family Robinson Adventure": Kevin Kidney shares his research on the creation of Swiss Family Robinson, from its initial production to his personal journey to find and explore the original filming locations—including the castaway island and the legendary tree house.

Our Walt Disney Studies series charters new territory with a double feature of the 2008 documentary Walt & Grupo, followed by the 1942 short film Saludos Amigos in an evening we're calling South of the Border with Walt Disney! And during the interval between the features, a discussion and Q&A with the director, Theodore Thomas, will be hosted and moderated by Disney Historian Jeff Kurtti. Walt & El Grupo: It was 1941, a critical time for the world and for the Walt Disney Studio. When the U.S. Government asked Walt to be a cultural ambassador to South America, the stage was set for his very own real-life adventure. With a group of handpicked artists, later called "El Grupo," Walt's road trip achieved the impossible: goodwill. And in the process, it paved the way for two classic Disney films, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. Saludos Amigos: A whimsical blend of live-action and animation, Saludos Amigos is a colorful kaleidoscope of art, adventure and music set to a toe-tapping samba beat. From high Andes peaks and Argentina's pampas to the sights and sounds of Rio de Janeiro, your international traveling companions are none other than those famous funny friends, Donald Duck and Goofy. They keep things lively as Donald encounters a stubborn llama and "El Gaucho" Goofy tries on the cowboy way of life...South American style.

The bittersweet end to this year's Walt Disney Studies series is the beloved animated classic Lady and the Tramp! And as an early holiday present, Theodore (Theo) Gluck will be joining us to give a very informative and entertaining post-screening presentation entitled "Walt on the Wide Screen"! The film follows dog’s-eye-view adventures of Lady, a lovingly pampered cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a freewheeling mutt with a heart of gold in Walt Disney’s beloved classic—the first animated feature ever produced in the widescreen CinemaScope process. This heartwarming tale now charms a new generation of families and fans with its exquisite animation, unforgettable songs and one of the dog-gonedest love stories of all time. "Walt on the Wide Screen": Film authority Theo Gluck offers an overview of the era of the widescreen revolution as Hollywood—a response to the looming specter of television. Disney, like all the other studios, was not immune to this innovation, so they answered the call to mutually combat this threat by quickly gearing up to offer widescreen product.