3 Fun Disney Facts From The Animation Research Library

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Have you ever heard of Disney’s Animation Research Library? As a big Disney animation fan, I was a little shocked that I hadn’t heard of it. The Animation Research Library is a place where they preserve the original drawings and other material from our favorite Disney films. We were invited to tour the library in celebration of the re-release of Peter Pan, and boy did I learn so much from this experience.

The Collection is Huge

The Animation Research Library has over 65 million pieces in their collection, which are housed in 11 very cold vaults. OK, they weren’t that cold, but I loved that they kept the temperature chilly to make sure the integrity of the items was upheld.

The Collection Is Going Digital

Fox Carney, our tour leader, shared with us that many of the drawings are being digitized. While all of the original items are secured in the vaults, the team is still working on digitizing each piece. There are team members who carefully scan the documents, and other team members who make sure those documents include every part of the drawing, and the proper tagging information.

Peter Pan Was In The Works Since The 1930s

As we perused the Peter Pan drawings, Fox informed us that Walt Disney and Mary Blair, one of Walt’s favorite artists, actually started to work on the art for Peter Pan around World War II. The film as we know it today was released in 1953.

We learned so much more during this very exclusive tour of the Animation Research Library, and I plan on sharing even more in a future post. But, I know you all would love to see some of the photos taken during our tour, since this not an experience that is open to the public. Check out the photos below.

Peter Pan is now available on Digital and available on Blu-Ray on 6/5!