Imagine being able to visit Walt Disney’s office – Suite 3H – while also celebrating the Blu-Ray release of Peter Pan while doing a scavenger hunt on Walt Disney Studios property. Did you brain explode? Well mine totally did. During the Han Solo Event, we were invited to see where Walt worked on some of the biggest projects of Walt Disney history.
Suite 3H In The Old Animation Building
Suite 3H was full of nostalgia; Walt’s awards were on display, some of his original furniture placed just as it was before his passed away, and even family photos sprinkled throughout his office. It was heartwarming to be in these rooms. To see where he made his dreams come true.
Suite 3H was renovated in 2015, to commemorate Walt and provide cast members and uber Disney fans an experience to walk in Walt’s footsteps. This tour is highly coveted, so being able to take part in it while on this junket was a dream come true. If you’ve seen Saving Mr. Banks, these rooms will spark some of the memories you may have for the film, including his “lines of defense,” Walt’s secretaries.
First Line Of Defense
In order to get to Walt, guests of his office had to get through his team of powerhouse secretaries. 3 women who each had a role to fill, and worked meticulously on Walt’s schedule. I loved this part of our tour because it reminded us that dreamers need a team; a team that believes in what they do, and who will guard their creative process so they can succeed. These women were the reason Walt was able to be as successful as he was, when he was here. Women are powerful, you guys.
Did you know that Walt was a man of simple tastes? While he constantly dreamt big, he didn’t venture too far when it came to his food. The ingredients for his special chili recipe were always on hand in his office, and when he traveled, he even took along canned food items that he was familiar with, instead of eating the continental cuisine he had access to. I absolutely loved this about Walt; a man who had the food of the world at his beck and call, but stuck with the basics that worked for him. Hmmm. There just might be a frugal lesson in that.
Celebrating Peter Pan
After swimming in all of that nostalgia, we were able to run rampant through the studio lot. OK, “rampant” might be a bit much, but we were invited to take part in a scavenger hunt in honor of the release of Peter Pan on Blu-Ray, which celebrates its 65th anniversary this year!
This scavenger hunt was too much fun. My team, Team Smee, ran all over the place, solving riddles, finding pixie dust, and getting a workout in the process. Boy, did we run around like mad women! I one point, we ran right past Bob Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Office of The Walt Disney Company. While I didn’t have time to fangirl over him, I did tweet a photo of my face as I ran past him. What the what?!
While our team didn’t win the scavenger hunt, I was pretty proud that we came in a close second for the Peter Pan trivia section of the hunt. Obviously, we know Peter Pan!
Peter Pan is now available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital, so be sure to grab your copy!
