We’ve passed Disney’s 100th anniversary and Mickey Mouse’s introduction into the public domain. Now is the time to focus on preserving the history associated with Walt Disney.
One such project is the Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration in Chicago, IL. We learned about this thanks to Chip + Company.
The home built by Elias Disney in the late 19th Century has been preserved and restored over the years. At one point in the 1990s, the Walt Disney House could have been condemned and demolished due to a previous owner’s neglect.
Thankfully, a group of people swooped in to protect the former home of one of animation’s greatest legends. Now, you can take a virtual tour to see all the hard work the project’s team has put into keeping the historic site alive.
Sadly, the tour isn’t done in true VR. It’s more like looking at a home via a real estate website. Regardless, there are many 360-degree pictures of each room, showing off just how much work was done to restore the birthplace to its original state.
“Imagine… if every child, family, and community could achieve their highest and best purpose in life because that one single life story inspired them. Walt Disney dreamed big and rose up from humble beginnings in a small community in Chicago… At The Walt Disney Birthplace, that hope, tenacity and courage of a mid-western child lives on for all of us to believe that anything is possible.”
Another restoration effort connected to Disney (and, more importantly, Ub Iwerks) is the attempt to save the former Laugh-O-Gram Studio building in Kansas City. The project also has a virtual walk-through of what the restoration project is hoping to do with the former home of Walt’s creations.
What other historic sights of animation’s past should be preserved? Let us know below.
[Source: Chip + Company]
[Source: Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration Website]
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