Held at the London Excel, the Disney 100 Exhibition celebrates 100 years of the Walt Disney Company. The exhibition is made up of several items which have come directly from the Disney archives – some of which have rarely or never been on public display before. 

For those familiar with One Man’s Dream at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, the exhibition follows a similar format, but on a larger scale. 

The exhibition comprises of ten unique ‘galleries’, each showing a different facet of Disney’s fascinating history. Of course one of our favourite galleries was the Disney Parks gallery, which even features a life size tea cup which you can sit in. A great photo op!

What to expect:

When you first arrive, you are ushered through into a small standing theatre, where you are shown a short film to help set the scene. Following the film, a curtain is pulled back to reveal the first gallery. 

In this first gallery, Walter E Disney’s journey to opening his first cartoon studio is detailed, along with the story of how Mickey Mouse came to be, following the slightly unfortunate fate of Oswald the Rabbit when Universal acquired the rights to Oswald in 1928 leaving Mr Disney without his hero cartoon. 

The second gallery goes into the creation process for some of Disney’s earliest animated films, including the first feature length, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It showcases how Disney was fascinated by storybooks and fairytales, and how we sought to bring these to life for children in a new medium. Moving to the third gallery, we get a glimpse of how animators begin to bring characters to life, and define their features which give them their characteristics by using models. A selection of these are on display. The other note-worthy display in this gallery is the stunning red dress which Emma Stone wears in the 2021 film Cruella.

In the fourth gallery, we embark on a journey of adventure and discovery. From adventures across the seas to galaxies far far away. For any Star Wars fans out there, there are a number of original props from the films, a life storm trooper costume, and the actual BB8 from the films.

A huge part of Disney is the music. Whether it’s the movies, the television shows, or the theme parks, the music used evokes an emotional response. The fifth gallery is all about sound and music, and pays tribute to some of the musical composers who created some of the iconic Disney music we know and love. 

Gallery six focuses more on National Geographic than Disney, but it does allude to how Disney himself had a great passion for exploration and the world around us and how this shaped some of the movies that were created, and some of the rides we find at Disney Parks, such as the Jungle Cruise. 

Gallery seven shows how Disney is a pioneer in the use of technology, showcasing the multiplane camera which was a unique Disney invention which helped give their cartoons an extra level of depth. There is also a section dedicated to animatronics, and there’s a Pixar Animations computer on display. 

Moving onto gallery eight, we enter ‘Your Disney World’. The one thing this gallery was missing was the humidity. Alas, this gallery was great for any Disney Parks fan alike. On display was information about all six resorts across the globe, some fascinating sketches and drawings of some of the original concepts, and a scale model of the Castle of Dreams from Hong Kong Disneyland. Did we mention there is a giant tea cup you can sit in?! Along with the Tea Cup ride vehicle, there is also a pirate ship from Peter Pan’s Flight and an old fashioned motor vehicle from Mr Toad’s Wild Ride.  

Before meandering through a mirrored room, which is the final section you come to with a throne photo opportunity, you enter gallery nine which is about the future of the Walt Disney Company and it’s ambitions for the future. This gallery, of all of them, probably lacks the most detail and context of them all, but does provide an uplifting end to the experience with floor to ceiling video screens playing video clips and some magical lighting effects. 

Lastly you come to an activity area with lots of colouring for the kids, and then the gift shop. There are a lot of unique pieces of merch in the shop featuring the Disney 100 logo, and some featuring Disney 100 Exhibition. These latter items are unique to the experience and can’t be purchased anywhere else. There is a plethora of Disney Plushies on display, along with some poster art. 

The good to know: 

If you are expecting any character meet and greets, then I am afraid you are out of luck. This is purely an exhibition through and through, so expect something similar to an art exhibition. Whilst it is a great experience for any Disney Fan, some younger children with shorter attention spans may find the exhibition a little boring. 

It is worth noting that there are no toilets throughout the exhibition. The toilets are located within the Excel centre. Whilst there is some seating throughout the ten galleries, there isn’t any specific rest area nor the opportunity to buy refreshments. 

If travelling by car parking is available at the Excel. From central London, you have the option of either taking the Elizabeth Line or DLR to Customs House, and then walking across the bring to the Excel.

Final thoughts: 

The Disney 100 Exhibition is a celebration of 100 years of Disney magic. It’s a unique event, with some very unique items on display. 

For any Disney fan, I would recommend a visit. Whilst there could have been a few additional sprinkles of pixie dust to give it the extra Disney wow, the exhibition is crammed with great nuggets of Disney history and rarely seen items from the Disney archive and you will not leave disappointed. 

The Disney 100 Exhibition is due to close June 23rd.