The Walt Disney Studios and World War II

Special Exhibit

 

Organized by The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California, The Walt Disney Studios and World War II will be on display in The National WWII Museum’s Senator John Alario, Jr. Special Exhibition Hall from March 17, 2023, through September 24, 2023. This family-friendly exhibit explores how one of America’s most beloved entertainment companies helped achieve Allied victory.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States’ subsequent entry into World War II, Disney’s studio lot in Burbank was requisitioned as an Army anti-aircraft base. In response, Walt Disney and his staff pledged their unfaltering support to the war effort. The studio devoted over 90 percent of its wartime output to producing training, propaganda, entertainment, and public-service films, as well as publicity and print campaigns—and all without profit. The Walt Disney Studios even deployed a group of artists, including Walt Disney himself, to Latin America on a Goodwill Tour.

Through a collection of over 500 rare historical objects and film clips, this traveling exhibit will showcase collections such as “Films and Print for Training, Propaganda, and Entertainment” and “Insignia and Morale.” Not only does the exhibit include profiles of Disney employees who left their studios to join the Armed Forces, but it also highlights the remarkable American minorities who paved the way for future generations.

Access to The Walt Disney Studios and World War II is included with Museum admission.

Purchase Tickets

 

The National WWII Museum thanks the following supporters for sponsoring The Walt Disney Studios and World War II exhibit:

  • Bob and Sheryl Merrick
  • TruWealth Advisors, LLC
  • David DeVido
  • Dale E. and Janice Davis Johnston Family Foundation
  • Richard and Kathy Ramsey
  • Bobby and Sheila Weil
  • The Honorable Christine Whitman
The National WWII Museum

Museum Campus

Exhibit Location

Hall of Democracy