Partners Statue at Magic Kingdom

Partners Statue at Magic Kingdom - Fun Facts

1 - The Partners Statue was sculpted by Disney Legend Blaine Gibson. A former Disney animator and Imagineer, Blaine took one year to create the sculpture and based his depiction of Walt on a bust he originally created in the 1960s.

2 - When considering having Mickey hold Walt’s hand, Blaine consulted footage from the film “Fantasia,” in which Mickey shakes the hand of orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski.

3 - One early sketch of the Partners Statue featured Mickey holding an ice cream cone in one hand.

4 - When choosing an expression for Walt’s face, Blaine tried to reflect Walt’s goal of making people happy. The statue’s expression is Blaine’s interpretation of Walt watching happy people enjoy the park.

5 - The initials on Walt’s tie are “STR,” and stand for “Smoke Tree Ranch,” an area in Palm Springs where Walt once owned a vacation home.

Donald Being Donald at the Magic Kingdom

It seems that Donald Duck just can’t help himself sometimes

Main Street - A Different View

Cyanotype - Invented in 1841, this simple, inexpensive photographic method became popular from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. The images are created when ultraviolet light converts the light-sensitive chemicals to Prussian blue. This method was used for creating blueprints as well!