Disneyana: Collector, Enthusiast, or both? either way, a Disney-holic!

To quote Wikipedia: “Disneyana is a term for toys, books, animation celluloids, theme-park souvenirs, and other collectibles produced by The Walt Disney Company, featuring such characters as Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell”.

I used to think myself alone in my level of interest for Walt Disney and everything that he created. While most of my friends enjoyed Disneyland, and some of the animated features, they didn’t share my interest in the man or the history. Then along came the internet. I very quickly realized I was not alone – I’d finally found MY PEOPLE!!

With that discovery, I also came across the Disneyana Fan Club. The club is for Disneyana collectors and Disney enthusiasts. I thought I was a collector, until I met some REAL collectors. I now think I just have a lot of stuff that makes me happy. I guess that makes me an enthusiast, because what I enjoy collecting the most, more than any single item, is experiences. That experience collection started in 1964, with my first visit to Disneyland. It was during that visit that we got to see Walt Disney in the park. While I don’t have the specific memory (I was only 2), I’ve heard the story enough to remember.

The park visits and experiences continued throughout my childhood. Here’s my brother and I in 1969.

In 1989, I got an opportunity to visit the Walt Disney Studios and the Archives. I knew a man who worked in animation for the Disney Afternoon (Rescue Rangers, Tailspin, etc). It was on this visit that I first met Dave Smith, chief archivist for the Walt Disney Company. He let me hold the watch that Warren Beatty wore in Dick Tracy. I also had lunch in the employee cafeteria, and sat 4 tables away from Roy E. Disney. COOL!!

Since then, I have sought out opportunities to meet Disney notables and experience Disney history. A few years ago I attended the Snow White 70th Anniversary event. This was such a fantastic gathering of people – Roy E. Disney, John Lasseter, animator Glenn Keane, producer Don Hahn, and Leonard Maltin, among others.

Leonard Maltin and John Lasseter

Roy E. Disney, Glen Keane, and (sorry, I forget)

John Lasseter and the Seven Dwarfs, introducing the film

The Disneyana Fan Club has been another source of opportunities to meet prominent Disney folks. Marty Sklar, Tony Baxter, Joe Rohde (and his earring), Margaret Kerry (Tinkerbell), Eddie Carroll (Jiminy Cricket), and one that I will always remember – Xavier (X) Atencio!

Fantastic "voices" panel - (from L to R)  Eddie Carroll (Jiminy Cricket), ? (Grandmother Willow and others), Bill Farmer (Goofy), ? (voice coordinator), Corey Burton (many many voices), Tony Anselmo (Doland Duck), Russi Taylor (Minnie), Wayne Allwine (Mickey) 

One of my favorite animators - Andreas Deja (Scar, Jafar, Gaston, and many others)

The infamous Joe Rohde - creative mind behind the Animal Kingdom park, Adventurer's Club, and now Aulani Resort in Hawaii.

My meeting with X Atencio

Last year Disney created its first official fan club – D23. ‘23’ is for the year that Walt, and his brother Roy, formed the Walt Disney Company. D23 has provided many opportunities for a Disney fan like me: film screenings, a preview of the Walt Disney Family Museum, and the first D23 Expo. It was at this Expo that I got to see some of the movie stars that, honestly, I’d never see otherwise – John Travolta, Nicholas Cage, Donny Osmond, Courtney Cox, and … wait for it … Johnny Depp!  



I'm in the floor seats of the arena, screaming like a little girl!!

All that rambling brings me to the bottom line - I’m an admitted Disney-holic, and I wouldn’t change a thing!