I haven't seen anything about this elsewhere. Just happened to see a sign in a hallway announcing the opening next month of a new museum exhibit looking at the role the Walt Disney Company played in World War Two.
Just returned from the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is a fantastic new museum in the Warehouse district next to the French Quarter. It is, in many ways, very much like a Disney project: top stars like Tom Hanks, Gary Sinese, and Tom Brokaw narrate exhibits, films and massive outdoor productions; doors in "4-D" advanced theaters swing open towards the pre-show; interactive rides where you get an assignment and have to push buttons or pull levers; scavenger hunts where you tap your "dog tag" at various exhibits and can download pictures and artifacts from the National Archives, personal collections, and the Department of Defense files; and incredibly detailed and authentic theming. Full-size planes, tanks, vehicles, and equipment, some replicas, but most the real deal, meticulously restored. It's a supremely-overwhelming subject, but the museum professionals behind this well-funded new museum have done an excellent job at theming, context and organization to make it all easy to absorb and understand. It balanced "Victory At Sea" strategic views with "Saving Private Ryan" intimate stories, looking at different levels throughout your journey.
And many differences from Disney parks, the most important of which is that it is very much NOT the "happiest place on Earth." It is dedicated toward education, very much like the original EPCOT intention (not the city, but the educational aspect of the early opening days). And what it is showing is the biggest and worst historical episode of the 20th Century. What it does best is explain how the entire world was engulfed in madness, driven by the descent of the three major Axis countries (Germany, Italy and Japan) into dictatorships that led quickly to war, and how the "arsenal of democracy" slowly built up the capacity of the U.S. and then other countries to withstand overpowering war machines, and then push them back. Not a lot of humor in that, but a powerful message of the world coming together against a real threat and prevailing, though it was dicey for a while and at the cost of literally millions of lives. The cast and audience that we saw were international, and generally well-experienced (also, as one might expect, both the volunteers and visitors were generally seniors).
I was pleased to see, next to the extensive gift shop and theaters in the main wing of the eight-building complex (the restoration building was closed to the public while we were there) that one of the upcoming exhibits will be: "The Walt Disney Studios and World War Two:"
The exhibit opens March 17, 2023, and lasts until September 24. Note that the museum generally treats the celebrities of the time, including Jimmy Stewart (bomber pilot) and Clark Gable (Army Air Force training personnel), in a very low-key manner, giving them the same coverage as regular soldiers, homefront workers, and just plain folks. EXCEPT for Bob Hope, who appears throughout the museum, as he did throughout the war effort. I would not expect much gushing over Disney's participation, but a good factual explanation with exhibits.
Just FYI, we stayed in the official hotel of the WWII Museum, the newly-renovated Higgins Hotel, right across the street, and used the parking and tickets package (which did not include the various special "LL"-type events and rides, like the Tom Hanks presentation (very much like the American Adventure, with things rising from the stage, stirring music, special effects and so on), the interactive submarine ride and so on, which had to be purchased at the museum). Though the museum tickets were relatively inexpensive for a two-day package, parking was $37/day. The rooms were VERY nice, and far cheaper than comparable WDW accommodations: $317 for a night for this three-room suite with a corner view:
View from front door of suite:
Front Foyer (Note: it is the policy of the Higgins Hotel not to have microwaves in rooms.)
Bedroom
Bathroom: (yes, you can close those window shades above the bathtub), with water closet on left, and full shower on right.
Just returned from the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is a fantastic new museum in the Warehouse district next to the French Quarter. It is, in many ways, very much like a Disney project: top stars like Tom Hanks, Gary Sinese, and Tom Brokaw narrate exhibits, films and massive outdoor productions; doors in "4-D" advanced theaters swing open towards the pre-show; interactive rides where you get an assignment and have to push buttons or pull levers; scavenger hunts where you tap your "dog tag" at various exhibits and can download pictures and artifacts from the National Archives, personal collections, and the Department of Defense files; and incredibly detailed and authentic theming. Full-size planes, tanks, vehicles, and equipment, some replicas, but most the real deal, meticulously restored. It's a supremely-overwhelming subject, but the museum professionals behind this well-funded new museum have done an excellent job at theming, context and organization to make it all easy to absorb and understand. It balanced "Victory At Sea" strategic views with "Saving Private Ryan" intimate stories, looking at different levels throughout your journey.
And many differences from Disney parks, the most important of which is that it is very much NOT the "happiest place on Earth." It is dedicated toward education, very much like the original EPCOT intention (not the city, but the educational aspect of the early opening days). And what it is showing is the biggest and worst historical episode of the 20th Century. What it does best is explain how the entire world was engulfed in madness, driven by the descent of the three major Axis countries (Germany, Italy and Japan) into dictatorships that led quickly to war, and how the "arsenal of democracy" slowly built up the capacity of the U.S. and then other countries to withstand overpowering war machines, and then push them back. Not a lot of humor in that, but a powerful message of the world coming together against a real threat and prevailing, though it was dicey for a while and at the cost of literally millions of lives. The cast and audience that we saw were international, and generally well-experienced (also, as one might expect, both the volunteers and visitors were generally seniors).
I was pleased to see, next to the extensive gift shop and theaters in the main wing of the eight-building complex (the restoration building was closed to the public while we were there) that one of the upcoming exhibits will be: "The Walt Disney Studios and World War Two:"
The exhibit opens March 17, 2023, and lasts until September 24. Note that the museum generally treats the celebrities of the time, including Jimmy Stewart (bomber pilot) and Clark Gable (Army Air Force training personnel), in a very low-key manner, giving them the same coverage as regular soldiers, homefront workers, and just plain folks. EXCEPT for Bob Hope, who appears throughout the museum, as he did throughout the war effort. I would not expect much gushing over Disney's participation, but a good factual explanation with exhibits.
Just FYI, we stayed in the official hotel of the WWII Museum, the newly-renovated Higgins Hotel, right across the street, and used the parking and tickets package (which did not include the various special "LL"-type events and rides, like the Tom Hanks presentation (very much like the American Adventure, with things rising from the stage, stirring music, special effects and so on), the interactive submarine ride and so on, which had to be purchased at the museum). Though the museum tickets were relatively inexpensive for a two-day package, parking was $37/day. The rooms were VERY nice, and far cheaper than comparable WDW accommodations: $317 for a night for this three-room suite with a corner view:
View from front door of suite:
Front Foyer (Note: it is the policy of the Higgins Hotel not to have microwaves in rooms.)
Bedroom
Bathroom: (yes, you can close those window shades above the bathtub), with water closet on left, and full shower on right.