Forest Lawn Museum to Celebrate the Lives of Walt Disney and Hubert Eaton
The exhibit is set to open this September and run through February.
A new exhibition at Forest Lawn Museum will explore the decades-long friendship and shared creative vision of Walt Disney and Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks founder Hubert Eaton.
What’s Happening:
- This Fall, the Forest Lawn Museum will present California Visionaries: The Lives and Legacies of Walt Disney and Hubert Eaton.
- This will be the first exhibition to explore the personal and creative relationship between Walt Disney and Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks founder Hubert Eaton.
- The exhibition will show the parallels between Disney and Eaton, who both traveled from Missouri to California before creating organizations and destinations that became integral in American culture.
- Disney and Eaton met in the 1930s and maintained a relationship for decades, keeping in touch with one another, visiting each other's parks, and serving together on the board of Saint Joseph's Hospital.
- Disney served as an honorary pallbearer at Eaton's funeral in 1966. Disney died several months later, and both men are interred at Forest Lawn-Glendale.
- The exhibition commemorates the 60th anniversary of their deaths while exploring their shared artistic interests and approaches to creating their respective parks.
- Disney and Eaton worked with some of the same artists, including Herbert Ryman, the Imagineer responsible for the first sketch of Disneyland as well as the first sketch for Forest Lawn's massive painting, The Resurrection.
- Both men drew inspiration from medieval castles and cathedrals, incorporating elements of that architecture into destinations that brought those styles to Southern California.
- They also shared an appreciation for Americana, with both celebrating historical and literary figures including Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain through attractions and artistic works.
- California Visionaries will feature newly discovered archival photographs, sculptures, illustrations, animatronic figures, maps, and other artifacts documenting the connections between Disney and Eaton.
- Disneyland artifacts on display will include a former Dumbo ride vehicle and Matterhorn bobsled, while colorful maps will compare the development and aesthetics of Disneyland and Forest Lawn during the mid-20th century.
- Musical artifacts will include sheet music from Disney classics such as "it's a small world" and "The Skeleton Dance," along with the original master score book for Cinderella featuring handwritten annotations from the film's creators.
- Items featured in the exhibition come from Forest Lawn Museum, The Walt Disney Archives, Walt Disney Music Legacy Library, Garner Holt Productions, Bob Baker Marionette Theater, and private collections.
- Learn more on the Forest Lawn Museum website!
What They’re Saying:
- James Fishburne, Ph.D., Forest Lawn Museum Director: “People often remark on the Disney-like nature of Forest Lawn’s art and architecture. This is not a coincidence as Eaton and Disney were inspired by the same sources, working at the same time, and corresponding for much of their careers.” Foreman added, “What brought Eaton and Disney together nearly a century ago is precisely what’s bringing people together at our museum today—a shared love of art, storytelling, and community.”
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