It was with a bit of begrudging that I entered the new Walt
Disney Family Museum in the San Francisco Presidio this past weekend.
Don’t get me wrong. At certain points in its history, I have held Disney in a high regard, probably only matched by Apple. I still love Disneyland. I like their media portfolio.
They have built what I believe is a strong real estate play (although what's destined to play out with Disney Stores is a bit fuzzier for me).
And, of course, the company has some amazing brands in animated characters.
So why wasn’t I excited to check out the Museum? A couple reasons. One, I had heard very little about the museum prior to it opening. How impressive could it be if there was no advance buzz?
Plus, the moniker of Family Museum seemed to suggest a heavy reliance on scrapbooks over substance.
Finally, when I saw the King Tut exhibit earlier this year, I had gone into the event with high hopes, only to be sorely disappointed (none of the larger exhibits that I remember from seeing Tut as a kid were there).
What makes Walt Disney Family Museum a total keeper is that the sum total focus of the Museum is on capturing the spirit of Walt Disney, his sensibilities, and his personal journey.
The company that he created is so larger than life that one could forget that behind it was a true visionary who realized his vision. THAT is what the museum left me touched with: ambition, risk, setbacks, idealism, key triumphs, and above all, relentless perseverance.
