DISNEY100 SPEAKER SERIES
During the run of Disney100, we have included a Speaker Series with different experts to present topics associated with Disney100: The Exhibition. In addition to over 100,000 exhibition tickets sold, another 30 Disney-related events and programs have welcomed and engaged thousands of guests. Presenters as part of Disney100: The Exhibition Speaker Series, welcomed over 1,350 guests, including luminaries such as Disney Legend Bill Farmer, the official voice of Goofy, Bret Iwan, the official voice of Mickey Mouse, and more.
Topics have ranged from the history of Walt’s time in Kansas City to costume and design and even Walt Disney’s favorite foods.
Rounding out the Disney100: The Exhibition Speaker Series, Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter to Disney Legend Ub Iwerks who was the co-creator of Mickey Mouse gave a presentation in the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre. Leslie is also the daughter to Disney Legend Don Iwerks, an Academy Award® winner for Technical Lifetime Achievement and founder of the large format film company, Iwerks Entertainment. Leslie, an Oscar® and Emmy®-nominated filmmaker, presented highlights from the remarkable career of her grandfather as well as her own.
Through the Missouri Humanities Council’s generous funding, Union Station has been able to offer a new angle and education to Missourians, by providing them with the lesser-known history of Walt himself, his ties to Kansas City, and Missouri as a whole. The heart of this exhibit and speaker series is to show Walt’s experiences as a youth and how they created one of the most prolific creative companies and tell the story of Missouri’s rich cultural heritage. Through the story of Disney, guests have explored stories from people who came before us, appreciated places that have changed with time, and learned from past ways of thinking to form a brighter future for generations to come.
The Disney tradition has been passed down via the values and standards of excellence of the Walt Disney Company, and within families and communities as they adopt the art as their own and welcome it into their own homes and childhoods. We hope the combination of these events has promoted a public dialogue on the arts and the importance of nurturing young creative minds.
Full List of Speakers:
• “Gawrsh! It’s Goofy!” – Bill Farmer, Voice of Goofy
• Lucasfilm & Disney Fine Artist & Illustrator – Craig Skaggs, Official Fine Artist
• Family Makerspace: Walt Disney’s Roo by The National Museum of Toys and
Miniatures (2 UMKC Days)
• Walt Disney’s Kansas City – Dr. David Trowbridge, Ph.D., UMKC Professor of History
(2 UMKC Days)
• The Walt Disney Hometown Museum – Kaye Malins (Executive Director & Founder)
and Sumner Nesbitt (Operations Manager/Historian & Archivist)
• Eat Like Walt Inspired Dinner – Marcy Carriker Smothers, Author and Historian
• “Hey, everybody! It’s me, Mickey Mouse!” – Bret Iwan, Voice of Mickey Mouse and
Illustrator
• Hand Drawn Animation Bringing Illustrations to Life – Kansas City Art Institute
• Walt Disney’s Missouri – Dan Viets
• Walt Disney & J.C. Hall: Hallmark History – Samantha Bradbeer-Stephens, Hallmark
Archives Historian
• A Railroad Runs Through It: The Life and Lessons of Walt Disney – Michael
Campbell, Historian
• Disney100: The Exhibition Presentation and Guided Tour – Becky Cline, Director of
Walt Disney Archives
• The Roo Behind the Magic – Douglas Enderle (UMKC Graduate), Senior Costume
Designer, Walt Disney Entertainment
• Behind the Imagineering Story & Ub Iwerks – Leslie Iwerks, Director & Producer
