Partners (statue)
Partners | |
---|---|
Artist | Blaine Gibson |
Dimensions | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
Location | |
Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
Partners is a 1993
There has been speculation regarding Disney's stance in the sculpture. Many believed his outstretched hand indicated he was showing Mickey what had come of his (Disney's) dream. Gibson said, “I chose to depict Walt as he was in 1954. I think that was when [he] was in his prime. It was tough trying to match the media image of Walt Disney, the one the public knows, to the real Walt, the one we knew. I think Walt is admiring the park and saying to Mickey, ‘Look what we’ve accomplished together,’ because truly they were very much a team through it all. ‘Look at all the happy people who have come to visit us today.’”
As revealed in "A Virtual Tour of Walt Disney Imagineering: Part 2", Mickey was initially going to be portrayed holding an ice cream cone, but it was decided it would make him appear too juvenile.[2]
The plaque beneath the statues bear slightly different versions of words that Disney never actually uttered. His closest actual words to the inscriptions were, "I think what I want most of all is for Disneyland to be a happy place". Parts of sentences from an unrelated interview were added to this.
Sculptor
Blaine Gibson (February 11, 1918 – July 5, 2015) was born on a small farm in
Gibson is most known for his animations in Fantasia, Bambi, Song of the South, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. After ten years, he became an assistant animator to Frank Thomas. While Gibson was very successful in animation, sculpting had always been his passion. He designed and animated at work, and took classes at Pasadena City College to perfect his sculpting techniques. Disney soon took interest in his sculptures, and assigned him to the Disneyland Project.[4] From there, he sculpted full-time for the park's attractions. Some of his most noticeable works are the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean, the ghosts and ghouls of the Haunted Mansion, the birds in the Enchanted Tiki Room, and the children of It's a Small World. He also sculpted busts of the presidents for the Hall of Presidents.[5] After his retirement in 1983, he was consulted on the bust of Barack Obama.
Gibson died of heart failure on July 5, 2015 at the age of 97.[6]
Locations
The original statue is in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland. It was unveiled there in 1993 on Mickey Mouse’s birthday, November 18. The plaque below it in Disneyland quotes Walt Disney as saying, "I think most of all what I want Disneyland to be is a happy place...where parents and children can have fun...together".
It was recreated for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and placed there on June 19, 1995. Its plaque has a slightly different quote: "We believe in our idea: a family park where parents and children could have fun — together".
There are now five versions of the Partners statue. The third was placed in the Tokyo Disney Resort in Tokyo Disneyland on April 15, 1998. The fourth was installed in Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California on December 5, 2001. The fifth was added to Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris on March 16, 2002.
Location | Exact location | Dedication |
---|---|---|
Disneyland Resort | Disneyland | November 18, 1993 |
Walt Disney World | Magic Kingdom | June 19, 1995 |
Tokyo Disney Resort | Tokyo Disneyland | April 15, 1998 |
Walt Disney Studios | Burbank, California | December 5, 2001 |
Disneyland Paris | Walt Disney Studios Park | March 16, 2002 |
An award, Partners In Excellence, is awarded to less than 2% of cast members who work at
References
- ^ "5 facts about Disney's Partners Statue". WESH. December 10, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ Rafferty, Jr., Kevin (April 7, 2020). "A Virtual Tour of Walt Disney Imagineering: Part 2". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ "Blaine Gibson". D23. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ "Remembering Blaine Gibson (February 11, 1918–July 5, 2015)". Walt Disney Family Museum. San Francisco CA. July 5, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "The History of the Partners Statue: Part One". Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ "Walt Disney World Chronicles: Partners Statue". allears.net. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ 5 Facts About Walt Disney That You Never Knew (YouTube). Offhand Disneyland. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.