March 06, 2021
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Walt Disney Company and SC Exhibitions are partnering up to launch the 100-year Disney anniversary exhibit at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute.
Philadelphia's Franklin Institute was selected to launch the Walt Disney Company's 100 year anniversary exhibit in February 2023.
It will feature galleries and hundreds of artifacts fresh from the Disney vaults and an immersive environment of sight and sound. The Walt Disney Company partnered with SC Exhibitions to begin production on the exhibit that celebrates a century of innovation, history and Disney's legacy, SC Exhibitions said.
The 15,000 square foot, yet-to-be-named, exhibition will showcase stories and characters from the Walt Disney Company from 1923 to 2023, SC Exhibitions CEO Dieter Semmelmann said.
"The Franklin Institute is thrilled to debut this world premiere exhibition in Philadelphia during the remarkable 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company," President and CEO of the Franklin Institute Larry Dubinski said. "We look forward to celebrating the legacy of a creative empire synonymous with imaginative storytelling, innovation, discovery, and wonder that spans generations and delivers widespread, undeniable global appeal."
After the exhibition launches at the Institute in February, a second, global exhibition is set to launch in March.
Historian and internationally recognized Walt Disney expert, Paula Sigman Lowery, said many of the objects featured in the exhibit have never been seen outside the company's archival, animation and Imagineering vaults.
“It’s thrilling to bring Disney’s crown jewels – art, memorabilia, costumes, props, and one-of-a kind treasures – to public view – and to explore the story of one of the world’s most creative entertainment companies," she said.
SC Exhibitions is collaborating with TK, a Berlin-based collective of architects, visual artists and entertainment technology experts, for the third time to create this exhibit.
TK previously brought in the ‘Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes’ to the Franklin Institute in 2019, which brought in rare and original Marvel artefacts like the publisher's own comic book pages, costumes and props.
The Franklin Institute closed last fall when the city imposed stricter COVID-19 restrictions. It reopened in January 2020.
The Institute is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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