It was a fan’s dream, I recently attended D23’s “Saturday Morning on the Lot.” Aside from being able to see the Disney Studios up close, it was a chance to relive the fun-filled mornings of Recess, Pepper Ann, The Proud Family, Teacher’s Pet, Kim Possible, and other Disney animated TV shows I grew up with. I’d like to share a bit about the show with you and some photos of the Walt Disney Studios. Plus some wow, wow, wow photos of Walt Disney’s Office from Dusty.
The Panel and Clip Show
On the Studios lot, we were ushered into the Main Theater which can hold up to 419 people.
The Panel consisted of Disney veterans, some doing multiple projects over the years.
Paul and Joe explained that their original development of the Recess characters and locations included contacting Dave Shannon, the author of the popular children’s book No, David!
They even included a presentation of some of Shannon’s original sketches.
Moving from design to animation:
MiceChat favorite, Mike Peraza, spoke about the Proud Family and Pepper Ann. The idea of using a modern architectural style in The Proud Family was interesting.
Below is the complete panel list, it was very informative for one and a half hours. We saw classic clips and favorites of each show, discussing the ups and downs of getting a show running on the newly acquired ABC back in 1996.
- Christy Carlson Romano voice of Kim Possible and actress on Even Stevens, Cadet Kelly, and voice of a reoccurring character on Big Hero 6: The Series.
- Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle, creators, writers and executive producers of Kim Possible. Executive producers of Big Hero 6: The Series.
- Nick Filippi, storyboard supervisor on Kim Possible. Executive producer and supervising director of Big Hero 6 The Series.
- Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, acclaimed show producers, creators, and screenwriters and co-masterminds of Teacher’s Pet.
- Gary Baseman renowned artist, and creator, art director, producer, writer and co-mastermind of Teacher’s Pet.
- Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere, creators, writers and producers of Recess.
- Howy Parkins, Director and Storyboard Artist on Recess, along with Lloyd in Space, Dave the Barbarian, Hercules (the Series), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and The Lion Guard.
- Eric Keyes, Art Director and Character Designer on Recess, along with Lloyd in Space, and many more classic animated shows.
- Mike Peraza, Disney artist and conceptual and layout designer for The Proud Family, along with the original DuckTales, Chip ’n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin, and Goof Troop.
Breakfast for Lunch
After the panel, we were invited to the Studio’s Commissary, where they had Saturday morning breakfast for lunch – consisting of french toast, sausage, eggs and fresh fruit – which was served outside. Sitting there, I could absolutely imagine myself working for the Disney Company.
There were some cutouts of characters from Recess and Teacher’s Pet.
We also had a chance to meet Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Ron decided that we were there to take pictures of him.
Around the Studios
Since I was there at the studios, I wanted to share some photos of the areas we were able to view (Scott and Dusty have a few in here for you too).
Built in 1935, the Hyperion Bungalow was a building on the original Walt Disney Studios Lot, located on Hyperion Ave in Los Feliz. It was the original home of the Comic Strip Department and Disney Publicity. Once Roy and Walt Disney bought the new land in Burbank, they moved the entire building to the new lot because it was cheaper than the construction of a new building. It’s a great piece of history which holds so many Disney memories, here are some photos of it below.
Below are some photos we could snap walking to and from our destination.
Stage 1 is part of the original lot that was built in 1940. It was first used for filming the live-action scenes for FANTASIA. During World War II, the stage was used for repairing army vehicles. As one of the originals sound stages, Stage 1 is the smallest on the lot at 11,000 sq ft. It features a 2400 sq ft underwater tank and is still in active use.
On June 24, 2013, it was dedicated to Mouseketeer Annette Funicello.
Overall the event was great fun, informative, and had fantastic energy from the cast members and panelists. However, be advised, to do an event like this you have to be a D23 member. With the Expo coming up next year (Please see Dusty’s info about the D23 Expo 2019 HERE), note that only D23 members will get the discount this time around.
And here’s a bonus, Dusty was at the studios for a D23 Expo press event and shares these two slideshows of the lot AND Walt Disney’s Office Suite!!!
Scroll for more images of the Walt Disney Studios:
Scroll for more images of Walt Disney’s Office Suite
My thanks to Scott, who joined me on this adventure, if you haven’t already, give him a follow on Instagram for some great Disneyland photography!
Were you a Disney Saturday Morning watcher? Do you miss the days of Duck Tales and Teacher’s Pet? Have you ever wanted to visit the Walt Disney Studios lot?
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