Alice
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"But, you see, Mr. Caterpillar said..."
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Post by Alice on May 22, 2010 19:58:40 GMT -8
Go and visit there if you ever get a chance. It's awesome, and that term is simply an understatement.
Amanda and I visited it earlier today as a date. The Walt Disney Family Museum is located in San Francisco, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. In the Presidio, to be precise, on Montgomery Street. But getting there for the first time proved hectic. We made several errors on our way there; even though we had a printout from Map Quest, I am not accustomed to the streets of San Francisco. In fact, we only arrived at the museum by a mistaken turn on my part! Haha.
So, yeah. Getting to the museum was a minor problem, but it was so worth it as soon as we entered the main building. Amanda had already visited the museum once prior, but this was my first experience. And it's an experience I want to go through again, not only because I missed so many things due to time constraints, but simply because it's magical. If you're as into Walt Disney's life and legacy as I am, this place is an artificial high.
There was a very special guest at the museum today: Kathryn Beaumont, the voice of Alice and Wendy. But you knew that! She was there to lecture about voicing Wendy in Peter Pan, as well as her memories of Walt. I have bad news and good news, though. The bad news is that Amanda and I were far too late to secure tickets to watch Kathryn's lecture in the theater. (The main building and the theater's tickets are completely separate.) So we did not watch Kathryn's much anticipated speech. The good news?
Amanda and I may not have watched the lecture, but we experienced something better: an outright meeting! Amanda and I have met, conversed, shook hands with, and received autographs from Kathryn freakin' Beaumont! Ho-ly crap. Do you have any idea how many butterflies were rioting inside my stomach? My heart beat faster and harder than Charlie Sheen to his wife. Amanda met Mrs. Beaumont first. Here she is to tell you her experience!
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Post by cheshire on May 22, 2010 20:05:58 GMT -8
My time with Ms. Beaumont was very short, mainly because I was simply too nervous and shy to say what I wanted to her, but she did compliment my Burton Cheshire Cat bag I had with me. She said "Oh, that bag is very cute there!"...probably didn't help my fluster much. XD Oh well. ;D
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Alice
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"But, you see, Mr. Caterpillar said..."
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Post by Alice on May 22, 2010 20:26:58 GMT -8
That is awesome how she complimented your bag, though, Amanda!
So, Amanda went first, and even watching Kathryn Beaumont for a while did not help prepare me to approach her. When it was my turn in line, I walked up to her as calmly as I could, and smiled to her. She smiled back. She looks amazing, really.
"Hello!" she said. I asked her if she could autograph a Little Golden Book of mine, of Alice in Wonderland, and she agreed. Amanda bought that book not more than an hour prior, just so I could get it signed. Thank you, Amanda! Anyway, Mrs. Beaumont asked where to sign, and I turned the page to the scene with Alice, her sister, and (an uncharacteristically black) Dinah and replied, "This page is nice and spacious." But I stuttered as I said that, a blatant sign that I was nervous. Why should I have been nervous? After all, I was only having a conversation with A HUGE EMBODIMENT OF MY CHILDHOOD!!!
Mrs. Beaumont took the book, and wrote on the page I suggested. She took her time to elegantly write, "Dinah, I wish..." Below that, she wrote her name, and under that she wrote, "Alice." And when I say her handwriting is elegant, I mean her handwriting is elegant. My handwriting has been sloppy and borderline intelligible my entire life, but she is top-tier of handwriting brawls. She could write, "Go die in a fire, you n00b," and it would still look charming and elegant in that handwriting!
After she autographed my book, she looked up to me and smiled, a warm, sweet smile. I took this liberty to tell her how I admire her. I was still a little choked and very nervous, but I managed to have the following exchange with her.
Me: "Mrs. Beaumont... I'm sorry for being sappy, but... Alice in Wonderland is my favorite movie, and you are a huge inspiration to me. I'm very happy to have met you! Thank you." Mrs. Beaumont: [her smile warms up, revealing her teeth] "Oh, that's so sweet! Thank you!"
When she said that to me, not only did my heart melt, but I could hear the distinctive inflection of Alice and Wendy. Sure, it's been decades since those movies, but you can still hear those characters in her. It's amazing.
We shook hands after that. Shaking the hand of the voice actress of my favorite Disney heroine... I can't describe how I felt. Only that it felt friggin' awesome! And you know what's an amazing coincidence? When Amanda and I had to leave the main museum to get in line, we had our hands stamped by a Donald Duck character stamp, to clarify that we were allowed to re-enter the museum. I shook Kathryn Beaumont with my stamped hand. Donald Duck shook Alice's hand. THE PLANETS MUST HAVE ALIGNED, OR SOMETHING!! Goodness!
So after our hand shake, we shared a mutual smile, and then I stepped away. I couldn't have talked to her much longer, if any longer, because we were in a large line, so it would have been rude if I held up the line, as well as fan-molest Kathryn Beaumont with incessant badgering. So I took my book, she smiled again and waved good-bye to me, I waved back, and I left with Amanda. I'll never forget, and I'll display the book in my Alice collection back at home, forever.
We went into the nearest elevator to go back to the main museum (we had to postpone that just so we could meet Mrs. Beaumont). As soon as the elevator door closed, leaving Amanda and me alone, I exhaled loudly and profanely explained the immense burst of elation. We had just met one of our childhood heroes, Kathryn Beaumont!
... That's when we realized we never actually told her our names! We were so nervous and giddy that we totally forgot to give her our names! Whoopsie-daisy! Ah, well! That's really not important, I don't think. It's not like she has to know in order for me to be happy. Just the fact that I shook hands with her, talked to her, been complimented by her--it was all amazing. Simply amazing. We love you, Kathryn Beaumont!
But the title of this thread is "The Walt Disney Family Museum," so I'm not going to shaft this amazing location with the rambling nonsense of an obsessive fanboy. And fangirl, in Amanda's case!
Remember, this museum is about Walt Disney, so if you're expecting any details about any Disney product after 1966 (beyond Walt Disney World), you're going to be disappointed. This is a museum about Walt Disney and his lifetime of achievements, as well as (fascinatingly) his ancestry. So this ain't a Disney Renaissance museum, but hopefully that's not a bad thing. To me, and Amanda, it isn't! We love the place. Original production cels, drawings, sketches, models, even Walt Disney's Academy Awards (including the Seven Dwarfs Oscar!) are displayed and explained in depth. The majority of the exhibits are accompanied by audio, video, or both. From the Disney heritage to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, from Alice Comedies to Laugh-O-Grams, from Mickey Mouse to Mary Poppins, and even a huge model of Disney circa 1966... the museum is stunning. I couldn't even properly study half of everything with just a one day visit. I definitely need to return sometime to study everything that must be studied.
If you're in the Bay Area, or you plan to visit San Francisco sometime, I encourage you to drop the twenty bucks just to enter the museum. Because to a Walt Disneyphile, this place is a must.
--Joe and Amanda
PS: Forgot to mention! On our way out of the museum, and during the ride back home, we were still awestruck to have met Kathryn Beaumont, and to have seen so many amazing artifacts of Disney's history.
Then all of that was scraped away by a crazy homeless guy. He had a bottle of alcohol in his hand, and he got right in front of my car. He then voluntarily lowered himself to the ground, in a half-bending/half-lying sort of pose that made my back hurt just from watching. Not to mention the full moon his backside displayed. I'm serious. It wasn't, like, a "slip." It was THERE, and it was IN YOUR FACE.
*shudder*
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Archimedes
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Highly Educated Owl
"Pinfeathers and gullyfluff!"
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Post by Archimedes on May 23, 2010 19:14:21 GMT -8
D'aww, that was heart-warming, Joe. c: I had thought to myself before what it would be like if you ever met Kathryn in person... and all of the sudden, today, you post about it. XD; I'm really glad you and Amanda got the chance to meet such an icon of your childhood, no less a veteran Disney voice actor. It's awesome that she's still alive.
... Sorry to hear about that disturbing hobo encounter, though.
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Post by pigeilgi on May 23, 2010 19:32:25 GMT -8
OHMYGOHSNESS.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Fangirl moment over. Anyway, dude you are like luckier than lucky. End of story. I am extremely jealous right now.
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Alice
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Genus Humanus Alice
"But, you see, Mr. Caterpillar said..."
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Post by Alice on May 23, 2010 19:35:57 GMT -8
Hey, Heffy! I fear I may have screwed up your DeviantArt offer. If I did something wrong, I'm sorry! I guess I misunderstood. We can talk more about it, if you want. Also, I trust you've seen my Tony "reply." I'll go ahead and edit it to be in-character after this post. You seriously thought that? I'm touched, Heffy. Thank you. Yeah, isn't that awesome? Amanda and I aren't meaning to toot our own horns or anything; it's just that we were and still are amazed that we met her! I feel a little misty now, honestly. It's... it's just amazing. I hope you get to meet your childhood hero(es) someday, too. I'm thrilled that Kathryn Beaumont is still alive, too. Then again, she's only 71; she's not that old, really. Mary Costa and Ilene Woods are older, and are fortunately still with us! [Fun fact: not more than a year ago, my sister met Mary Costa. She got her autograph, as well.] Haha! Well, it wasn't like it frightened us or anything. It was just... unexpected. We had just spent a magical day at the museum, and suddenly I see one whopper of a backside. Even Pumbaa would have been put to shame. Ugh.
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Alice
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Genus Humanus Alice
"But, you see, Mr. Caterpillar said..."
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Post by Alice on May 23, 2010 19:37:29 GMT -8
OHMYGOHSNESS. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Fangirl moment over. Anyway, dude you are like luckier than lucky. End of story. I am extremely jealous right now. I'm sorry, Pigeilgi! I didn't mean for that. If it makes you feel any better, there was a woman in line with us who was WAAAAAYYYYY luckier than both Amanda and me. This woman claims to have autographs from a LOT more celebrities, including Ilene Woods and even Julie Andrews. Like, WHOA. ._.
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Post by pigeilgi on May 23, 2010 19:59:53 GMT -8
Oh don't be sorry. I'm not like angry or upset or anything. More than anything, I'm excited for yall.
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Alice
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Genus Humanus Alice
"But, you see, Mr. Caterpillar said..."
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Post by Alice on May 23, 2010 23:56:46 GMT -8
Oh don't be sorry. I'm not like angry or upset or anything. More than anything, I'm excited for yall. Aw, thanks. Who's a Disney man/woman you'd love to meet?
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Alice
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Genus Humanus Alice
"But, you see, Mr. Caterpillar said..."
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Post by Alice on May 23, 2010 23:57:07 GMT -8
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Post by pigeilgi on May 24, 2010 18:03:23 GMT -8
i can only choose one. no. that won't do. i shall meet all of them. or at least all of the ones who are alive.
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Alice
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Genus Humanus Alice
"But, you see, Mr. Caterpillar said..."
Posts: 1,170
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Post by Alice on May 24, 2010 18:15:57 GMT -8
Even Darlene, the amoral Mouseketeer?!
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Archimedes
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Post by Archimedes on May 24, 2010 18:45:49 GMT -8
I just can't stand that none of the Nine Old Men are left, it would have been a dream come true to meet any of them. :c I have to wonder just how many veteran Disney artists are around anymore... only one I know of is Floyd Norman (who actually did storyboarding for quite a few recent features, like Hunchback and Mulan).
Wow, the museum looks just spectacular, looking at that video. I'm very envious now, Joe. XD;
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Donald Duck
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Post by Donald Duck on May 24, 2010 19:02:36 GMT -8
WHOA, Heffy! I was checking "50 most recent posts," and your latest post came right up. It took me by surprise! Bwaha!
Gotta love Floyd. Didn't he have a hand in getting Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids up and running? I read something about his company having ties with the first Fat Albert TV special...
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Post by moroboshi on Jul 15, 2010 17:47:59 GMT -8
That's great! I'm glad to see that Mrs. Beaumont is living comfortably.
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