Don Hahn and Chris Merritt's Book "The Happiest Place On Earth" Getting Its Own Exhibit at Walt Disney Family Museum

This exhibition begins in mid-November.

Disneyland fans are going to want to head up to The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco more than once over the next couple months: not only is the museum hosting discussions of The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, Walt Disney - A Magical Life, and Disneyland itself, but there will also be a new exhibition inspired by the acclaimed new coffee-table book The Happiest Place On Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland.

What’s happening:

  • The Walt Disney Family Museum will be installing a special new exhibition entitled Happiest Place On Earth: The Disneyland Story, which will open on Friday, November 14th and run through May of next year.
  • The exhibit will be curated by Disney Legend Don Hahn (producer of The Lion King, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame) along with The Walt Disney Family Museum’s Director of Collections and Exhibitions Marina Villar Delgado.
  • It is inspired by the 2025 book The Happiest Place On Earth, which was co-written by Hahn and former Walt Disney Imagineer Christopher Merritt.
  • Admission to the exhibition is included with general admission to the museum, though there is a suggested donation of $5.

What they’re saying:

  • Don Hahn: “There’s a Disneyland that we experience as a child, with our eyes full of wonder at the stories it tells. But as we peeled back those layers, we found another Disneyland story—an incredible origin story of unconventional creativity without boundaries, of upset, failure, persistence, and pioneering that gave birth to a new kind of entertainment that still resonates now more than ever. That’s what this exhibition is about."
  • Executive Director of The Walt Disney Family Museum Kirsten Komoroske: “We are honored to partner with the museum’s longtime supporter and Advisory Committee member, Don Hahn, to showcase artwork and ephemera from this remarkable moment in history. This new special exhibition will allow visitors to further delve into the stories of innovation behind Disneyland attractions and experiences that have inspired joy and wonder for generations."
  • Villar Delgado: “We were fortunate to have the Walt Disney Archives, Animation Research Library, and Walt Disney Imagineering contribute an incredible range of historical materials to this exhibition. Together with treasures from our museum collection, the goal was to balance iconic imagery with rarely seen early artwork that reflect Disneyland’s complex development and highlight the bold ideas and collaborative spirit that made the Park a reality."

More news from The Walt Disney Family Museum:

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Mike Celestino
Mike serves as Laughing Place's lead Southern California reporter, Editorial Director for Star Wars content, and host of the weekly "Who's the Bossk?" Star Wars podcast. He's been fascinated by Disney theme parks and storytelling in general all his life and resides in Burbank, California with his beloved wife and cats.
View all articles by Mike Celestino