Walt Disney Studios Tour

[LKing]

D23 is offering tours of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank in January and February. General D23 membership is free. Gold membership is $99/person or $129/couple.

Disney Studio Tours
General Member: $149 for weekday tours and $159 for weekend tours per person, plus a $7 per person processing fee.
Gold Member: $99 for weekday tours or $109 for weekend tours per person, plus a $7 per person processing fee.
Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST

Continue to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company by visiting the heart of the magic with The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour—Presented by D23! The series of tours in January and February will give D23 Members the rare opportunity to enjoy a two-and-a-half-hour walking tour of The Walt Disney Studios. This exclusive experience includes a visit to Walt Disney’s office suite, the Walt Disney Archives, and Legends Plaza. Additionally, on weekend tours, you can get a glimpse of the Animator’s Office exhibit, open only on Saturdays for D23. You will also have the opportunity for your own private visit to the Archives, where you may even run into someone from the Archives team!

Join your D23 tour guide on a stroll through the original Animation Building, where beloved animated films—including Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, and The Jungle Book—were created. See the historic soundstages used for filming such Disney live-action movie classics as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mary Poppins, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. And explore the beautiful Legends Plaza, which honors those who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy. Many guests will also recognize exterior spaces on the Studio Lot, which have been featured in productions from the Mickey Mouse Club and The Absent-Minded Professor to Saving Mr. Banks, Muppets Most Wanted, and ABC’s black-ish!

Then, explore the rich legacy and historical collections of The Walt Disney Company during a tour of the Walt Disney Archives. To complete this epic experience, take a tour of Walt Disney’s restored 3H office suite, filled with original furnishings, awards, and items from the master showman’s personal collection. Upon exiting the suite, all guests will receive an exclusive gift to commemorate this memorable experience.

Guests will also have the opportunity to shop at the Disney Studio Store and Employee Center to purchase items that are only available on the Studio Lot!

• Children under the age of 10 are not able to partake in this experience.
• All guests under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to attend this D23 event.

https://d23.com/d23-event/the-offic...-tour-presented-by-d23-january-february-2024/

 

[sophy1996]

We just did this tour last week and really enjoyed it!

 

[LKing]

We did it last year. Really unique experience.

 

[cwis]

Considering doing it next month!

Would you consider the parking lot to be safe to leave our car with luggages in it?

While I wouldn't want to do this is Los Angeles, I'm struggling to get info about how much our designated parking area is “safe”. We are told to park in the Buena Vista Parking Lot.

 

[ASmerud]

Do they offer this other times of the year or just Jan/Feb? We are planning a trip in Sept and this would be so fun.

 

[LKing]

Do they offer this other times of the year or just Jan/Feb? We are planning a trip in Sept and this would be so fun.

Yes, they are currently offering tour reservations for March - April 2024. Keep watching the D23 website for additional dates.

March - April 2024 Disney Studio Tours

 

[LKing]

Would you consider the parking lot to be safe to leave our car with luggages in it?

While I wouldn't want to do this is Los Angeles, I'm struggling to get info about how much our designated parking area is “safe”. We are told to park in the Buena Vista Parking Lot.

While you can never say never, I felt it was safe. You need to go past the Disney Studios security kiosk in order to park. The Buena Vista Parking is a flat outdoor lot, not the parking structure. On Google Maps, look for 500 S. Buena Vista Street to get an idea of what the lot looks like. See if this link works. Parking Lot

ETA, as one would imagine, they keep the studios very secure. The only people who would be in that area are either tour guests or employees. It isn't like someone could jump over a hedge.

 

[evilmommie]

Great info!

If you are any type of Disney fan, the Burbank studios are a must see!

 

[sophy1996]

Considering doing it next month!

Would you consider the parking lot to be safe to leave our car with luggages in it?

While I wouldn't want to do this is Los Angeles, I'm struggling to get info about how much our designated parking area is “safe”. We are told to park in the Buena Vista Parking Lot.

We had luggage in our car (in the trunk) and didn’t worry about it at all. There isn’t public access to the lot, and it’s close to the security booth.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Resurrecting this thread to ask whether anyone did the weekend version of this tour. Is the "Animator’s Office exhibit, open only on Saturdays for D23" part really cool? Going to try to grab tickets in August if they continue these tours then and wondering if planning to stay into the weekend for this is worth changing our flight home from Sat to Sun.

 

[LKing]

The animaton building is where the magic happens. They can't take you there during the week because people are working. On the weekend, you don't get to see into the offices. They walk you up and down the halls where framed sketches and cells are hanging. They use those to explain the animation process. I wouldn't change a flight for it. In my opinion, the cool stuff was being on the lot, Legends Plaza, Walt's office and the archives.

One positive about going during the week is that I believe the employee store is only open M-F. It is very small, but has exclusive studio merchandise. The larger store is open on weekends.

Here are some photos from last year.



Halls in animation building.



Example of the art they use to explain the animation process.



Walt's office





Examples of things in the archives - Burny Mattinson's recognition awards









Legends Plaza

 

[LKing]

Going to try to grab tickets in August

My guess is that August tours are going to be snatched up quickly. They usually add two months at a time. Right now they are selling through June so July/August could show up any day now.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Thanks @LKing ! I thought the the Animator’s Office exhibit was something different. I've done a tour with Adventures by Disney that included going through that hallway and the explanation of the animation process, so if that's what it is I definitely won't change our flights since I've seen it already.

However, very cool to learn that the D23 tour includes Walt's Office as the ABD tour didn't! That'll be a treat. And yeah, the company story being open will be a good bonus. They're currently selling tickets through June, so here's hoping they continue a with a new batch that goes through at least August.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

My guess is that August tours are going to be snatched up quickly. They usually add two months at a time. Right now they are selling through June so July/August could show up any day now.

Ha, was just posting about that. Yes, I'll be checking the site daily! We'll be in town for D23, then my mother is flying in for her first-ever Disneyland trip (been many times to WDW as she lives 3 hrs from there). I wanted to make it extra special for her by taking her to the Studio Lot.

 

[MsChristy12]

Resurrecting this thread to ask whether anyone did the weekend version of this tour. Is the "Animator’s Office exhibit, open only on Saturdays for D23" part really cool? Going to try to grab tickets in August if they continue these tours then and wondering if planning to stay into the weekend for this is worth changing our flight home from Sat to Sun.

Thanks @LKing ! I thought the the Animator’s Office exhibit was something different. I've done a tour with Adventures by Disney that included going through that hallway and the explanation of the animation process, so if that's what it is I definitely won't change our flights since I've seen it already.

However, very cool to learn that the D23 tour includes Walt's Office as the ABD tour didn't! That'll be a treat. And yeah, the company story being open will be a good bonus. They're currently selling tickets through June, so here's hoping they continue a with a new batch that goes through at least August.

We did a Saturday tour recently in February, I think it's worth it! I was going to ask our guide which part is the Saturday tour only, but I was just too excited and in awe being there and I forgot!

Since you've done the tour already with ABD (Bummer that you didn't tour Walt's office though!!), not sure if you toured the Walt Disney Archives library? I'm not sure if they can let you in on weekdays. Employees actually use that library for work and some of the employees workspaces are in there. I didn't take pictures of the entire library in a single shot because an employee's workspace is actually in there (someone in our group asked about it) and they had told us very clearly that you cannot take photos of their desks so I wanted to be respectful, and also not getting in trouble w/ security!

 

[MsChristy12]

One positive about going during the week is that I believe the employee store is only open M-F. It is very small, but has exclusive studio merchandise. The larger store is open on weekends.

The Employee Center store is open on Saturdays for all tours. We did the first tour at 9am, so it was really cool that we were the only few people in there shopping at the end of our tour.

 

[MsChristy12]

@Duckbug.Ducktales I recommend the first tour at 9am. You have to get up earlier, but traffic up to Burbank will be a lot better earlier in the day. Also, when you tour Walt's office, you'll be the first group so it's less likely that they will rush you. Or maybe that doesn't happen regardless? Not sure. But I felt like our guide really let us take our time to take pictures. When we came out, 2 groups were waiting to go in! So I feel like we didn't waste any time waiting for the previous groups to be done. Then at the end when you go shopping at the employee store, you'll also be the first group so everything is well-stocked! Because whatever it's out on the floor, that's it.

 

[LKing]

Thanks @LKing ! I thought the the Animator’s Office exhibit was something different. I've done a tour with Adventures by Disney that included going through that hallway and the explanation of the animation process, so if that's what it is I definitely won't change our flights since I've seen it already.

However, very cool to learn that the D23 tour includes Walt's Office as the ABD tour didn't! That'll be a treat. And yeah, the company story being open will be a good bonus. They're currently selling tickets through June, so here's hoping they continue a with a new batch that goes through at least August.

Hmmm Animator's office. We went on a weekend and I don't remember seeing it. Could that be what was on exhibit in the Disney Gallery (adjacent to Disneyana) Disneyland during the 100th?

It was also at the Walt Disney Museum in SF.



Edit: Found it! It is just before you walk into Walt's office. Here is a picture. I don't remember walking inside. I think we walked past and peeked through the doorway.. Is Walt's office only on the weekend? If so, I thought that was really cool.

 

[Steven G]

We took the studio tour last week on a thursday at 2pm. There were only 7 of us on the tour (my son and I, and another group). We weren't hurried, and I never felt any pressure from other tour groups.

We saw the archives, the legends plaza, Walt's office, animation building (all 3 floors), and other standard stuff, and ended in the store. It was about 2 to 2.5 hours if I remember correctly.

We explored all the rooms in Walt's office, and the tour guide was very knowledgable. The guide said her favorite thing to do in the studios is to just strike up a conversation with random employees in the studios and see what they do, and that happened at least 2-3 times during the tour.

We also got a sneak peek into the Lucasfilm offices there, pictures weren't allowed. We didn't step inside, just from the outside. They had a lifesize C3PO near the door and a couple other droid statues. One of the conversations we had was with a Lucasfilm employee.

 

[LKing]

The Employee Center store is open on Saturdays for all tours. We did the first tour at 9am, so it was really cool that we were the only few people in there shopping at the end of our tour.

I can't remember the name of the two stores. One is called something like the company store and the other is something like an employee store. Which ever one is in the back is the one that is supposedly only open M-F. I thought we went there on our Saturday tour, but at the Wish event last month, they said it was only open M-F. Maybe that was just an easy thing to tell people.