*** 2023 Disney Centennial Expanded Edition *** The Disney Company is an icon of popular culture and a powerhouse in the entertainment industry. This book takes you behind the curtain to see the legendary Walt Disney Studios where the magic was made. The lot is closed to the general public. But, we take you on your own personal studio tour as D23 fans: Visit the Animation Building where your favorite classic Disney movies were created. Tour through the Production Buildings and the Sound Stages. Explore the treasures of the Walt Disney Archives. Walk through Legends Plaza. And see Walt’s office just as it was on his last day at the studio. Nearly 100 color photos taken on the Disney Studios lot show you the Studios as they are today and how they have changed since Walt's day. We describe the history of the studios, the various production buildings, insights into how animated films are made, insider stories, and how Walt and Roy Disney built the Disney empire with a few Disney surprises along the way. A treasure for any Disney fan who hasn't been to the Burbank Studios yet. TABLE OF CONTENTS  Be . . . Our . . . Guest -  The History of Disney -  An Overview of the Lot -  Mickey Avenue -  Animation Building -  Walt's Office -  Production Buildings -  Sound Stages -  Walt Disney Archives -  Legends Plaza -  A Last Walk Down Mickey Ave. -  Disney's Legacy ABOUT THE AUTHORS   Russell J. Dalton was born in Burbank, California not far from the Walt Disney Studios. During the 1940s, his mother's women's club met in a Studio conference room because there was little in the area except for the Studio (Walt would sometimes look in and say hello to the ladies); his father worked at the nearby Lockheed aircraft plant. He grew up a Disney fan, wore a Davey Crockett hat, and would go with his family on the long trips down the 5 Freeway to Disneyland starting in 1955. Today he writes books about Hollywood history. His side job was working as a professor at the University of California. He has authored or edited more than 30 academic books and over 200 research articles. None of these publications was as much fun to read (or write) as this book about the Disneys and the Walt Disney Studios.   Spencer C. Olin was born in Los Angeles. His first home was in the Silverlake District, very near where Walt and Lillian Disney once lived. His interest in co-authoring this book derives primarily from the fact that his father, Spencer C. Olin, Sr., worked in the legal department of Walt Disney Productions from 1945 to 1971 when he retired as vice president and general counsel. Specializing in patent and copyright law, he became one of the nation's leading experts in that field, serving as Chair of the Copyright Division of the American Bar Association. Spencer C. Olin, Jr., in turn, enjoyed working during his college summer vacation as a gardener at the Walt Disney Studios, occasionally greeting "Mr. Disney" when he arrived for work. His professional career was as a professor in the Department of History at the University of California, Irvine, where he began as a founding faculty member in 1965 and retired in 1997. His academic specialties are United States and California history.