In honor of the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company, Hong Kong Disneyland has unveiled the new “Dream Makers” statue featuring Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. The statue was first announced at D23 Expo 2022 and Disney shared a behind-the-scenes look at the sculpting process this August.
Dream Makers
The statue and its two plaques were inside platinum gift boxes with purple ribbon on the morning of October 15, 2023.
The statue and plaques were then unveiled in a ceremony, as seen in the above video shared by Disney Magical Kingdom Blog.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Ambassadors shared photos of the statue on Instagram and wrote the following:
Exciting news from Hong Kong Disneyland Resort! Today, we unveiled the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse Statue – “Dream Makers” celebrating 100 years of Disney and our Resort’s 18th anniversary! The statue depicts Walt and Mickey returning to the park decades after he had the inspiration for Disneyland, reflecting on the past 100 years of success of The Walt Disney Company and looking forward to what comes next. Join us in celebrating by enjoying Walt’s favorite foods at Walt’s Cafe and Grand Salon and getting your hands on exclusive “Dream Makers” merchandise. Don’t forget to take a selfie with the statue! And remember, we’re all Dream Makers!
Dream Makers is inspired by the moment Walt Disney dreamed up Disneyland when sitting on a bench, watching his daughters on the Griffith Park merry-go-round. He dreamed about a theme park that the entire family could enjoy.
The statue is behind the Castle of Magical Dreams, facing Cinderella Carousel. The Sword in the Stone was removed from this spot to make way for the statue.
A plaque on the bench indicates the statue will be dedicated on October 16, although it was unveiled on October 15. October 16, 2023, is the actual 100th anniversary of the company.
The official Hong Kong Disneyland Instagram also shared photos and information about the sketchbook plaques.
The plaque on the left is an open sketchbook, symbolizing Disney’s legacy so far. In the sketchbook is Walt describing the moment he thought up Disneyland at Griffith Park.
The right plaque is an unopened sketchbook, symbolizing the unknown future and endless possibilities ahead for the company. It features this quote from Walt on the 10th anniversary of Disneyland:
I just want to leave you with this thought, that it’s just been a sort of dress rehearsal and that we’re just getting started.
Walt Disney
A new collection of Dream Makers merchandise is available, also shared by Disney Magical Kingdom Blog.
The merch includes a figurine of the statue, a nametag-shaped keychain reading “Dream Makers,” a storybook necklacea T-shirt, a tote bag, and more.
Much of the merch features the Dream Makers concept art.
Walt Disney Statues at Disney Parks
Several Disney Parks feature statues of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. The most famous is the Partners statue created by Blaine Gibson. The original was unveiled at Disneyland in 1993, on Mickey’s birthday, November 18. It stands in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, with Walt and Mickey looking down Main Street, U.S.A. A plaque below it has the following Walt Disney quote: “I think most of all what I want Disneyland to be is a happy place…where parents and children can have fun…together.”
Versions of Partners were eventually installed at Magic Kingdom (1995), Tokyo Disneyland (1998), Walt Disney Studios (2001), and Walt Disney Studios Park, Paris (2002).
Gibson said of the statue, “I chose to depict Walt as he was in 1954. I think that was when [he] was in his prime. It was tough trying to match the media image of Walt Disney, the one the public knows, to the real Walt, the one we knew. I think Walt is admiring the park and saying to Mickey, ‘Look what we’ve accomplished together,’ because truly they were very much a team through it all. ‘Look at all the happy people who have come to visit us today.’”
Gibson also sculpted Sharing the Magic. This statue of Roy O. Disney and Minnie Mouse on a bench was installed at Magic Kingdom in 1999. It can be found in Town Square, though sometimes moves around for different holiday decorations.
The Storytellers statue, designed by Rick Terry and Ray Spencer, was installed in Disney California Adventure in 2012. Storytellers depicts a younger Walt as he would have looked when arriving in Los Angeles in 1923, and an earlier design of Mickey. Versions were added to Tokyo DisneySea (2013) and Shanghai Disneyland (2016).
The finished Walt the Dreamer statue was unveiled at D23 Expo 2022. It will be installed at Dreamers Point in EPCOT — and has actually arrived but is still in a box.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.