This blog uses affiliate links. If you’d like to purchase a recommended product, please use the link to support this blog. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, it simply allows me to continue creating these posts. Thank you so much for your love and support!
Behind the Scenes at Disney: Inside a Private Walt Disney Office
Come tour Walt Disney’s office set up just as he had it when he worked on the Walt Disney Studios lot from 1940-1966. Read all about the fun stories, famous Walt Disney quotes, and experience where magic once happened.
Updated January 24, 2026
Team Disney Building with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Insider Tour of Walt Disney's Restored Office Suite at Walt Disney Studios - Los Angeles, CA
Most Disney fans will never step foot inside this space — and I didn’t even know it existed until I was there.
Tucked away from the parks and crowds is a private Walt Disney office in Burbank, California. It’s filled with history, creativity, and details that feel frozen in time. This is a rare behind-the-scenes Disney experience few people ever get to see — and one I’ll never forget.
As a kid, my Mom would take us to the Disney lot to see Snow White’s Seven Dwarfs (that were 19 feet tall) hold up the now Team Disney building. Years later, who knew I’d be working for the company?! As an employee, I was selected in a lottery to tour Walt Disney’s office suite. Unlike other lots like Warner Bros, Universal, or Paramount, Walt Disney Studios doesn’t offer lot tours often, only D23 Members receive offers now and again. Well friends, I’ll give you the tour for free!
Who Will Love This Experience
Disney history fans
Creative professionals & designers
Disney adults who love behind-the-scenes stories
Anyone obsessed with rare, invite-only experiences
Hyperion Bungalow
What It’s Like to Experience a Private Disney Space
I thought I’d give you a tour of Walt Disney’s office set up just as he had it when he worked on the Disney Studios lot from 1940-1966. Disney’s first office was over at Hyperion Studios in Silverlake. The original home of the Disney Publicity and Comic Strip Departments was moved from Hyperion Studios to the Burbank lot and is now known as Hyperion Bungalow.
Walt’s office was in the top left corner - Suite 3H
Unique Disney History
After the success of Snow White, Disney was able to purchase the land in Burbank to build a new campus. Disney moved into Suite 3H in the Animation building until his death in 1966. There were a few occupants in the office including Roy Disney, and even television producer, Marc Cherry. The office was restored in 2016 and now looks just as if Disney had walked away for the day thanks to Disney Legend and archivist, David Smith, who carefully catalogued and documented every inch of the suite after Walt had passed.
Walt Disney’s Office Desk
What It Felt Like to Step Inside a Private Disney Space
Trophy Cabinet and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Oscar
When you enter the lobby and secretary area of Suite 3H, there is a trophy case including a replica of the Oscar for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This special Oscar was presented by Shirley Temple to Walt Disney and was a special statue made with the 7 little Oscars behind the main one! Walt Disney won 32 Academy Awards between 1931 and 1968, and still holds the record for most individual Academy Awards won (per Google). This replica was used in Saving Mr. Banks, the real Oscar is up on display at The Walt Disney Family Museum near San Francisco.
Walt Disney’s Secretary Desk
Walt had two secretaries to maintain his busy schedule!
Hidden Disney History Inside the Formal Office of Walt Disney
Walt Disney’s Formal Office Desk
Walt’s suite essentially had 2 offices, a formal office, and a working office (pics to come). This desk is part of his formal office which initially was his only office in 1940.
Here are 5 fun facts about his formal desk area:
MINIATURES - Walt loved to collect miniatures and had a collection from his travels as well as gifts from family and friends.
NORMAN ROCKWELL - Pictures of his daughters, Sharon and Diane, hang on the wall to complete his corner. Oh, and the pencil drawings were originals, drawn by Norman Rockwell. Most Dad’s have that in their office, right? Walt had his daughter’s shoes bronzed and made them into bookends.
GIANT BELL - The giant bell on his desk was presented to Walt by the United States Coast Guard, in recognition of a film Walt produced showing how icebreakers make their way through heavy Arctic icepacks. One day in the office, Walt’s secretary rang the bell to get his attention to remind him about lunchtime. He loved it so much, he asked her to do it every day at 12:30, so he would remember that it was time to go to lunch.
FURNITURE - Most of the furniture in the office was designed in a Streamline Moderne style by industrial designer and architect, Kem Weber. Disney loved the style so much, he made Weber the supervising designer of the original animation building, along with several of the original studio lot buildings.
CURTAINS - Those are the original curtains and blinds in the windows! What stories they could tell.
Walt Disney’s Piano
Many songwriters auditioned songs and score for features on this piano. Famous singers would also audition for Walt, accompanied by this piano. Disney songwriter Richard Sherman frequently played Walt’s favorite song from Mary Poppins (1964), “Feed the Birds,” on this 1914 Knabe grand piano. The piano was customized just for Walt by Kem Weber in 1940 to match the other Weber designed furniture.
The books on the shelves behind the piano were meticulously returned as Walt had them. Disney archive historians looked through many photographs to replicate the shelves as Walt once had them.
Guest seating and treasured trinkets
The birds in the cage were found on one of Disney’s travels and inspiration for audio-animatronics in Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted House. Do they remind you of the Enchanted Tiki Room? There’s a reason for that. ;-) There is also a Lady plush in the cubby under the table.
Panoramic View of Walt’s Formal Office
Inside Walt Disney’s Working Office: A Space Frozen in Time
Walt Disney’s Working Office Desk
Here are 5 Fun Facts about Walt’s working desk:
SCRIPTS - On the right side, it looks ordinary stacks of paperwork. Those are actually original scripts that Walt read and would take home in his briefcase that you can see on the right behind his desk.
BAMBI - Up in the corner, below what looks like a figurine of a head, there is a little Bambi miniature figurine that Walt Disney made himself!
PLANES - There is a model of a Grumman Gulfstream which was the type of plane Walt would fly over Central Florida in to view the property that would become the Walt Disney World Resort!
SPACE - The desk here was lower and larger than the formal office as it was often used to layout large blueprints.
BROTHERLY LOVE - The window on the right looked across to Roy O. Disney’s office. He wanted to keep a close eye on his brother.
Aerial View of Disneyland
Walt had an aerial view of Disneyland in his office. The red markers represented completed projects and yellow markers were in progress. The in-progress markers included a New Tomorrowland and It’s a Small World!
There was even a full kitchenette! Meals were made here using famous products like V-8 and Spam. There are also engraved personalized glasses with WED - Walter Elias Disney.
Walt Disney’s Working Office
Original Disney Animators Desks
Disney Animator Desk
Here is another Kem Weber furniture design specific for animators so they would be comfortable while working long hours.
Disney Animator Desk Drawer
Walt Disney and the Olympic Games
There was even an Olympic torch in the office! Why? For the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics, Walt Disney served as the Chairman of the Pageantry Committee.
Here are fun facts from WaltDisney.org:
As Chairman, Walt’s duties included staging the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, scheduling nightly entertainment for the athletes, providing decorations to enliven the valley, and taking care of a number of logistical details including parking concerns, security, and ticketing systems. He enlisted the help of a number of seasoned employees of WED, design and development of Disneyland, (and forerunner to Walt Disney Imagineering).
Veteran Disney artist John Hench designed the 1960 Winter Olympic torch. Though the design was modeled after the torches for the 1948 and 1956 Olympiads, Hench decided on a slightly smaller version that would be easier for torchbearers to carry. The earlier, taller models proved to be difficult to manipulate as they were top-heavy when filled with fuel. Hench also added black tape to the top part of the shaft to enable runners to pass the torch easily and ensure a stable grip.
Walt Disney Studios
And that’s our tour! For more fun Disney history, check out The Imagineering Story on Disney+! If you’re a die-hard Disney fan, you’ve probably already seen it!
5 Great Walt Disney Quotes:
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
“Why worry? If you’ve done the best you can, worrying won’t make it any better.”
“That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget.”
“A man should never neglect his family for business.”
If you liked this post please share it on your favorite social media site using the Share button below because we’d love to get the word out! Feel free to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board:
Read more about our Disney Adventures:
HOTEL REVIEW: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress - Orlando, Florida
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort is a great place to stay when visiting Orlando, Florida! Not only do they have everything you need in a resort, but it’s just 15 mins from the Disney parks with free shuttles that run all day. It’s a no brainer to stay here.
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Address: 1 Grand Cypress Blvd, Orlando, FL 32836
Website: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
We ALWAYS find THE BEST rates through Booking.com. See deals of up to 50% off! You can save a bunch of money if you book a bundle flight+room+rental car! They even have apartments, lodges, and houses you can rent, just like AirBnB or VRBO! By booking through this link, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you! PLEASE support our blog and bookmark this link!
Hyatt Regency GRand Cypress
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort is a great place to stay when visiting Orlando, Florida! if you’re looking to stay off Disney property but wanting to keep close to it, it’s just 15 mins from the Disney parks with free shuttles that run all day. It’s a no brainer to stay here.
Here are some of my favorite dresses I highly recommend!
Hotel Rooms at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
The rooms are fairly large with a nice seating area with a couch that’s also a bed! There are small balconies that aren’t really big enough to do anything on, just a nice touch.
I love that they prepared these rooms for travelers! There were outlets everywhere and even a few USB plugs. After a long day at Disney World, my batteries were drained (physically and electronically).
The bed had a lot of pillows, which I liked, and the mattress was on the firmer side. I usually prefer a soft mattress, but I was so tired I could have slept on a rock.
Hotel Bathroom at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
The bathroom was a decent size with a giant rain shower! The tiles were iridescent, looking like mermaid scales up close. That’s a win in my book! There was also a big shelf in the shower for all my toiletries.
I loved the mirror and lighting, it was perfect for putting on my makeup and realizing I needed a few tweezers on my eyebrows! The closet was an ok size, a little small for my taste, but we managed!
Food and Restaurants at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
There is a restaurant called the Lakehouse in the back of the lobby and down a flight of stairs that offers a decadent breakfast buffet. For $29 you can get anything you’ve dreamed for breakfast! Things like quiche, eggs, breakfast potatoes, donuts, oatmeal, BACON, waffles and pancakes made to order or even an omelette station! I really liked their coffee too, all 3 cups. They also serve lunch and dinner.
If you’re looking for a quick to go kinda place, there’s a Market that is like a Starbucks with lattes, coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and options in the afternoon like sandwiches, wraps, and WINE!
Market at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando Florida
Lobby at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Lobby at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando Florida
The lobby is MASSIVE and has a cute little parrot by the check-in desk! You’ll also find the lobby bar on the opposite side from check-in. They have food options as well!
Parrot in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando Florida
Beware of the elevators, it can take a while early in the morning and at night when it’s crowded. We stayed on the 14th floor and I stopped on every floor on the way down. Stairs would have been better. Luckily they have nice chairs and views while you wait on your floor!
Resort at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
There is a ton to do here on the property which is all included in the daily resort fee.
The pool is large and even has a water slide! The pool and spa are open until midnight, however the slide closes earlier. Other activities include put put golf, kayaks, bikes, rock climbing, driving range, and a tennis court.
Pro-tip: A lot of things are included in the resort fee, make sure you check the fine print of the paperwork given at check-in or on the desk in the room!
Shuttles to the Walt Disney World Resort and Parks from the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Epcot Center - Walt Disney World
The shuttle service couldn’t be easier! All you need to do is check-in with the concierge in the lobby to reserve your spot on a shuttle the day before you need it. THE SHUTTLE IS FREE!!! The shuttle drops you off at the main hub (Transportation and Ticket Center) where you can take a monorail or bus to any of the Disney theme parks or hotels. You can even buy your Disney World tickets/Magic Bands here as well.
There are also shuttles for Sea World and Universal Studios, ask the concierge for more information.
Complimentary private car is available, there may be a wait for it.
Parking at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Self Parking is $10 a day or $22 a day to valet. They were working on one of the parking garages and had a discount on parking in Dec 2018. Check their website for the latest prices here: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.
We ALWAYS find THE BEST rates through Booking.com. See deals of up to 50% off! You can save a bunch of money if you book a bundle flight+room+rental car! They even have apartments, lodges, and houses you can rent, just like AirBnB or VRBO! By booking through this link, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you! PLEASE support our blog and bookmark this link!
If you liked this post please share it on your favorite social media site using the Share button below because we’d love to get the word out! Feel free to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board:
Here are some of our most popular posts:
Looking for a change of scenery, or want to get away from the cold winter weather? Why not book a family holiday this winter. There are many great places to choose between – from sunny escapes to snowy mountain towns. We’ve put together a list of things to do and places to go that families will love, so pack your bags and get ready for some fun.