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The Walt Disney Family Museum has taken part in The Big Draw Festival for over seven years, and we were delighted to catch up with Nicole Hellmann, the museum’s School and Outreach Coordinator, to hear all about their 'Drawn Together' events as part of The Big Draw’s 25th anniversary celebrations in 2025!
From collaborative drawing activities and immersive gallery activities during their Big Draw Community Day to the museum’s wider programme of animation workshops and creative learning opportunities, Nicole and the Education team encourage visitors of all ages to explore imagination, collaboration, and self-expression. Read on to find out all about how creativity can build connection across generations and backgrounds, and how the museum continues to inspire future artists, storytellers, and creative thinkers.
Could you start by telling us about your work at The Walt Disney Family Museum (WDFM)?
I work as the School and Outreach Coordinator at the museum. This means I have the privilege of teaching students who come to visit the museum on school field trips! I also work with teachers to schedule their field trips to the museum, and I have the pleasure of coordinating community days like The Big Draw Festival!
Walt Disney’s life and work have had a huge and ongoing cultural impact. How do you weave together the different elements of his story, along with his lasting impact, for museum visitors?
The goal of the museum’s Education team is to inform present and future generations about Walt Disney, but also to inspire all of our visitors, especially our students, to foster their imagination and use these skills to pursue their dreams. We tell the story of Walt’s life through our guided museum tours, which allow students to understand the history and innovation behind animation and Disneyland. We also discuss the impact of his legacy beyond the man himself. We expand on the teams of people that worked for Walt and how their roles influenced not only the animated movies our visitors love, but the entertainment industry as a whole.
Education is a key part of the museum’s mission. Could you tell us more about the programmes and workshops you offer for students, schools, and families?
Our field trips and studio classes offer a variety of workshops that allow ystudents to appreciate the techniques and steps that are part of the animation process. Our guests (both adults and young students) leave with a better understanding of what goes into writing an interesting story, how to implement the principles of animation, how to design compelling characters, how to create their own stop-motion animations, and a lot more!
It was such a pleasure to have you on board The Big Draw Festival for another year - and this time, for our 25th anniversary! We’d love to hear more about what you got up to during your Big Draw Community Day event in November…
Every year, we try to think of fun and unique activities that we can offer during The Big Draw Festival. This year was no exception. Our guests were able to experience creative activities as they explored and made their way through the museum galleries.
First stop: In our Awards Lobby, guests first discovered our Community Plate - a gigantic paper plate displayed on a board where guests could draw, cut, and tape their favourite foods.
Second stop: In our galleries, we set up art stations inspired by nature, including our Art Garden table, where guests were able to design their own paper flowers, then “plant” it in the garden. Upon leaving, they could “harvest” another person’s creation to take home with them. As they continued through the galleries, guests then found our Kindness Tree, where they were given the opportunity to write something nice someone did for them on a paper leaf and fasten it to the branches of a community tree. We wanted our guests to come out of this experience with positivity and feeling hopeful from seeing the uplifting stories that others shared.
Third stop: In our classroom, we had a wide variety of activities available! There, we hosted card crafting, making paper dolls from around the world, a paper mosaic, and a portrait drawing activity. For their portraits, the guests didn’t draw their faces. Instead, they were asked to draw their inner worlds, prompted by questions such as, “Do you have any pets?”, “What is your favorite book?”, “Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled?”, etc.
Last stop: In our theater, we held an activity where guests’ drawings could come to life! Each of our guests drew a character on a sheet of paper. Then, using AR technology, we scanned their drawings and gave their characters movement on screen - as if they were dancing! These videos were then displayed on our theater screen for other guests to watch and enjoy.
What motivates WDFM to continue taking part in The Big Draw Festival?
Inspired by Walt Disney’s passion for fostering creative talent and pursuing one’s dreams, we want to encourage all visitors to the museum to heed their imaginations and channel self-expression through art, while also having fun along the way! The Big Draw Festival is the perfect Community Day to do just that!
This year’s theme ‘Drawn Together’ was all about celebrating community, collaboration, and connection. How does this resonate with you and your work at WDFM?
Community, collaboration, and connection are three big motivators for our team. In Education, we have an opportunity to work with both our internal and wider community, with schools from around the Bay Area to as far as other countries visiting us to learn about animation and discover more about the life and legacy of Walt Disney. Our goal is to serve and teach as many students as possible, and inspire the next generation of creative talent.
I would also say that there’s an element of collaboration in the work that we do, which is twofold. One aspect is that we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the efforts of our team. Everyone in the museum’s Education Department is incredibly partnership-focused and openminded, allowing us to inspire one another and create stronger ideas together. Additionally, teaching our students about how animation itself is a collaborative effort is equally significant. It’s important for students to appreciate that it took many individuals working together to create the animated films we still watch and enjoy a century later. This idea allows us to connect with our students, encouraging discussion and a deeper understanding of animation by the end of their visit.
How does the museum encourage visitors of all ages to experiment, take creative risks, and explore their own artistic potential? Do you feel drawing and creativity have a big part to play in bringing people together across generations and backgrounds?
I think the key to encouraging guests to engage with our activities is to create a space that’s accessible for everyone, and also allows them to feel safe making creative choices that can bring out their inner child and playful energy.
Finally, what’s in store for WDFM in 2026? Do you have any exciting events or exhibitions coming up that you can’t wait to share with your audience?
Our current special exhibition, Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story, showcases the ideas, designs, and artworks behind the fascinating evolution of Walt’s first theme park - explored through the lens of his relentless imagination. This exhibition is on view through May 2026 and free with general admission. We also continue to expand our online presence and virtual offerings, so visit us at waltdisney.org or any of our social media platforms @wdfmuseum to see what we’re up to next!
Thank you, Nicole!
To find out more about The Big Draw Festival and how you can get involved, click here.
