Walt Disney's 1st studio in Kansas City gets $6M creative reboot
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Laugh-O-Gram Studio, where Walt Disney started it all. Photo: Thank You Walt Disney, Inc.
The building where Walt Disney launched his animation career is getting a high-tech reboot — reborn as a digital storytelling hub for Kansas City's next generation.
Why it matters: Reviving Laugh-O-Gram Studio isn't about nostalgia — it's about giving Kansas City kids access to tools, training and space to create professionally, in a city that often exports its talent.
State of play: After decades as a preservation effort with no clear timeline, the site is finally on track for a full revival — thanks to private and public funding, and a growing wave of local support.
Catch up quick: Local nonprofit Thank You Walt Disney, Inc. has spent decades preserving the shell of the nearly demolished building at 1127 E. 31st St., just east of Troost.
- After securing a $2 million federal grant in early 2023, the effort moved forward with plans to restore and reopen the studio fully.
- A "Dreams Start Here" fundraising campaign looking to raise $4 million launched in November.
- Plans include classrooms, animation labs and an interactive museum focused on Disney's Kansas City chapter, all inside the original footprint.
- Renderings released in late 2024 show a sleek new interior wrapped in the original brick exterior.
Flashback: In 1922, a 20-year-old Walt Disney — who spent several formative childhood years in Marceline, Missouri, now recognized as his hometown — opened Laugh-O-Gram Films.
- He produced silent cartoons before the studio folded less than two years later, sending him to California — and eventually, to global fame.
What they're saying: "The restoration of Laugh-O-Gram saves one of the most significant historic sites in America," Thank You Walt Disney, Inc., chairman Butch Rigby told Axios. "I know that sounds self-serving, but the story of one of the most influential figures of the 20th century is not only going to be preserved but also experienced."
- "Not just in the form of a tour, but in the lessons learned by young people creating art in the same rooms where a very young Walt Disney and other animation legends learned their craft," Rigby added.
The bottom line: This project isn't just saving a historic building — it's rewriting the story.
- Kansas City helped shape Walt Disney. Now, it's creating a place where the next big animator might get their start — and stay.