Walt Disney's Farm, Barn, and Dreaming Tree

This barn was recreated in 2001 by volunteers and is part of the farm where Walt Disney grew up. Many of Disney's first drawings and cartoons featured animals that Walt cared for as a young boy growing up on a Missouri farm, and this setting served as inspiration for Disney's 1948 film "So Dear To My Heart." Walt spent many days in this barn and underneath the shade of a large cottonwood tree that later became known as "the Dreaming Tree" owing to the way Walt drew inspiration for his cartoons and characters from watching animals while under this tree. While the original tree succumbed to a windstorm in 2005 after many years of disease, Walt Disney’s grandsons harvested seeds from The Dreaming Tree and planted a sapling from the original tree the year before. This barn and the "son of the Dreaming Tree" are two of several area historical sites related to Walt Disney and his childhood. Tours of the farm are available from the Disney museum in Marceline.

This barn and farm served as the inspiration for many of Disney's early drawings and animal characters. This barn was later used in filming the 1948 film "So Dear To My Heart." Although the film takes place in Indiana, it was this farm that inspired many of the stories and perspectives that are featured in the movie. The film takes place in 1903 and the plot centers around a young boy who adopts a black lamb that was rejected by its mother. The boy is determined not only to raise the lamb, but see it win first prize at the county fair. "So Dear To My Heart" was the second film by Walt Disney that combined live action and animation.

The barn is one of the many historical sites regarding Walt Disney and can be found at the Walt Disney Dream Tree and Barn, along with other areas where Walt grew up. This rural setting inspired Disney and helped him create the famous and beloved characters and films he is renowned for.

Fischer, Jr., William. The "So Dear To My Heart" Barn. June 16, 2016. Accessed May 04, 2018. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=67136.