Linconshire village honored in every Disney movie since 2006

It was exactly 100 years ago that Walt Disney founded his famous movie studio, which has made some of the world's most beloved films. Lesser known is the story of the founder's connection to a small English village.

As the balloon takes off and flies around Sleeping Beauty's castle, to the sound of the magical strings of "When You Wish Upon a Star," multi-colored fireworks explode and a perfect arc of light forms in the sky, soon disappearing. These are the credits at the beginning of every Disney movie since 2006, which means that whether it's the live-action incarnation of The Little Mermaid or the latest animated Elemental movie, a tribute has just been rendered to the small English village of Lincolnshire with a population of 242.

To find out how and''why this happened, I arranged a meeting with Disney historian Sebastien Durand at St. Peter's Church in Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, a building that dates back 11 centuries. "This is the oldest place in England where you can find traces of Disney, the history of Walt Disney and his family tree and his coat of arms," the French Disney expert explained as he gazed at the Norman pillars and arches.

Walt Disney himself visited this church on July 7, 1949. By then, the company that Walt had founded with his brother Roy had just celebrated its 25th anniversary. Walt had already won 12 Oscars for films including Fantasia and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. On that summer day, he was in the UK overseeing the filming of the live action "Treasure Island" when his daughters''Diana and Sharon persuaded him and his wife Lillian to spend a few days in Scotland. He agreed, but only if they could make a brief stop along the way. "He heard there was a village named after Disney," Durand says. "He was intrigued by that because he only knew his great-grandfather was Irish, and he didn't know his history before that. "

Accompanied by a photographer and with a movie camera for a family movie, the Disney's arrived in the small village. The Disney Family Museum in San Francisco has allowed the BBC to show rare footage of the visit as part of Disney's 100th anniversary celebrations. The family can be seen posing for photos at Norton Disney signs, walking along the main road and examining headstones. "He came with a convoy of cars and they''stopped here to spend the day at Norton Disney," Duran says. "He grew up in rural America. He grew up in Marceline, Missouri - so when he was here, he met cattlemen and was able to talk to them about raising hogs because that's what he did as a kid. He connected with the locals and connected with his own history here. "

It was at St.

In 1965, for the 10th anniversary of the Disneyland theme park in California, Walt decided to add a coat of arms to Sleeping Beauty's castle. He was asked a question about having a Disney coat of arms. "He said: '\'Yes, I remember seeing it at Norton Disney in 1949 when I was in England filming 'Treasure Island.' I visited this little town and saw the coat of arms," Durand explains. "So they photographed it and reproduced it on a castle in Disney California, and it's been on every Disney castle in all the Disney parks ever since. It even appears now at the beginning of every Disney movie.".

Since 2006, at the beginning of every''Disney film on the flag at the top of Sleeping Beauty Castle can be seen three lions symbolizing Norton Disney. There is another interesting Disney historical link that is kept in the Lincolnshire archives and can be seen in a charter signed in 1386. It states that the name of the Disney family estate was Disneyland, albeit with an 'A'. Durand can't hide his delight. "So the first appearance of the name Disneyland was not in California in a park or Disneyland Paris, but here in Lincolnshire over 600 years ago. "

When Walt visited Norton Disney in 1949, he gave the village three prints of Disney characters, which he always carried with him in case autograph hunters showed up. For Disney's 100th anniversary, the gift to the village was''A more special idea was thoughtfully considered. Durand presented a specially commissioned picture of Mickey and Minnie Mouse walking around Norton Disney, painted by Disney artist Kim Raymond. Thanks to a visit in 1949, the man himself, who has won the most Oscars in history, and the small Lincolnshire village will forever be connected - a fairytale story worthy of Disney itself.