Academy Museum – We Are Movie Geeks

WAMG Attends Preview Of JAWS 50th Anniversary Exhibit At The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum

The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum in Los Angeles held a preview for their new exhibit, JAWS: The Exhibition, celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the movie that has long been considered the first cinematic “blockbuster.” The one that started it all.

Directed by Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg, JAWS set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry 50 years ago on June 20, 1975. When the seaside community of Amity Island finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss), and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring John Williams’s unforgettable, pulse-racing score, Jaws, now five decades later, remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.

Jaws: The Exhibition is the museum’s first large-scale exhibition dedicated to a single film, and the largest exhibition ever mounted showcasing Universal Pictures’ landmark summer blockbuster, which earned three Academy Awards® and was nominated for Best Picture. The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) and will remain on view through July 26, 2026. The Academy Museum has also announced that in 2028, it will honor the legacy of Steven Spielberg and mount the first-ever retrospective exhibition dedicated to Spielberg’s era-defining career, providing visitors with insight into his creative process and bringing them closer than ever to his filmography.

The press members were treated to a full orchestra performing the iconic John Williams score from the movie, accompanied by clips and images from the film on the big screen. And I must say, it was rather glorious. And that wasn’t even the best part. The man responsible for literally ALL of this, Steven Spielberg, was there to welcome us and officially open the exhibit.

“This exhibition is awesome,” said Spielberg. “Every room has the minutiae of how this picture came together and it proves how this motion picture industry is really, truly a collaborative art form. This is an art form that only survives by getting the best people in all the right positions. I am so proud to be part of it . . . and people have a chance between now and July to come here to the Academy Museum and live it for the first time.”

His remarks included funny stories about the production, and where he feared his career would end up if this little film of his flopped. It was endearing to say the least and made it all the more exciting to get to the exhibit and check out all the cool stuff. And it was VERY cool!

Who can forget the menacing baritone piano keys that are forever burned into the lexicon of American pop culture – the 2 notes that strike fear into anyone that has ever swam in the ocean. This fantastic exhibit has something for everyone – from interactive experiences to original props and photos for even the most die-hard fans of the movie.

Featuring more than 200 original objects and behind-the-scenes stories, the exhibit is the largest ever organized about Steven Spielberg’s JAWS. Items that have never been on display before, including ones from the personal collections of Steven Spielberg and AMBLIN, are displayed in a multi-gallery experience for all ages.

Fans of the film who live in or are visiting LA should not miss this exciting exhibit, which again will be on display until July 2026. A must see!

The exhibition follows the film’s narrative, taking visitors from the opening credits to the film’s gripping conclusion. Expanding on the three-act structure of the film, the story is told in six sections: “The Unseen Danger,” “Amity Island Welcomes You,” “Sunday at the Beach,” “The Shark’s Rampage,” “Adventure Ahead,” and “Into the Deep.” A seventh, concluding gallery explores the enduring impact of the film.

The exhibition includes:

– Behind-the-scenes photos of Spielberg on set, the construction of the mechanical shark used in production, location scouting, and the cast and crew during filming, as well as Super 8 foot-age shot by Steven Spielberg during the making of Jaws

– Handwritten and hand-sketched materials, including Steven Spielberg’s annotated script, storyboards and original concept illustrations of the shark by production designer Joe Alves, composer John Williams’s sheet music, and sketches of a shark rising from the depths by the artist behind the iconic Jaws poster image, Roger Kastel

– Filming and editing equipment, including the Moviola machine used by the film’s editor Verna Fields, the original Jaws clapper board from the collection of Steven Spielberg, and the Panavision Underwater Camera used to shoot key scenes

– Original props, including the prop head of Ben Gardner used for the film’s indelible “jump scare,” Quint’s fighting chair and the shark weathervane from his shack, Hooper’s shark cage, components of the Orca, and the “Beach Closed” sign

– Recreations of the “Amity Island Welcomes You” billboards, orange and white striped beach cabanas, and the shark chalkboard drawing featured during Quint’s introduction (remade for the Academy Museum by production designer Joe Alves)

Exhibition Photography for JAWS: The Exhibition, on Sunday, September 7, 2025 at the The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

– Promotional items, from original theatrical release posters from around the world to innovative merchandise such as the Jaws “Feeding Time” cereal box, iron-on patches, toys, accessories and even products from Universal theme parks around the globe

– Interactives, including opportunities to recreate the film’s dolly zoom effect, play John Williams’s two-note score that signals the shark’s approach, and operate a scale replica of the mechanical shark

The Academy Museum Store will launch an exclusive line of Jaws-inspired merchandise, including a commemorative 50th anniversary vinyl pressing of John Williams’s Oscar-winning film score in collaboration with Mondo, an exclusive 1975 variant screen printed poster, a Jaws Amity Island ringer tee, Jaws hoodie, “The Game of Jaws” 50th anniversary edition, and Jaws Amity Island billboard scaled prop replica.

JAWS ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK 2LP DOUBLE BARRELS VARIANT

Jaws: The Exhibition will be the museum’s fifth large-scale exhibition in its Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, following Hayao Miyazaki (2021–22), Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 (2022–23), John Waters: Pope of Trash (2023–24), and Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema . The exhibition’s advisory group comprises ocean conservationist and marine policy advocate Wendy Benchley; Associate Professor in the Division of Cinema and Media Studies at USC J.D. Connor; sound mixer Peter J. Devlin; and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire.

WAMG Gets Sneak Peek At Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures

Photo by Josh White, JWPictures/©Academy Museum Foundation

On Tuesday, September 22, WAMG attended the official preview of the much-anticipated Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened to the public on September 30th.

The seven-story, 300,000 square foot museum, which draws on the unique resources of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is located in the heart of LA’s Miracle Mile, will open with some pretty amazing exhibits that movie fans and movie-making buffs alike will be excited to see. Everything from famous and well-known movie props and costumes to giant monitors and video walls showing not only the history of moviemaking, but also many behind-the-scenes clips with well-known filmmakers and actors. Entering the museum almost feels like a theme-park, where you know there is so much to see, but you don’t know what to do first!

The day began with a presentation in the museum’s gorgeous 1000-seat David Geffen Theater. Speakers included the architect of the museum, Renzo Piano (who hilariously quipped to the media in attendance, “Please don’t call it the Death Star”), Jacqueline Stewart, Chief Artistic and Programming Officer, and actor Tom Hanks, Academy Museum Trustee. The theater will show movies to the public and already has an impressive schedule of films they will be showing, beginning with a special presentation of The Wizard of Oz, with a live orchestra.

Moving around the museum’s various levels, catwalks and exhibits there seems to be a delightful surprise around every corner. There is a gallery dedicated to the Academy Awards History that has many Oscar statues on display, as well as showing video of famous “Oscar moments,” costumes and sets. There is even an interactive experience where museum-goers can feel what it’s like to walk on stage and receive and Oscar, complete with a cheering audience, and a video to keep as a souvenir.

Other exhibits include famous movie memorabilia such as Dorothy’s iconic ruby slippers and the Tin Man’s oil can from the Wizard of Oz, as well as personal collections in the Director’s Inspiration gallery. In another gallery, guests can view the actual “Rosebud” sled from Citizen Kane.

Screen-used close-up pair of the Ruby Slippers, designed by Adrian, from The Wizard of Oz (1939). Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Photo by Joshua White, JWPictures/©Academy Museum Foundation

One of my favorite exhibits was the Inventing Worlds & Characters exhibit which spans three galleries: Animation, Effects and Encounters. The animation gallery celebrates the accomplishments of the artists behind some of the world’s most beloved animated movies. There is also the museum’s inaugural temporary exhibit, Hayao Miyazaki, which is the first museum retrospective in North America dedicated to the acclaimed artist and his work (you haven’t lived if you haven’t seen Spirited Away, seriously).

The Encounters gallery was also very cool, and easily the most popular exhibit in the museum – who doesn’t want to see R2D2 and C3PO?? There are original set pieces and costumes that bring the worlds of sci-fi, fantasy and horror to life right before your eyes, including Edward Scissorhands and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.

When it comes to cool things to see and do in LA, for locals and tourists alike, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures should definitely be on the list. It makes for a great day of wandering around tons of galleries and exhibits that you won’t get to see anywhere else. In the closing remarks of his speech, Tom Hanks said it best – “Do we really need a movie museum? Yeah! Because we need to celebrate everything that this town has brought to the world and everything this artform has brought to the world.”

Opening festivities will conclude on Sunday, October 17, when the Academy Museum will host a day-long free community celebration, from 10 am–6 pm.

Tickets to the Academy Museum are available only through advance online reservations via the Academy Museum’s website and mobile app. General admission tickets for the Museum’s exhibitions are $25 for adults, $19 for seniors (age 62+), and $15 for students. Admission for visitors ages 17 and younger and California residents with an EBT card is free. Advance timed entrance for the The Oscars^®Experience is available to general admission visitors via a separate $15 ticket. A general admission ticket is required to access The Oscars® Experience.

The Academy Museum’s inaugural public programs and film screening series will also be available for registration via the app. Tickets for film screenings and public programs are sold separately and do not require general admission to the museum. Tickets will be available only through advance online reservations via the Academy Museum’s website. Film screening tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors (age 62+), $5 for college students, $5 for children (age 17 and younger), and $8 for Museum Members. Public and education program tickets range from free with admission to $20 for adults.

The seven-story, 300,000-square-foot museum, which draws on the unique resources of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is located in the heart of LA’s Miracle Mile, will open with:

the 30,000-square-foot core exhibition Stories of Cinema, offering celebratory, critical, and personal perspectives on the disciplines and impact of moviemaking, past and present
the temporary exhibition Hayao Miyazaki, the first museum retrospective in North America of the work of the acclaimed filmmaker and Studio Ghibli
The Path to Cinema: Highlights from the Richard Balzer Collection, with selections from the world’s foremost holdings of pre-cinematic optical toys and devices
Backdrop: An Invisible Art, a double-height installation that presents the painting of Mount Rushmore used in North by Northwest (USA, 1959)
and The Oscars^® Experience, an immersive simulation that lets visitors imaginatively step onto the stage of the Dolby Theatre to accept an Academy Award^®.

The museum’s roster of screenings—including Oscar^® Sundays and Family Matinees—will be presented in its new 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and the 288-seat Ted Mann Theater beginning on September 30 with a special presentation of The Wizard of Oz (USA, 1939) with live musical accompaniment by the American Youth Symphony conducted by Oscar nominee David Newman in the larger theater. Highlights of the first three months of film screenings, discussions, and programs include:

Stories of Cinema: screenings of films highlighted in the core exhibition, including Real Women Have Curves (USA, 2002) and The Way of the Dragon (Hong Kong, 1972)
Malcolm X in 70mm: a screening for Academy Museum Members with special guests Spike Lee and Denzel Washington
Oscar^®Frights: screenings of Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated horror films, including Get Out (USA, 2017), Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico, 2006) and Psycho (USA, 1960)
Hayao Miyazaki: screenings of the filmmaker’s complete body of work, in conjunction with the inaugural temporary exhibition
Imperfect Journey: Haile Gerima and His Comrades: screenings in honor of Haile Gerima with special guests including Malik Sayeed, Bradford Young, Arthur Jafa, and Ava DuVernay
Sound Off: A Celebration of Women Composers: screenings of films scored by women composers, including Joker (USA, 2019), scored by Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Tron (USA, 1982), scored by Wendy Carlos
Retrospectives of Jane Campion and Satyajit Ray, with the latter drawing from the Academy Film Archive’s rich holdings of his works
Beyond the Icon: Anna May Wong: a celebration of the actress’s work and legacy, including screenings of Piccadilly (UK, 1929) and Shanghai Express (USA, 1932)
Legacy: a cross-generational discussion series, beginning with a conversation between Laura Dern and her parents Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd
In Conversation: a topical discussion series that begins with a conversation between producers Effie T. Brown and Heather Rae on how to contextualize cinema

Ongoing education and family programs will take place throughout the museum in exhibition galleries, theaters, and the Shirley Temple Education Studio. These will include teen programs, family studio activities, and school tours. Accommodative tours for members of the hard-of-hearing and deaf communities and low-vision and blind communities will be offered monthly, as well as accommodative family film screenings for neurodivergent viewers.

Fanny’s, the restaurant and café developed by restaurateurs Bill Chait and Carl Schuster and designed by LA-based Commune Design, will open to visitors with breakfast and lunch service with dinner service added later in the fall. Named after Fanny Brice—the legendary movie, vaudeville, theater, and radio star portrayed by Barbra Streisand in her Oscar-winning role as Funny Girl (1968)—the striking two-story, 10,000 square foot space, conceptualized by the late architect Osvaldo Maiozzi, features a chef-designed open kitchen, elegant bar, and captain-based service style that nods to a bygone era. Raphael Francois serves as Executive Chef and Julian Cox as the bar’s mixologist. Wolfgang Puck Catering will oversee catering services at the museum.

The Academy Museum Store will greet shoppers in its 2,600-square-foot retail space off of the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby and will feature merchandise designed and produced exclusively for the store, Oscars memorabilia, and other film-related items. An extension of the museum’s mission to showcase the diverse stories of the art and artists of moviemaking, the museum is thrilled to work with many diverse and inspiring Los Angeles and California-based partners on the creation of merchandise and collectibles.

Hollywood Stars To Celebrate “A Night in the Academy Museum” Tuesday, Oct. 12 On ABC

Oscar^®-winning actors Laura Dern and Tom Hanks are inviting a few of their friends and colleagues to spend a night in the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures when “A Night in the Academy Museum” airs Tuesday, Oct. 12 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC.

The special will give fans an exclusive look at the amazing history, exhibitions and insight into the art of filmmaking that awaits when they visit the largest institution in the United States dedicated to the arts, sciences and artists of moviemaking. Annette Bening, Cher, Jon M. Chu, Geena Davis, Danny Glover, Eiza González, Emily V. Gordon, Aldis Hodge, Marsai Martin, Marlee Matlin, Melissa McCarthy, Kumail Nanjiani, Michelle Rodriguez, Jurnee Smollett and Diane Warren will guide viewers through the halls of the institution as they explore the magic and artistry that has enlightened, enchanted and entertained movie fans for more than 120 years.

“A Night in the Academy Museum” is produced by Herzog & Company in association with Show Shop and directed by Linda Mendoza. Mark Herzog and Frank Garritano serve as executive producers.

The Academy Museum is the largest institution in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. The museum advances the understanding, celebration, and preservation of cinema through inclusive and accessible exhibitions, screenings, programs, initiatives, and collections. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the museum’s campus contains the restored and revitalized historic Saban Building—formerly known as the May Company building (1939)—and a soaring spherical addition. Together, these buildings contain 50,000 square feet of exhibition spaces, two state-of-the-art theaters, an education studio, restaurant, retail store, and beautiful public spaces. The museum opens to the public on September 30, 2021.

The Academy Museum Accepts Full-Scale Model Of The 1975 JAWS Shark

The Academy Museum announced today that it has accepted into its collection a major gift of the sole surviving full-scale model of the 1975 JAWS shark, donated by Nathan Adlen. The monumental Fiberglas model is the fourth and final version made from the original mold. Created for display at the Universal Studios Hollywood at the time of the film’s release, the prop remained a popular backdrop for photos until 1990, when it was moved to the yard of Aadlen Brothers Auto Wrecking, a firm in Sun Valley, California, that regularly bought or hauled used vehicles from Universal Studios. With the business slated to close in January 2016, owner Nathan Adlen has made a generous gift of the historic prop to the Academy Museum.

The shark model will join the Museum’s unmatched holdings—including an underwater apparatus and fin used in JAWS and JAWS II—as the largest object to enter the Academy’s collection to date.

Kerry Brougher, Director of the Academy Museum, said, “JAWS was the original summer blockbuster—a movie that marked a turning point in culture and society—and Bruce is the only surviving version of its unforgettable central prop. This extraordinary addition to our collection, made possible through the generosity of Nathan Adlen, is a major contribution to the resources we will use to illuminate film history and enhance the public’s understanding of the arts and sciences of motion pictures.”

Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the 1974 Peter Benchley novel, JAWS was an immediate critical and commercial success, and was selected by the Library of Congress in 2001 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as a work of utmost cultural, historical and aesthetic significance. The creation of the film’s mechanical shark—which Spielberg named Bruce after his lawyer, Bruce Ramer—was undertaken by art director Joe Alves, who designed a prop with a 25-foot long body, 400-pound head and jaws nearly five feet wide. The mold yielded three latex and rubber casts that were used in production. Following the film’s release, the three rubber casts deteriorated and were discarded. But the fourth cast, made of Fiberglas for promotional use, has survived. In 2010, it was authenticated by Roy Arbogast, a member of the film’s special effects crew.

“I am delighted to be part of the new Academy Museum through the gift of this beloved American icon,” said Nathan Adlen. “Bruce caught the eye of my father, Sam Adlen, at first glance back in 1990, and for many years he’s been like a member of the family. And the May Company building, where the Museum is being created, feels like part of the family too, since I grew up in the Miracle Mile district and shopped with my parents at the May Company, where my wife even had a part-time job. This is going to be the perfect place to share this extraordinary treasure with the world.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is the world’s most prominent collector of moving image history, having acquired and preserved movie-related materials since the 1930s. In developing its highly immersive exhibitions, the Academy Museum will draw on materials that include approximately 62,000 pieces of production art—such as a Planet of the Apes mask, a model horse head made for The Godfather and the lion’s mane and ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz—as well as some 12 million photographs, 55,000 posters, 80,000 screenplays, prints of 80,000 films and tens of thousands of books, periodicals, items of correspondence, scrapbooks and clippings files.

Shirley Temple Black’s Family Makes Major Gift To Academy Museum

Shirley Temple's tap shoes and practice steps, given to her by Bill "Bojangles" Robinson during production of The Little Colonel, 1935, their first on-screen partnership, in which they performed the famous stair dance. — Shirley Temple’s tap shoes and practice steps, given to her by Bill “Bojangles” Robinson during production of The Little Colonel, 1935, their first on-screen partnership, in which they performed the famous stair dance.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that it has received a gift valued at more than $5 million from the late Oscar-winning Hollywood actress and United States Ambassador Shirley Temple Black and her family.

This gift includes both a substantial monetary contribution to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ capital campaign as well as key artifacts from Shirley Temple Black’s indelible early career. To recognize this gift and honor the star’s legendary childhood contribution to entertainment, the Academy Museum’s education center will be named The Shirley Temple Education Studio.

“Shirley Temple Black captivated audiences as an actor and her work as a diplomat touched countless lives,” said Bob Iger, who is chairing the Academy Museum’s capital campaign along with co-chairs Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. “Her gift to the Academy Museum ensures her work will continue to inspire future generations of film lovers.”

The Shirley Temple Education Studio will be the center of the Museum’s dynamic education program, which will draw upon the expertise of Academy members, artists, and scholars in a range of disciplines to explore cinema history and the collaborative process of filmmaking. The program will provide hands-on workshops in moviemaking techniques, as well as inspire creativity and critical thinking. A core feature of the program will be its teen initiative, serving students from diverse backgrounds in the greater Los Angeles area.

“Our mother believed that the Academy Museum project will provide the key to broader public understanding both of the movie industry’s history and of its future,” said the Black family. “We are so pleased with the Academy’s naming of the Shirley Temple Education Studio, and again encourage our mother’s many admirers to join us in supporting the Museum and its new Education Studio with a donation honoring her memory.”

Shirley Temple's Juvenile Oscar, awarded to her by the Academy in 1935. — Shirley Temple’s Juvenile Oscar, awarded to her by the Academy in 1935.

In addition to financial support, this generous gift includes unique objects such as: the miniature Oscar presented to Shirley Temple at the 1934 Academy Awards in recognition of her screen work that year; the tap shoes and portable wooden practice-steps given to her by legendary dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson for their famed stair dance routine in 1934’s “The Little Colonel”; the star’s first set-chair from Fox Studios; and the ornate Los Angeles public-school system desk she used for her daily lessons on the Fox lot.

“We know Academy Museum visitors will be elated to see these treasures,” said Kerry Brougher, Academy Museum director. “This generous gift is a significant addition to our collection. The Shirley Temple Education Studio will provide students with opportunities to build meaningful connections with the finest creative minds in filmmaking today.”

The Academy is currently raising $388 million to support the building, exhibitions, and programs of the Academy Museum. The capital campaign was launched in 2012 and is chaired by Bob Iger and co-chaired by Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. The Academy has already secured more than $250 million in pledges from more than 1,300 individual donors globally.

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