Pink castles, talking sofas, and a prince transformed into a teapot. That’s the description for the upcoming Disney exhibition at the Met, which opens on December 10th and runs for three months. Production artworks and drawings from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library will be available to visitors, along with film footage that highlights the studio’s technological and artistic development.
The exhibition explores Walt Disney’s fascination with European art and the use of French motifs in films and theme parks. Examples include the Gothic Revival architecture in Cinderella (1950), medieval influences on Sleeping Beauty (1959), and the Rococo-style objects brought to life in Beauty and the Beast (1991). One theme is animating the inanimate, and when the exhibition marks the 30th anniversary of Beauty and the Beast, there’s a large section dedicated to the film. It looks at anthropomorphism and zoomorphism in 18th-century French literature and arts, with the movie sketches along with the objects that inspired them. Playful storytelling and wonder are part of both Disney’s animated movies and the Rococo objects of art. Just like Disney, 18th-century craftsmen tried to create excitement and bring the feeling of magic to their audiences.
