How Walt Disney and the Disney Studios wove the aesthetics of French
decorative arts into the fairy-tale worlds of beloved animated films,
from Cinderella to Beauty and the Beast and beyond
Pink castles, talking sofas, and objects coming to life: what may sound
like the fantasies of Hollywood dream-maker Walt Disney were in fact the
figments of the colorful salons of Rococo Paris. Exploring the novel use
of French motifs in Disney films and theme parks, this publication
features forty works of eighteenth-century European design--from
tapestries and furniture to Boulle clocks and Sèvres
porcelain--alongside 150 Disney film stills, drawings, and other works
on paper. The text connects these art forms through a shared dedication
to craftsmanship and highlights references to European art in Disney
films, including nods to Gothic Revival architecture in Cinderella
(1950); bejeweled, medieval manuscripts in Sleeping Beauty (1959); and
Rococo-inspired furnishings and objects brought to life in Beauty and
the Beast (1991). Bridging fact and fantasy, this book draws remarkable
new parallels between Disney's magical creations and their artistic
inspirations.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale
University Press
Exhibition Schedule:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(December 10, 2021-March 6, 2022)
Wallace Collection, London
(April 6-October 16, 2022)
Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino,
CA
(December 10, 2022-March 27, 2023)
