Watch a preview of the exhibition Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts," on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from December 10, 2021 through March 6, 2022.
Pink castles, talking sofas, and a prince transformed into a teapot: what sounds like fantasies from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ pioneering animations were in fact the figments of the colorful salons of Rococo Paris. The Met’s first-ever exhibition exploring the work of Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ hand-drawn animation will examine Disney’s personal fascination with European art and the use of French motifs in his films and theme parks, drawing new parallels between the studios’ magical creations and their artistic models.
Lead corporate sponsorship is provided by Morgan Stanley.
Additional support is provided by The Florence Gould Foundation, The Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation/French Heritage Society, and Beatrice Stern.
The exhibition is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Wallace Collection.
Images and footage courtesy of:
Walt Disney Archives Photo Library
The Walt Disney Family Museum
Walt Disney Animation Research Library
Art Institute of Chicago
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna / Schloss Ambras, Innsbruck
The Huntington Art Museum, San Marino, California
Audio from Lux Radio Theater—Courtesy of CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Production Credits:
Managing Producer: Kate Farrell
Producer: Melissa Bell
Editor: Stephanie Wuertz
Original Music: Austin Fisher
© 2021 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
