The Met Showcases Disney’s Centuries-Old Art Influences That Inspired Its Work
Video screenshot via The Met
Contrary to what you might believe, much of Disney is based on real life, and it does draw from realism—which is what makes its magical stories so endearingly relatable to the human imagination.
At the Met’s new Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts exhibit, visitors are shown the lesser-known artistic muses of Disney animation. Trips to Europe, which immersed Walt Disney in the beautiful cultures of the continent and acquainted him with its architecture and art styles, had deeply inspired the animator, and he later on channeled those memories into his work.
At 16 years old, after World War I, Disney went to France to work for the Red Cross. This was his first brush with French architecture and motifs, and he was enchanted. In his 30s, he returned to Europe and filmed the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, which would serve as the key design influence for the ballroom in 1991’s Beauty and the Beast, the New York Post reports.
“He sucked it all up like a sponge,” says Met curator Wolf Burchard.
Video screenshot via The Met
Lumiere the candlestick notably draws from the ornamental rococo designs of the 18th century, including an intricate bronze candlestick crafted by designer Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier somewhere between 1735 and 1750. It’s also worth noting that Sleeping Beauty is an animated love letter to medieval tapestries.
The sources of inspiration aren’t immediately obvious to audiences, which is the point. “I think that’s really important,” Burchard shares in a statement published by the Post. “Because that shows that Disney animators are not just unimaginatively copying their forebears, but they’re actually creating something new.”
Video screenshot via The Met
Video screenshot via The Met
Of course, these influences help inform the architecture in Disney theme parks, as well. Four colorful French porcelain vases with pink and green domes at the exhibit bring to mind Disney castles. Meanwhile, miniature rooms with European, American, and Asian motifs—constructed by American artist Narcissa Niblack Thorne in the 1930s to indulge the imaginations of Americans who couldn’t travel—inspired Disney to build destinations where minds could escape and explore.
The exhibit will be on show at the Met through March 6, 2022. For a preview, here’s a short teaser narrated by Angela Lansbury, the iconic voice of Mrs Potts in Beauty and the Beast.
[via New York Post, video and images via The Met]
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