Magic of Disney animation comes to Beijing

2015-06-30　　Source: Chinaculture.org 

Featuring more than 300 items, many of which have not previously been publicly displayed, an exhibition, Drawn from Life: The Art of Disney Animation Studios provides a unique look into art created in the more than 90-year legacy of the studios.

The exhibition, hosted by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, is on at Beijing’s National Museum until August 18 and reveals the artistry and creative talent that goes into every Disney production.

Mary Walsh, curator of the exhibition who works for the research library, said it houses original patterns of all Disney animations since the 1920s. Apart from preserving the precious collection, the library also plans to display items around the world.

"We show themes of friendship, family, courage and love through our animations. These are universal among humankind and fill the animations with life," Walsh said.

Continually pushing the boundaries of innovation, Disney artists strive to create animated films with a common appeal. They endeavor to connect with audiences through the characters, emotions and environments of the stories they tell. Whether from an animated short in the earliest days, to feature films from its Golden Age and through its ongoing renaissance, it is this connection that defines a Disney film.

  Mickey Mouse made his debut in Steamboat Willie.  

Art from Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse's debut appearance, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length Technicolor animated feature, The Lion King, and Frozen showcase the ability of Disney artists.

Visitors will see the script of the Crazy Aeroplane, a story in Mickey and Minnie’s series drawn in 1928; the prototype of Simba, the lead role in The Lion King and the painting style of Bambi, effected by Huang Qiyao, a Chinese-American painter, muralist, lithographer and designer. He fused traditional Chinese watercolor painting techniques with Western Impressionism oil painting.

"The exhibition shows the production process of Disney animations. We find how ordinary paintings were transformed into an animated movie, how animation art became a great undertaking," Chen Lusheng, deputy director of the National Museum, said.

A color sketch from The Lion King

 The style of Bambi was taken from traditional Chinesewatercolor painting. 

A scene from Winnie the Pooh