An Artful Accident: Milwaukee Art Museum

Last weekend I spent the day at the Milwaukee Art Museum with my artsy designer friends, Courtney and Grete. We were there especially to check out a special exhibit on Posters in Paris from the late 19th/early 20th century. I felt very sophisticated and smart talking about design with them all afternoon. (No pictures were allowed in that exhibit, unfortunately.)

Milwaukee Art Museum from the outside - it's a beautiful building!

the main entrance has a really amazing ceiling

After that exhibit we wandered upstairs to check out other things in the museum, and what did we come across?

An exhibit about Disney animation!!! 

Needless to say, I was really excited. Even though the exhibit was clearly designed for people who are three feet tall.

The entrance to the exhibit featured my favorite character from The Incredibles: Dash!

The exhibit displayed how Disney artists were influenced by classical art to create not only beautiful but authentic designs. Art from throughout history have served as inspiration for the animated worlds created in Disney films. I was impressed by the wide variety of work that lent ideas towards a single film's overall look. As a designer myself, it was cool to get a glimpse inside Disney artists' "creative process."

The Beast transformation scene inspired by a Michelangelo sculpture

An antique candelabra and teapot as models for Lumiere and Mrs. Potts

Some of concept artist Mary Blair's inspiration for Cinderella - Picasso, Matisse and Braque

On one wall there was a matching game where you had to match up scenes from Disney or Pixar films with the art piece that inspired them. Grete and Courtney made me play the game to see if I was both a credible Disney and art fan. Since this game was clearly geared towards kids, I was relieved when I got every one correct!

Matching Disney scenes with classic art that inspired them: success!

In addition to the side by side comparisons, the exhibit also featured some original character sketches and scuptures, as well as storyboard excerpts. The Disnerd and art nerd in me were kind of going a little nuts at the chance to see those up close and in person.

An original sketch of Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty

character scuptures from Finding Nemo

Storyboard pictures from various Pixar films

So, it was a wonderful day of nerding out about art. I'm really glad we decided to explore the rest of the museum. What a happy accident!

Art and Music in Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty is the only animated Disney film to feature square trees.

I am running a little behind schedule on my blog posts but I didn't want to skip over an opportunity to talk about the art of Sleeping Beauty.

While the film's story is admittedly a little sparse, the visual design and the musical score more than make up for it. Walt Disney also knew Sleeping Beauty had several similarities to the previous two princess tales, Snow White and Cinderella, and so he set this film apart by giving it its own unique visual style. To this day there has been nothing like it, and it is often cited as the quintessential fairy tale look in animation. Additionally, the new 70mm format in the film industry afforded an opportunity for each frame to be twice as wide as in previous films. This meant larger, and more detailed backgrounds. It's no wonder it took seven years to produce this film!

if this forest existed i would so want to live there!

this is my absolute favorite scene. the use of light and shadow is unparalleled!

who wouldn't fall in love in a place like this?

Eyvind Earle was the artist who took the lead on the visual design, and his inspiration came directly from European medieval art. At the same time, there's a distinct graphic style in the backgrounds he created which reveal it's a Disney, 1950s interpretation of that period of art. To me, this blending of old and new is what makes it so great. I love that idea of being inspired by history and reinterpreting it to be relevant now.

 

The visual style is not the only aspect of Sleeping Beauty that draws inspiration from previous pieces of art. Tchaikovsky's ballet, composed in 1889, provides much of the musical score in this film. The waltzy, romantic melodies and moving orchestral undercurrent lend a sophistication to complement the visual style, and they give this film a very different feel than its predecessors and successors, some of which have a much more "Broadway" sound.


Sleeping Beauty is one of the best examples of animation as a genuine, legitimate art form. I wish I could say more, but I'm not eloquent enough to express in words the level of excellence displayed through sight and sound. You will just have to watch the movie, to see and hear for yourself! 

note: Thanks to disneyscreencaps.com for these images from the film.