With the surrender of Japan in September 1945, four years of brutal conflict for the United States during World War II finally came to end. It was at this time that Walt Disney refocused his efforts.
The studio lot had been requisitioned by the U.S. military shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and in the following four years, Walt devoted over 90 percent of The Walt Disney Studios’ output to the war effort.
Missing Disneyland this holiday season? Deck the halls with some Disneyland goodies for the Park-lover in your life by shopping at The Walt Disney Family Museum Store this holiday season.
At The Walt Disney Family Museum, we have a dedicated team of Preparators that utilize creative ways to display artwork in our galleries and special exhibitions. Preparator Ryan Mortensen works primarily with 2D objects, creating custom displays for the public to enjoy our collection of animation artwork.
After years of making package features that compiled animated short subjects, Walt Disney’s artists knew that Cinderella, released 70 years ago in 1950, would be different. As a full-length fairy tale, it was more akin to the stories they’d told before World War II. But the film would have a twist on its predecessors.
“There is a nice philosophy in Cinderella’s attitude. She can teach the young – and others – how to take adversity.” – film critic Helen Bower, April 1950
This incredible abstract façade of “it’s a small world” by Mary Blair from 1964—displayed in our 2014 exhibition, MAGIC, COLOR, FLAIR: the world of Mary Blair—was made with an interesting combination of techniques and materials. It was constructed of cast plaster with mosaic-like design elements, which give us an insight to the many processes that Mary Blair used in her artwork.
The Walt Disney Family Museum’s collection of maquettes, or small character reference sculptures, spans various Disney animated feature productions including Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), and Peter Pan (1953). While most in our collection are painted plaster, there are a few exceptions—such as this The Ugly Duckling (1939) maquette—where surfaces have been left unpainted.