Recently The Disney Blog sent special reporter Joe Webb down to the Walt Disney Family Museum to cover the opening of a special exhibition entitled “Between Frames: The Magic Behind Stop Motion Animation”. The WDFM has also announced details for a new special exhibit “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic” which we have below the jump. But first Joe’s report:
Just down the road from the revolutionary Industrial Light & Magic, an effects house using the latest in computer animation technology, the Walt Disney Family Museum is presenting an exhibition dedicated to a different type of animation technology more than 100 years old. Between Frames: The Magic Behind Stop Motion Animation (on display from September 27, 2012 to April 28, 2013) explores the history and evolution of stop motion animation in the United States as “part of a new exhibition program showcasing artists and art forms that inspired and influenced Walt Disney and his animators,” WDFM CEO Gabriella Calicchio said.
For animation fans, learning the history of stop motion is a worthwhile endeavor. Exhibition curator Anel Muller states, “I’m very excited about this exhibition, obviously… One of the most interesting things I uncovered is the people behind stop motion animation.” People like Ray Harryhausen, Phil Tippett, Henry Selick and Tim Burton who helped bring this art form to new generations of moviegoers and Saturday morning television viewers. Muller obtained numerous drawings, models, puppets, interactive armatures and replicas used in various films, television shows and commercials including Gumby, King Kong, Star Wars, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Visitors will see everything from a replica of King Kong from the 1930s to models of Coraline and Robot Chicken from the first decade of 21st century.
One of the main goals at the Walt Disney Family Museum is inspiration through education. While one may not immediately connect stop motion with Walt Disney himself, the Museum notes that Walt began his animation career in Kansas City using this type of animation for advertisements. The galleries exist to educate visitors on Walt Disney’s history and accomplishments which will hopefully inspire them to follow their own passion. This goal is not lost on Muller. “I hope that when visitors leave this exhibit that they feel a surge of inspiration, that they will find creativity in their own lives,” she said.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic
November 15, 2012–April 14, 2013 | Special Exhibition Hall
Special ticket price for Snow White: $10 general | Special combination ticket which includes general museum admission: $25 adults; $20 seniors and students; $15 children ages 6 to 17.
On view from November 15, 2012 to April 14, 2013, The Walt Disney Family Museum’s special exhibition celebrates Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The exhibition features more than 200 works of art including conceptual drawings, early character studies, detailed story sketches, and animation drawings. Also featured are delicate thumbnail layout watercolors, meticulously rendered pencil layouts, rare watercolor backgrounds, colorful cels, and vintage posters all illustrating how Walt Disney advanced the creation of an entirely new art form.
Screenings Schedule
Film of the Month: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Screens daily at 11am, 1:30 & 4pm (except Tuesdays, 11/17 & 11/22) | Theater
Free for members or with Museum admission | Without Museum admission: $7 adult; $5 youth
From Page to Screen: The Evolution of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Saturday, November 17 | 3pm | Theater
General: $20 adult; $15 youth | Members: $18 adult; $14 youth
Join Lella Smith, exhibition curator and creative director of the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, with author and Disney historian J.B. Kaufman, as they retrace the remarkable chain of adaptions that led to the classic Disney animated feature. After the presentation, Kaufman will sign copies of the exhibition catalogue and his latest book The Fairest One of All
SPECIAL PROGRAMMING
Animate Your Night: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Opening Celebration
Friday, November 30 | 7–10pm | Museum-wide | Ages 18+
General: $10 | Members: $5
Look Closer: The Art and Production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Friday–Sunday, November 23–25
11am, 1 & 3pm | Gallery 4 | Free with Museum admission
Join us for a brief gallery talk to learn more about the art and production of Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.