The exhibition features more than 500 exceptional art pieces from original sketches of timeless characters to today’s CG-animated masterpieces.
Curated by the team at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, Disney: The Magic of Animation gives visitors a rare glimpse behind the scenes to experience the incredible artistry that has gone into creating so many much-loved characters.
These rarely seen works reveal the development of beloved stories and animation techniques from dozens of classics ranging from Mickey Mouse’s first talkie Steamboat Willie (1928) to Fantasia (1940) to Frozen (2013) to Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).
Featured in the Wellington exhibition will be artwork from Disney Animation’s much-anticipated latest release, Moana 2, which reunites Moana and Maui three years on for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. The film opens across Aotearoa New Zealand on November 28, the same day as the release of Moana 2 Reo Māori.
“Guests will have a rare opportunity to see how the film makers and artists develop our stories and work through different ideas and concepts as they create the films we know so well,” says Kristen McCormick, Art Exhibitions & Conservation Manager of the Walt Disney Animation Research Library.
“The artworks are inspiring and touching and show the diversity of artistic talents that go into the making of our films.
“We hand selected these artworks from our collection of over 65 million works, to give guests the special experience of going behind the scenes at the Walt Disney Animation Studios and are so looking forward to sharing these treasures with New Zealand audiences,” Kristen McCormick says.