Dip your toes into the magical world of Disney and enter the creative minds of artists as they bring iconic characters to life.
It’s a great time for OG Disney fans with the ah-mazing surge of remakes and musicals taking over our lives. We began with The Lion King Musical last year, followed by Aladdin’s live-action remake, The Lion King’s computer-animated remake – featuring the voice of her royal highness, Queen B – and the recent Aladdin the Musical in Singapore.
Now, be prepared for another treat. Witness the pure artistry behind your favourite characters at Disney: Magic of Animation. A first in Southeast Asia, the exhibition at ArtScience Museum is bringing honour to us all with over 500 art pieces such as original drawings and sketches, paintings and concept art specially curated by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library. But wait, there’s more: You’ll also be one of the first to witness never-before-seen original artworks from the upcoming film, Frozen 2.
The exhibition takes you on a nostalgic journey through five chapters, beginning with the world’s first-ever animation with synchronised sound, Steamboat Willie (1928). It also captures the nuances of movements by people and animals in various films including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) – which, by the way, is also the world’s first fully animated film produced in Technicolor, and the development of the revolutionary multiplane camera, which was heavily used in Pinocchio (1940). The showcase then delves into the 50s where animators produced a variety of striking, artistic styles. No wonder movies like Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) have a distinct aesthetic.
Next up, the Disney Renaissance, which advances into computer graphic technologies, coupled with the work of leading Broadway songwriters. The result? Iconic gems such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), Mulan (1998) and Tarzan (1999). Finally, experience the current era where films shift to computer graphics and screenplays play a big part in weaving contemporary ideologies into the narrative. This is where you’ll encounter titles like Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013) and Moana (2016).
Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat?
The exhibition also features various interactive zones – such as recreating sounds by iconic soundtracks – for you to express your creativity, multiple photo opportunities for the ‘gram, brilliant projections and audio-visual displays (look out for a magical moment from Beauty and the Beast). Plus, expect to see nuggets of information that’ll make you appreciate the brilliant world of animation. Oh, and you’ll also get to meet Anna and Elsa from Frozen 2! We don’t want to spoil it for you but let’s just say autumn is coming for the Frozen gang.
Would we go again?
A definite, Y.E.S. We kid you not, the 90s Disney kid in us squealed in joy every time we entered each section. We’re already gathering our Disney films for a marathon to truly appreciate the work of these fabulous artists once again.
Disney: Magic of Animation will run from 26 October 2019 till 29 March 2020 at ArtScience Museum, 6 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018974