Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts from The Met Museum

By Wolf Burchard Pink castles, talking sofas, and objects coming to life: what may sound like the fantasies of Hollywood dream-maker Walt Disney were in fact the figments of the colorful salons of Rococo Paris. Exploring the novel use of French motifs in Disney films and theme parks, this publication features 40 works of 18th-century European design-from tapestries and furniture to Boulle clocks and Sèvres porcelain-alongside 150 Disney film stills, drawings, and other works on paper. The text connects these art forms through a shared dedication to craftsmanship and highlights references to European art in Disney films, including nods to Gothic Revival architecture in Cinderella (1950); bejeweled, medieval manuscripts in Sleeping Beauty (1959); and Rococo-inspired furnishings and objects brought to life in Beauty and the Beast (1991). Bridging fact and fantasy, this book draws remarkable new parallels between Disney’s magical creations and their artistic inspirations. Wolf Burchard is associate curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.