Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts

The international traveling exhibition “Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts,” organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Wallace Collection in London in association with The Huntington, explores the early inspirations behind Disney Studios’ creations, examining Walt Disney’s fascination with European art and the use of French motifs in Disney films and theme parks.

Approximately 50 works of 18th-century European decorative art and design, many of which are drawn from The Huntington’s significant collection, will be featured alongside hand-drawn production artworks and works on paper from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, Walt Disney Archives, Walt Disney Imagineering Collection, and The Walt Disney Family Museum. “Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts” will be on view from Dec. 10, 2022, through March 27, 2023.