Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Where all of the magic is stored, and preserved the Disney Animation Research Library #frozenbluray #piratefairybloggers



****Disney provided  an all-expense paid trip for me to cover this great event Pictures provided by Disney. All opinions are 100% mine. ****


On our recent blogger trip to explore the world of Frozen, The Pirate Fairy, and Saving Mr. Banks, we were all treated to a visit to the Disney Library. Now this is unlike any library you have ever imagined. 
 This was the home of the magic, the home of original cells, paintings and just about all you need to make a Disney animated movie. Imagine, original drawings from Walt Disney, original cells from Disney classics such as Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, and all others.

The Disney team is currently working on organizing and scanning the drawings in the library… This may seem like a simple goal, but if you really think about all of the Disney films that were made, the hours and hours of painting drawing that is needed to make a move.. You will see that this is a task that will take a generation to finish. Why scan the drawings? 
 Walt Disney knew the importance of saving and preserving the artwork, when saving the art was not a common practice, Walt still kept the work. When some movies art was put away and stored, they were just put in a folder or a box, with no organization… the drawings are all there but not in any order. 
 The Disney teams are in the process of organizing the drawings, then they are scanned cataloged and checked again for accuracy. All while giving the art the utmost respect, and white glove treatment. The scanning is essential, to preserving  these drawings for future generations. Having the drawing scanned will also make locating them, that much easier as well. 

So what if there is a fire? What happens to protect all of these priceless archives in the library?  Well water would ruin the artwork, so what is used ? A form of gas would be released throughout the building, to extinguish the fire and save the artwork. This is a fascinating way to put out the flames. Gas? How would the people in the archives survive, well they would have a few moments to get out of the building before the gas is released.

 The room where the animation is stored is filled with movable fried proof cabinets, that are filled with paintings, drawings and cells all separated numbered and labeled. I knew it look a lot of drawings and paintings to make a hand drawn animated movie, but I was amazed at how many rows and rows of cabinets that were filled with Sleeping Beauty artwork. 

Seeing a peak of the Sleeping Beauty artwork, just gets me even more excited to see the new upcoming movie Maleficent.  The room temperature is set for the survival of the artwork, a chilly 40 odd degrees, the cold helps keep the papers and the paintings safe, keeping them alive for future generations.

 From the very beginning  of Disney animation, when artists would either draw, sketch or paint their work, the art that they made was never signed. Walt Disney saw them all as Disney artists, not as individual artists. Even to this day the older Disney drawings pairing and animation work…. The artists are unknown. I asked if this was still a practice in Disney animation today? Well from the mid 90’s to today the artwork is signed, so the artists can get the credit they deserve.

We saw a lot of great artwork from “Disney Artist”, it was magical to see an array of paintings and artwork from Peter Pan, including original “Skull Rock” paintings, and Captain Hook, and Tinkerbelle cells.  Unfortunately we were not able to take any pictures, so I do not have a lot of photos of the artwork to share, but here is a sneak peak of what we saw..



 Here are other examples of what is stored in the library:

This was an amazing experience, seeing the classics and where they are stored, was a bucket list item for me. This is something I will never forget, and each time I see a Disney animated film, I will still be in awe because I got to see where all of this magic lives.

 You can now get some Disney magic for your home too, make sure to pick up a copy of Frozen, and Saving Mr. Banks available on DVD now.  



 


Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions . No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .



26 comments:

Ellen said...

That must have been fascinating! Looks like you learned a lot.

Clair Boone @ www.mummydeals.org said...

Wow, that a cool trip! MY nieces are in love with the Frozen movie and would be super jealous!

Scott said...

This is a tour I would love. I have a couple original animation cels in my collection (not Disney though) and would love to see the behind-the-scenes.

BrettBMartin said...

I was there a few years ago- I recognize some of the staff, too!! Such an amazing place to visit and so much history!

Kelsey Apley said...

Wow that would be so much fun to go and see behind the scenes! What an amazing opportunity! Thanks for sharing!

Mama to 5 said...

wow that would be a super cool place to visit! What an amazing experience!

Tammi @ My Organized Chaos said...

Don't you just love the animation library?! When I grow up, I wanna work there!! ;)

Jennifer S. said...

What an amazing place to see! Wow... so much history and awesomeness. Just seeing those drawings is nostalgic!!!

Unknown said...

I had no idea at all that something like this existed. I think that it is incredible that they archive all of these treasures. (I cant wait to see Malificent too!!!)

CindyWindy2003 said...

I would have loved to have seen all those drawings, when I was little I used to dream about working for disney studios as an artist.

Mindy said...

Wow, that is incredible! What an amazing experience for you!

Kristin said...

Wow such an incredible write up. Thanks for taking is all along inside the Disney vault.

Pam said...

I would have loved to get to see all this! I'm sure you had an amazing time.

Nicole B said...

Wow that looks so amazing. I can't imagine how many millions of Disney drawings must be housed there.

Unknown said...

What an amazing experience! I love that they are so careful to preserve all the work and art that went into making Disney Magical!

Unknown said...

I bet that was amazing. I definitely think this is a magical place. Totally jealous that you got to go there.

Unknown said...

Wow, that would have been quite the trip! I would love a tour of Disney Headquarters like that and to see more indepth how it all works.

Unknown said...

Wow what a cool opportunity! Sounds amazing. I love Disney!

NPC23 said...

Wow, what an amazing experience. So much work goes behind a movie, it's amazing.

Dawn Lopez said...

Wow, this looks like so much fun! Thanks for giving us a sneak peek!

Unknown said...

That is awesome!! What an amazing place to go inside and so many magical things to see both past, present, and future!

Amanda said...

That's a once in a lifetime kind of trip. Looks like you had a blast.

Unknown said...

Great photos of your tour. Looks like a very cool thing to get to do.

emily said...

Oh I am SO jealous!! What an amazing opportunity to see behind the scenes!

Stefani @ MommyEnterprises.com said...

What a fun opportunity. I would love to see the Disney Archives one day.

cylina said...

That looks like a lot of fun! I would love to do something like this:)

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Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions, . No compensation was received. All opinions are my own. This is a unofficial fan site that is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or Disney theme parks.