Disney animation art coming to Melbourne’s ACMI

From Mickey Mouse to The Lion King and Frozen, the exhibition will show how animation artists create memorable characters.

A digital concept painting by Lisa Keene from the 2016 hit Disney film Moana.

From a mouse that roared to lions that sing, and much else besides, Walt Disney Animation Studios has for almost a century invented some of the world’s most memorable characters.

A new exhibition in Melbourne from May 13 will offer an insight into the creative decisions of Disney’s renowned animators, as 500 original artworks from the Disney archive go on display at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.

The exhibition, called Disney: The Magic of Animation, comes from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library in Los Angeles and includes art from films starting with Disney’s first animated talkie from 1928, Steamboat Willie, featuring Mickey Mouse.

Kristen McCormick, manager of art exhibitions and conservation at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, said the touring exhibition showed how the original concepts for characters were often very different from what appeared on screen.

“We are great at finding and telling compelling stories, and creating those believable worlds and characters that are appealing and relatable,” said Ms McCormick from hotel quarantine in Sydney.

“And each film is so different from the one that came before it. It must be exciting and challenging to be an artist at the animation studios — because when you finish one film and move onto the next, it’s a completely different look and style.”

The exhibition is the first international exhibition at ACMI since the museum reopened last month after a $40m upgrade, and is part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series.

Among the exhibits are a hand-drawn character sketch of The Little Mermaid (1989), and examples of digital concept art by Lisa Keene from more recent hits such as Moana and Frozen 2.