Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI (formerly Australian Centre for the Moving Image), has brought the internationally acclaimed Disney: The Magic of Animation exhibit to Melbourne for its Australian debut as part of the city’s Melbourne Winter Masterpiece series.
From today, May 13th, through to Sunday, October 17th 2021, the exhibition celebrates a near-century of Disney animation, from the pencil-and-paper artistry of Steamboat Willie (1928) and Fantasia (1940), to the computer-generated wonders of Frozen (2013) and this year’s Raya and the Last Dragon, which will be honoured through the debut of never-before-exhibited artwork.
Capturing the essence and emotion of the studio’s unique characters and storytelling through paintings, sketches, and concept art, the Walt Disney Animation Research Library has specially curated this retrospective.
“We’re thrilled to bring Disney: The Magic of Animation to Australia as ACMI’s 2021
Melbourne Winter Masterpiece – the first since reopening after our $40 million
transformation. Disney’s pioneering work has brought the art of animation to audiences across the globe for nearly a century (and) this exhibition invites us behind the scenes, celebrating the artists and their incredible craft as they create the magical worlds and iconic characters that we know and love,” stated ACMI Director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick, OAM.
Hoping to be both a needed drawcard for the city of Melbourne and ACMI, the stimulation brought forward from the Disney brand will hopefully enchant Victorians in expected droves; “Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do to entertain and inspire our local audiences,” noted Australian and New Zealand Walt Disney Company Senior Vice-President & Managing Director Kylie Whatson-Wheeler, continuing “We hope that guests will both be inspired and delighted by the artistry showcased, bringing to life our Disney stories and its magic, here in Australia.”
For more information about the exhibit, ticket prices and opening hours, please head to the ACMI website.
