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Who knew Walt Disney and an 18th Century sofa would have so much in common? A new exhibition at The Wallace Collection in London shines a light on this.

Whether we like it or not, Walt Disney has played a huge part in most of our lives. You might love it or hate it, but most of us grew up on Disney films which is why it’s such a treat to see them from a different perspective. 

Beauty and the Beast, 1991, Brian McEntee, Concept art, marker and photocopy on paper © Disney

The Wallace Collection has just unveiled a new exhibition, Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts, which looks at Walt Disney’s fascination with France, decorative arts and fairy tales. The exhibition is both a fascinating look into French art history and the story of Walt Disney studios. 

If you’re expecting a tiresome, dusty exhibition featuring a lot of clocks and furniture, you’d be gravely mistaken. Sure, there are clocks and one particularly handsome sofa, but this is an immersive, must-see experience for fans of animated films. 

Beauty and the Beast Model Sheet for Mrs Potts, @ Disney

Beauty and the Beast Concept Art, @ Disney

The exhibition looks specifically at two films; Cinderella (1950) and The Beauty and The Beast (1991). A particular highlight of the exhibition are the 24 drawings that would ultimately turn into possibly one of the most iconic seconds of animation; Cinderella’s transformation from a scruffy servant into a princess. 

Informative and thrilling, the exhibition is expertly curated by Dr Helen Jacobsen and Wolf Burchard. It should satisfy hardcore Disney fans as well as friends of the French decorative arts, featuring several breathtaking items and plenty of concept art for iconic Disney characters and sequences. 

The exhibition also shines a light on some of the women, such as Mary Blair and Bianca Majolie, who worked in animation in the 40s and 50s, which could probably be an exhibition of its own. There’s also a grainy home video filmed by none other than Walt Disney himself on his trip to France in 1935. 

There is something magical about standing in a room full of drawings from decades ago that formed the films that made one’s childhood while the Beauty and the Beast theme plays in the background. It’s more than enough to bring tears to your eyes as the music brings memories back from sitting in front of the TV, watching intensely as Belle and the Beast waltz around the grand ballroom or as Cinderella escapes the ball before the magic disappears at the strike of midnight.

Cinderella, 1950, Disney Studio Artist, Background painting, gouache on paper © Disney

Cinderella, 1950, Marc Davis, Clean-up animation drawing, graphite and coloured pencil on paper © Disney

Here, at The Wallace Collection, that magic is very much present and alive. It reminds us of our younger selves but the connections made between Disney’s films and their French inspirations allows us to fuse that purely nostalgic feeling with something more mature and complex. It gives context to our memories and allows us to engage with the films on a whole new level.  

We often disregard animation as something for children, something unworthy of our genuine, artistic admiration, but this new exhibition draws smart, unexpected parallels between the films of Disney and a significant movement in art history. 

We all need a bit of magic in our lives, especially now. Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts will probably give you just that. Keep an eye out for the concept drawing for Aladdin’s magic carpet, a fun little detail on how inanimate objects were animated with personality and wit.