On December 21, 1937, visionary American animator Walt Disney enchanted audiences and made movie history when he premiered Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles, California. Though the film is widely appreciated today, until Snow White, no one had ever successfully produced a feature-length, cel-animated film.

Many outside of Disney's studio thought the movie would flop, but he was confident in his vision, and meticulously guided every aspect of production. "It was prophesied that nobody would sit through a cartoon an hour and a half long," Disney said. "But we had decided there was only one way we could successfully do Snow White—and that was to go for broke—shoot the works. There could be no compromise on money, talent, or time." The key, he maintained, was creating a fantasy world that was not only appealing, but filled with believable, compelling characters.

Norman Rockwell Museum is proud to present Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic, an exciting exhibition commemorating the 75th anniversary of Disney's timeless work, which continues to be enjoyed by viewers of all ages. Disney's pioneering vision and the artistry of his dedicated staff are revealed in this exhibition, which explores the development of his animated masterpiece―the hallmark of an entirely new American art form.

Organized by The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, and curated by Lella Smith, Creative Director of The Walt Disney Company's Animation Research Library, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the film through almost 200 original works of art. Conceptual drawings and early character studies, story sketches and animation drawings, pencil and color layouts, rare watercolor backgrounds, colorful cels, vintage movie posters, and film clips will fill the galleries with Disney's unique brand of storytelling.

Walt Disney believed that "entertainment usually fulfills some vital need and normal curiosity for every man, woman and child who seeks it." Pushing the edges of technology in support of visual storytelling and the world of the imagination, he transformed animation from novelty to full-fledged American art form, first with the creation of Mickey Mouse and other iconic characters, and then through a series of feature length films that captivated and inspired mass audiences―from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Mary Poppins (1964). A masterful innovator, Disney revolutionized the entertainment industry in unprecedented and often imitated ways, creating alternate realities and a global entertainment empire that brought stories to life across media and experiential platforms.

Though they worked in distinctly different realms, Walt Disney and Norman Rockwell regarded each other highly. They were personally acquainted, corresponded regularly, and traded gifts of art and memorabilia. Girl Reading the Post, an original cover illustration for March 1, 1941 issue of The Saturday Evening Post stands as a token of their respect and friendship. In 1943, during a stay in Alhambra, California, his wife Mary's home town, Rockwell gave Disney the painting, inscribing the work, "To Walt Disney, one of the really great artists, from an admirer, Norman Rockwell." Upon receipt of Girl Reading the Post, Disney penned his appreciation, saying "I can't begin to thank you ... my entire staff have been traipsing up to my office to look at it ... to all of them, you are some sort of god." To further express his thanks, Disney sent Rockwell a set of ceramic figurines featuring characters from Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia.

For years, Girl Reading the Post hung in Disney's offices, and later, in the home of his daughter, Diane Disney Miller, who was herself a Rockwell model. When Diane was about ten years old, she and her late sister Sharon sat for beautifully-rendered Rockwell portraits. Many years later, she generously donated Girl Reading the Post to the Norman Rockwell Museum, and since then, the painting has been a favorite both here in Stockbridge and while on national tour in American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell. Our appreciation for this incredible gift is as boundless as the esteem that generations Americans have had for her father's work.

Please join us for this special exhibition, which brings Walt Disney's unrivalled vision to life, and enjoy the many related talks, performances, family events, and workshops that inspire consideration of his life, art and legacy.

Stephanie Plunkett, Deputy Director/Chief Curator

The Museum chronicles Disney's childhood, young adulthood and his early, fitful starts at developing live and animated films, including the difficulties with his first cartoon company in Kansas City. After Laugh-O-gram Films went bankrupt in 1923, Disney took the train to California, with $40 in his pocket. But by the end of the 1920s, Disney had 3 risen to international fame and recognition with the creation of the world's most famous mouse. His studio also enjoyed great financial success—and changed the animation industry—with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), its first feature-length animated film and a movie that peers had warned Disney against making. Yet Disney's animation studio nearly went bankrupt after the completion of Fantasia (1940), a film that received favorable reviews but did not win large audiences. It is now celebrated as a cinematic landmark and is notable for being the first major film released in stereophonic sound.

Throughout these decades, Disney pushed groundbreaking technological innovations that revolutionized animation and enhanced story, character development, and color, using dimensionality and original music to improve his storytelling. These innovations included synchronizing sound with animated images and the use of story boards, multiplane cameras, and optical printers. He consistently challenged himself and his employees to surpass what they had already achieved.

The Museum illuminates Disney's parallel interests in the fantastic and real. After completing the early-1940s animated masterpieces Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi, and a hiatus mandated by World War II during which the Studio produced morale-boosting films, Disney began to expand the scope of the studio's work by making live-action nature documentaries that grew out of his childhood love of the outdoors. He sent a team of naturalists to Alaska for a year to film anything they might find interesting. The result was Seal Island, which won the 1949 Academy Award® for best two-reel documentary.

From a very early age, Walt Disney was enchanted by the promise of technology. In addition to being an early champion of color television, stereo, and widescreen technology, he pursued his interest in transportation with the first daily-operating Monorail system in the United States and by creating the PeopleMover—an innovative tram system with no on-board motors—in Disneyland.

Toward the end of his life, Walt Disney developed groundbreaking attractions for global events, notably the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. Beginning in 1960, Walt and his key creative executives approached several American corporations with the intent of collaborating on major shows and attractions for the Fair. The result was four of the Fair's most popular attractions: the General Electric Progressland featuring Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress; the UNICEF Pavilion sponsored by Pepsi-Cola featuring, "it's a small world;" the Ford Wonder Rotunda featuring Walt Disney's Magic Skyway; and the State of Illinois Pavilion featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and the famous audio animatronic of the president. These attractions were later exported to Disneyland in California.

Walt Disney's work with Robert Moses on the World's Fair pavilions inspired him to develop a new paradigm, EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), a 4 project Walt described as "a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing, testing, and demonstrating new materials and new systems…a showcase to the world of the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise."

Though they worked in distinctly different realms, Walt Disney and Norman Rockwell regarded each other highly. They were personally acquainted, corresponded regularly, and traded gifts of art and memorabilia. Girl Reading the Post, an original cover illustration for March 1, 1941 issue of The Saturday Evening Post stands as a token of their respect and friendship. In 1943, during a stay in Alhambra, California, his wife Mary's home town, Rockwell gave Disney the painting, inscribing the work, "To Walt Disney, one of the really great artists, from an admirer, Norman Rockwell."Upon receipt of Girl Reading the Post, Disney penned his appreciation, saying "I can't begin to thank you … my entire staff have been traipsing up to my office to look at it … to all of them, you are some sort of god." To further express his thanks, Disney sent Rockwell a set of ceramic figurines featuring characters from Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia.

For years, Girl Reading the Post hung in Disney's offices, and later, in the home of his daughter, Diane Disney Miller, who was herself a Rockwell model. When Diane was about ten years old, she and her late sister Sharon sat for beautifully-rendered Rockwell portraits. Many years later, she generously donated Girl Reading the Post to the Norman Rockwell Museum, and since then, the painting has been a favorite both here in Stockbridge and while on national tour in American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell. Our appreciation for this incredible gift is as boundless as the esteem that generations Americans have had for her father's work.