Article du fan club officiel D23 sur l'exposition actuellement présentée au Norman Rockwell Museum :
Snow White exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum
The museum is located in the Berkshires, which is a popular tourist area on the East Coast. The exhibition opened on June 8, and will be at the museum until October 27.
Having completed its run at the Walt Disney Family Museum, the exhibition’s latest venue is at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and opened on June 8, 2013. Entitled Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic, the exhibition celebrates Walt Disney’s creative vision and the artistry of his dedicated staff. The exhibition is introduced by an array of movie posters and photos and ends with an explanation of the process of animation, using artwork illustrating every element of the collaborative nature required to produce an animated film. The exhibition also features comparisons between the early Grimm brothers’ version of the fairy tale and explains what changes were made to create a compelling cinematic experience for modern audiences
For example, in the traditional fairy tale, the Prince first encounters Snow White after she has fallen asleep under the spell of the poison apple. He is so moved by her beauty that he kisses her, breaking the spell, and they ride off into the sunset. Disney understood that modern film audiences would more readily accept such a happily-ever-after ending if the two had established their romantic attraction at the beginning of the film. When the Prince first meets the young Snow White, who is dressed in shabby clothes and singing at the castle’s wishing well, he hears her sing “I’m Wishing” and jumps the garden wall to join her. It is love at first sight. Because of this chance meeting early in the film, the audience can more clearly understand why the Prince will declare his love for Snow White with a kiss.
The making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a labor of love for Walt and the entire Studio staff. Explaining why he chose Snow White as the story for his first feature-length animated film, he observed, “Of all the characters in the fairy tales, I loved Snow White the best and, when I planned my first full-length cartoon, she inevitably was the heroine.” A feature-length, Technicolor, cel-animated, musical cartoon had never been made before and industry insiders were skeptical that anyone would pay to see such a thing. They imagined that the content of the film would remain primarily gag-driven, as it had been to that point in animated film history. Such skeptics called it “Walt Disney’s Folly,” arguing that the bright colors and moving drawings would hurt the audience’s eyes. But Walt knew that the insiders were wrong and that this new art form of feature-length animation would open a whole new world of entertainment, education, and enchantment for audiences around the world.
It is difficult for young people today to imagine a time when colorful, feature-length animated films were not commonplace, as was the case before the 1937 premier of Walt Disney’s first feature length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Had Walt listened to the critics of the day, the development of animation undoubtedly would have been delayed for a significant amount of time. Walt envisioned animation evolving into a respected art form ideally suited to family entertainment, combining enchanting stories, fascinating locations, and captivating, believable characters.
The exhibition documents the extraordinary process by which Walt Disney and his artists and technicians established a new standard for animated films. Making the film required Walt to assemble a staff of talented artists and technicians who would prove invaluable for successive productions and help establish The Walt Disney Company as the premier provider of family entertainment throughout the world.