Disney - Telling Timeless Stories

Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Pinocchio — who doesn’t know them? For generations, Walt Disney Animation Studios has enchanted audiences young and old with the magic of animation. In the major international exhibition Disney – Telling Timeless Stories, visitors were given a unique behind-the-scenes look at this world-famous animation studio. The studio’s archive contains approximately 65 million original drawings, sketches, background paintings, and storyboards, spanning from its earliest days to the present. Normally, this archive is not open to the public and is used exclusively internally — for example, by the studio’s artists as a source of inspiration. This exhibition was on view from April 22 through September 10, 2023.

100 Years of Disney

In the year that Walt Disney Animation Studios celebrated its 100th anniversary, a small selection from this enormous archive was presented in the exhibition. Spread across two floors, more than 300 original sketches, paintings, concept drawings, and animation drawings were on display, complemented by film clips.

The Creative Process Behind Iconic Moments

The exhibition offered a behind-the-scenes look at Walt Disney Animation Studios and revealed the creative process behind iconic moments etched in everyone’s memory — such as the Evil Queen with her poisoned apple in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), or the moment Elsa throws off her cape and sings “Let It Go” at the top of her lungs in Frozen (2013). Previously unseen original works from Walt Disney Animation Studios were also on display, including pieces from Robin Hood (1973) and Mickey Mouse in The Prince and the Pauper (1990).

Unique Works

The artworks showcased a wide range of techniques: from pencil drawings for Pinocchio (1940) and pastel drawings from Fantasia (1940) to digital sketches for Frozen 2 (2019). And visitors even had the opportunity to try their hand at storytelling themselves!