From Marvel Studios to Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm, it appears that nearly the entire entertainment world has fallen in rank under Mickey Mouse’s whiskers.

But The Walt Disney Co.’s roots have always been in the beloved animations that Uncle Walt introduced to the world nearly a century ago, and a Seoul exhibition will commemorate that history.

Until Aug. 18. Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul will be home to “The Art of Disney: The Magic of Animation,” jointly hosted by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the Seoul Design Foundation and GNC Media.

The exhibition will look at Disney’s animation history, starting from the earliest days of the company. This includes drawings of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and the iconic “Steamboat Willie,” and a model of the zoetrope -- a prefilm animation device that offers clues as to how the earliest animations looked and felt.

Disney took a giant leap from the black and white of the 1928 classic to the colorful world of 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the first full-length cel animated feature film. 

Other sections of the exhibition include how the animators and artists worked to bring the world to the screen, presented through the hand-drawn artwork, concept drawings and sculptures in distinct styles.

Near the end of the exhibition is a section of recent hit film “Frozen,” which includes a peak at the upcoming sequel scheduled for release in November.

Other works that are part of the exhibition are “Hawaiian Holiday” (1937), “Dumbo” (1985), “Bambi” (1942), “The Little Mermaid” (1989), “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), “Tangled” (2010), “Big Hero 6” (2014), “Zootopia” (2016), “Moana” (2016) and the “Wreck-It Ralph” series.

“The Magic of Animation” is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and until 9 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Tickets are 15,000 won for adults, 13,000 won for teenagers and 11,000 won for children.

For more information, call (02) 325-1077.



By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)