Hidden Masterpieces

This is a piece that I hope to do on a regular basis but we will see how quickly my content runs out. I am a HUGE Disney fan. Not just because I am just an overgrown kid and I was raised on it, but because of the art of Disney! Disney and Pixar have managed to craft a beautiful collection of well designed stories, characters, and worlds! Sometimes when I am struggling to find a good color scheme or I can't figure out how to light something, I just look through stills from Disney Movies and take some needed hints.

Now I am sure you already know that Disney is full of the best working artists in the world. Did you know that they are all very well educated and pay a lot of attention to art history? Art history and Fine Art especially are less known easter eggs that Disney and Pixar do an AMAZING job with. What is a Disney or Pixar Easter Egg? The Artists and animators commonly hide little things in their work that only the biggest fans will catch. If you look closely you will see some pretty amazing things from re-used characters to references to pop culture.

My favorite easter eggs that show up in Disney movies though, are the references to fine art. I am only going to do a couple today but I hope that I can uncover more and bring them to light because they are beautiful ways of teaching about fine art. I am going to highlight a couple of my favorites here!

1) Lilo and Stitch! This is a movie that probably doesn't get as much love as it deserves. There are two things that your average viewer probably wont catch but that are pretty awesome! When Stitch is wrecking Lilo's room she yells "No! That's from my blue period!" This is a direct reference to Pablo Picasso. Picasso's work is largely separated into periods that capture a lot of his emotions, motivations, and subject matter. His "Blue Period" is probably one of the most famous and is recognizable from the heavy use of the color blue. It is especially funny because Lilo is going through a rather moody and depressed time in her life which echo's a lot of the feelings of Picasso and the work of that Period. Here are a couple examples of Picasso's Blue Period:

Old Guitarist

The Blindman's Meal

If you look closely, the painting that she was working on is a recreation of the Old guitarist by Picasso!

Believe it or not they actually snuck two into Lilo and Stitch! The second one is even more impressive because it is basically a parody on a famous painting. At one point in the movie (I believe it is at the end) they pan across a bunch of pictures that Lilo has taken. One of those is a recreation of Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell. Guys, if you haven't seen much of Norman Rockwell's art I would highly recommend doing some research on him. He is an amazing artist.

2) Mulan is another movie that I am obsessed with. I lived for a long time in Japan and while Mulan definitely takes place in China I have developed some kind of obsession for most Asian cultures. In the movie, several of Mulan's ancestors are pictured. There are a couple of these that should look familiar. Grant Wood painted American Gothic which you have probably seen represented time and time again in different situations whether you realized it or not. It is especially obvious in Mulan. I believe it is the old man that says "not to mention we'd lose the farm." Here they are side by side. The resemblance is definitely no coincidence. American Gothic now hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. And if you haven't watched mulan in a long time, you should definitely go back and watch that. There is a lot of sculptural reference in the film as well relating to Buddha and such but that is no surprise since they probably had mood board after mood board of Chinese culture. Something so western as Grant Wood showing up in a Chinese-themed movie is a great nod to fine art.

3) The Little Mermaid is another classic. This is one that is a little more literal than you would expect! Ariel has a painting in her grotto where she sings "what's a fire and why does it, what's the word, burn?" As she sings that line she touches the painting lightly. This painting isn't just any random painting. It is Magdalen With the Smoking Flame by Georges de la Tour. Now many of people have asked why they would include this painting above others. Perhaps it was a favorite painting of one of the animators, or there is a good chance it is a nice echoing of Ariel's feelings. There is a nice level of irony as the person in the painting seems to be dissatisfied and contemplative even though she is in the exact situation that Ariel would prefer.  Anyway, here are some screen shots of the painting and it's cameo in The Little Mermaid.

Did you like these? If so please leave a comment and share it with others! I lost my mind when I realized that these happen so often. I will be keeping my eyes open for more gems and there is a good chance they will come from places other than Disney movies. If you have found any please tell me about those as well and we will add them to another post! 

Oh, and as a quick drawing tip: If you have a hard time finding time to draw then look at your schedule and find times when you watch tv. I rarely sit down to watch a movie without having a sketchbook in hand. Even if you just sketch a little bit it is more than if you hadn't come with a sketchbook ready.