A new exhibit is coming to The Walt Disney Family Museum this fall. Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle will be opening at the museum on Friday, October 23, and remain open through April 18, 2027. The exhibit is co-curated by the CEO of Eyvind Earle Publishing, Ioan Szasz, and the museum Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Marina Villar Delgado. It will explore the life and work of prolific American artist and Disney Legend Eyvind Earle.
“Eyvind Earle’s striking and atmospheric style continues to inspire us, and we are excited to reimagine Awaking Beauty for a new generation of museum visitors,” says museum Executive Director Kirsten Komoroske. “This iteration will offer a deeper look at Earle’s remarkable career at The Walt Disney Studios alongside the breadth of his stunning personal work, featuring more than 35 loaned and recently acquired paintings that will be on view at the museum for the very first time.”
Eyvind Earle is best known by Disney fans as being the color stylist for the Walt Disney classic animated film Sleeping Beauty (1959). For this film, as the color stylist, he was in charge of the colors and the entire visual look for the film. This is a look that has become iconic through the decades. Throughout his career, he also brought his talents to films like Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Truth About Mother Goose (1957), Paul Bunyan (1958), and others.
This exhibit has been thoughtfully re-envisioned after the popularity of the museum’s original retrospective in 2017, Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle. There will be approximately 200 works on view in the Exhibition Gallery on the museum’s lower level for this exhibit. This will include two new gallery spaces that will be making their debut for this special exhibition.
Earle created some beautiful worlds that had a unique style that drew inspiration from medieval tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, Pre-Renaissance Northern European paintings, and the American landscape. He was known for his richly patterned and romantic backgrounds. Sometimes, these took nearly time times longer to complete as a typical Disney background would. This gave his animated films a jewel-toned “moving illustration” quality.
Reflecting on his time at The Walt Disney Studios, Earle once said, “I put myself through art school and Walt Disney paid me a good salary all the while I unwittingly developed the style of painting, or rather, perfected the style that would stay with me the rest of my life.”
Earle’s distinctive style has continued to inspire Disney artists and designers decades later. His inspiration can be seen in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Pocahontas (1995) and Frozen (2013), and in the design of Disneyland Paris’ beautiful Sleeping Beauty Castle (Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant). In 2015, Earle was honored posthumously as a Disney Legend. This was for his work on Sleeping Beauty and his contributions to animation.
“Eyvind was an honest and humble man, yet he was constantly challenging himself to push the boundaries of his own artistry with his enduring passion to explore, create and innovate,” says Szasz, who began working with the artist in 1988. “Whether it was through a modest snowy landscape for a Christmas card or a more intricate background concept for films like Sleeping Beauty, Earle brought magic to everything he touched.”
Villar Delgado added, “Eyvind Earle occupies a singular place in American art history. He redefined what a Disney background could be, and then he spent the rest of his career proving that vision was only the beginning. This exhibition traces that arc, from the jewel-toned medieval forests of Sleeping Beauty to the serigraphs and paintings that made him one of California’s most collected artists. We’re honored to share his work with the depth and context it deserves.”
The exhibit will include audiovisual elements that offer a closer look at some of Earle’s work beyond the gallery. This includes a trailer for West Side Story (1961), a commercial for Chevrolet, and more. There will also be interactive activities to help create an engaging, hands-on experience for visitors of all ages.
Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle will be available to view by museum members starting on Thursday, October 22, 2026. It will open to the public on Friday, October 23, 2026 through Sunday, April 18, 2027. Tickets to this exhibition can be added to general admission or purchased separately. The tickets are currently available at WaltDisney.org/Tickets.
What do you think of this exhibit? Are you excited to see and experience it? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
