The Guardian

Taking the Mickey? The Disney centenary exhibition that glosses over controversy

How do you celebrate the centenary of the second biggest media company on the planet? This October marks 100 years since Walt Disney founded his eponymous film studio and began producing silent shorts known as the Alice Comedies. Though the mouse who needs no introduction was not created until 1928, Disney is capitalising on the anniversary of the far less recognisable Alice with a concert, a merchandise collection and an ambiguous-sounding “multi-sensory friendship experience” for over-18s. The jewel in Prince Charming’s crown, however, is a touring exhibition which opened in Philadelphia in February, came to Munich in April and is arriving at the Excel in London in the October, with tickets going on sale on 18 July.

Disney100: The Exhibition is made up of 10 galleries, organised not chronologically but thematically: in one you can learn about music, and another is all about theme parks. Guests can see hundreds of props and costumes as well as play with interactive installations – press this button

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian6 min readRobotics
Robot Dogs Have Unnerved And Angered The Public. So Why Is This Artist Teaching Them To Paint?
The artist is completely focused, a black oil crayon in her hand as she repeatedly draws a small circle on a vibrant teal canvas. She is unbothered by the three people closely observing her every movement, and doesn’t seem to register my entrance int
The Guardian4 min read
‘Still A Very Alive Medium’: Celebrating The Radical History Of Zines
A medium that basks in the unruliness and unpredictability of the creative process, zines are gloriously chaotic and difficult to pin down. Requiring little more to produce than a copy machine, a stapler and a vision, zines played a hugely democratiz
The Guardian4 min read
Lawn And Order: The Evergreen Appeal Of Grass-cutting In Video Games
Jessica used to come for tea on Tuesdays, and all she wanted to do was cut grass. Every week, we’d click The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s miniature disc into my GameCube and she’d ready her sword. Because she was a couple of years younger than m

Related Books & Audiobooks