Pawsibilities Unleashed: A Pet Portrait Exhibition, showcasing the profound impact animal companions have on local artist’s creative expression, is coming to The Walt Disney Family Museum.
What’s Happening:
- Presented concurrently with the current special exhibition, Disney Cats & Dogs, this unique collection of artworks will feature portraits by local Bay Area and Disney-related artists, showcasing the profound impact animal companions have on their creative expression.
- Pawsibilities Unleashed will also showcase animal-related collectibles from Walt’s personal collection in addition to rare, non-English language posters from an array of classic, animal-centric Disney films.
- This original exhibition is co-curated by Tracie Timmer, Public Programs Manager, and Marina Villar Delgado, Director of Collection and Exhibitions, and will be on view in the museum’s Theater Gallery and Lower Lobby beginning Thursday, November 16th, 2023, through March 2024, and will be free to the public.
- Walt Disney loved, respected, and appreciated animals from a very young age and found many ways to incorporate them into his films, television shows, and other projects throughout his lifetime. Even in the early days of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt would create roles for his Uncle Robert Disney’s German Shepherd, Peggy. Her live-action debut in the Alice Comedies in 1924 marked the first on-screen appearance of a Disney pet, and she quickly became an audience favorite.
- Walt once said, “Sometimes we recognize ourselves in animals. And that’s what makes them so interesting.” This sentiment rings true for the talented artists and their animal-inspired artworks featured in Pawsibilities Unleashed.
- Featured in the exhibition are works created by some of Walt Disney’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Chris Miller, Walter Miller, and Lily Miller.
- Pawsibilities Unleashed and Disney Cats & Dogs are presented in conjunction with this year’s celebration of The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary.
What They’re Saying:
- Tracie Timmer, Public Programs Manager: “With the success of Disney Cats and Dogs, we hoped to find more ways to bring the joy of pets to our museum guests. We also sought to highlight the talented Disney Legends and artists who have contributed to many beloved animal characters in Disney films over the years, including Pete Docter, Andreas Deja, John Musker, and many more, alongside local artists who have immortalized pets of all shapes and sizes with their distinctive creativity and vision. As you will discover in this exhibition, one common theme rings true in each of these unique artworks—they encapsulate the special bond that humans and animals share.”
