The Disney Archives are taking the show on the road! Locals and visitors to Seattle will soon be able to view an exhibit of Disney Studios dazzling costumes at the stunning Frank O. Gehry designed MoPOP museum.

The Museum of of Pop Culture (Seattle’s MoPOP) just announced an upcoming partnership with the Walt Disney Archives; Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume. This very special exhibition will immerse guests into the world of Disney, which will showcase over 70 original costume pieces and props – anything from princess ball gowns and glass slippers to military uniforms and sorcerers’ capes.

“In film, television, and theater, costuming is a tremendously powerful tool for storytelling and character development,” says Alexis Lee, MoPOP Executive Director. “Disney in particular is a master of the art and sets a standard for using wardrobe as a device for creative expression.”

If you attended D23 Expo 2019, you may remember this exhibit from the show floor. The exhibition pieces were specially curated from some of Hollywood’s past and present elite designers, including numerous Academy Award and Emmy winners. In total, the exhibition covers over 55 years of beloved storytelling expressed through beautiful costume creations.

Visitors will experience “Cinderella’s Workshop,” a gallery featuring the beloved fairy-tale character’s dresses from her numerous Disney incarnations, including 1997’s Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella; 2014’s Into the Woods; the 2015 live-action reimagining of the animated masterpiece Cinderella; and the ABC hit series Once Upon a Time.

The main gallery will be divided into three sections: “Disney Heroes,” “Disney Villains,” and “Spaces Between,” reserved for the anti-heroes whose journeys make them among Disney’s most complex characters. There will also be interactive elements and plenty of chances for photo-ops!

Among the costumes included in the “Disney Heroes” section are Belle’s village dress and ballgown from 2017’s Beauty and the Beast; Giselle and Prince Edward’s costumes from Enchanted; and two iconic Mary Poppins “traveling dresses”: one from the 1964 original film and the other from 2019’s Mary Poppins Returns,. “Disney Villains” ensembles include the trio of wonderfully wicked witches from 1993’s Hocus Pocus, the duo of dresses worn by the stepsisters in 2015’s Cinderella, and the dress worn by the incomparable Bette Davis in 1978’s Return from Witch Mountain. And “Spaces Between” includes Maleficent’s gown from the 2014 film, as well as the Evil Queen and Hook’s costumes from Once Upon a Time.

This exhibit is absolutely breathtaking – it’s really something to see up close and in person! There’s something magical about being in the presence of the actual costumes worn by the cast of your favorite Disney films.

MoPOP is the first museum to show the exhibition which premiered at last year’s D23 Expo. The exhibition will open sometime in October of this year. For more information, visit www.mopop.org/HeroesAndVillains.

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Let’s Hear From You

Will you be making plans to visit MoPOP this fall for a little dose of Disney in Seattle? Are you glad to see Disney beginning to take their exhibits to museums around the country? Are you a MoPOP fan? Any other exhibits you’d like to see in your home town? Let us know in the comments below.

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