The Walt Disney Family Museum Reimagines Eyvind Earle Exhibition for Fall 2026

One of the most distinctive artistic styles in Disney animation history is returning to The Walt Disney Family Museum this fall. Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle will open at the museum in San Francisco this October, offering visitors a newly reimagined look at the work and legacy of the celebrated Disney Legend behind the unforgettable visual style of Sleeping Beauty.

What’s Happening:

• Running from October 23, 2026, through April 18, 2027, the exhibition revisits the museum's acclaimed 2017 retrospective while introducing new works, additional gallery space, and a deeper exploration of Earle's career both at The Walt Disney Studios and as a prolific fine artist.

• Co-curated by Ioan Szasz, CEO of Eyvind Earle Publishing, and Marina Villar Delgado, the museum's Director of Collections and Exhibitions, the new presentation will feature approximately 200 works throughout the Exhibition Gallery on the museum's lower level. Two new gallery spaces will also debut as part of the exhibition.

• Earle is perhaps best known for his work as the color stylist on Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, where he helped establish the film's highly stylized visual identity. As the artist responsible for determining not only the colors but the overall visual look, Earle developed the richly detailed, storybook-inspired environments that helped make the animated classic visually distinctive.

• His contributions to Disney animation extended beyond Sleeping Beauty. Earle created evocative concept and background art for films including Lady and the Tramp, The Truth About Mother Goose, and Paul Bunyan.
• His approach drew from a wide range of artistic influences, including medieval tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, Pre-Renaissance Northern European paintings, and the American landscape. Those influences came together in backgrounds filled with intricate patterns, dramatic silhouettes, bold shapes, and jewel-toned colors.

• Some of Earle's Disney backgrounds reportedly took nearly ten times longer to complete than a typical background, resulting in imagery that gave his animated films the appearance of a "moving illustration."
• Reflecting on his Disney career, 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.”
• The new exhibition will also explore Earle's work outside of Disney animation. His interpretation of American landscapes became an important part of his career as a fine artist and printmaker, with his distinctive style continuing to influence artists and designers for generations.
• His artistic legacy can also be seen in later Disney projects, including Pocahontas and Frozen, as well as the design of Sleeping Beauty Castle, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, at Disneyland Paris.

• For his contributions to Sleeping Beauty and animation, Earle was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 2015.
• “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,” said 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.”

• More than 35 paintings being loaned or recently acquired by the museum will make their debut as part of the exhibition, providing visitors with an opportunity to see pieces that have not previously been displayed at The Walt Disney Family Museum.
• Szasz brings a particularly personal connection to the exhibition. After arriving in California in 1988, he answered an advertisement for a position as a silkscreen printer's assistant. His new employer was Earle, who taught Szasz the silkscreen printing process. The two developed a close friendship, and Szasz ultimately worked alongside Earle for nearly 13 years, from 1988 until Earle's passing in 2000.
• In addition to the artwork displayed throughout the galleries, audiovisual elements will offer visitors a closer look at Earle's work beyond the museum walls. The presentation will include material such as a trailer for West Side Story, a Chevrolet commercial, and other examples of his artistic contributions.
• Interactive activities will also be incorporated into the exhibition, providing hands-on opportunities for visitors of different ages to engage with Earle's work and artistic process.
• Museum members will have an opportunity to view Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle beginning Thursday, October 22, one day before its public opening. 
• The exhibition will then be open to the public from Friday, October 23, 2026, through Sunday, April 18, 2027.
• Admission to the special exhibition can be added to a general admission ticket or purchased separately. The exhibition-only admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, and $5 for youth. A general admission add-on is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and $4 for youth. Museum admission is free for members, children under 5, and active and retired military personnel, along with their spouses and dependents with valid identification.
• Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle offers Disney fans and art enthusiasts a chance to explore the artist whose work helped define one of Disney animation's most recognizable visual styles, while also showcasing the breadth of his career beyond the films that made him famous.

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