Jungle Book, The Exhibit (Part 3)

 

The Making of a Masterpiece

The Jungle Book Exhibit - Part 3

Exhibition Catalog & Book

September 11, 2022

Just a few weeks ago, I received my copy of Andreas Deja's latest book showcasing the new Walt Disney Family Museum's special exhibit on the making of the Jungle Book.  Following up from my previous postings in July, this is part three of the exhibit shares some insights from the exhibition catalog/book.  

What a wonderful splendor for the eyes of any animation art fan and especially those who love art from the Jungle Book.  The exhibition and the book showcases artwork straight from Andreas Deja's personal animation collection.  Lavishly displaying all types of animation artwork, one will find beautiful concept pieces, layout drawings, production backgrounds, key masters setups and much more.

  

 

Lately, I have been enjoying production drawings in sequence.  I love to collect groups of animation drawings that you can hold in your hand flip to recreate the magic of animation.   It is quite a thrill to hold the original artist work and make characters come to life.  Of particular note, I especially loved seeing a number of double-page spreads, where Andreas shares sequential drawings from a number of Jungle Book characters:

•  Kaa, pages 48-49
•  Baloo, pages 84-85, 92
•  Mowgli, pages 88-89 
•  Baloo & King Louie,  pages 116-117 
•  King Louie, pages 122-123
•  Shere Khan & Kaa, pages 138-139 

While many of these sequences were some of my favorites in the book, many of them sadly didn't make it into the actual exhibition.  I would have loved to seen more of these drawings in person!  Additionally, throughout the book there are many other sequences showcasing other minor sequences that were fun as well.

Another favorite section of art showcased was the section on Shere Khan.  During the exhibition, I had never seen some many Shere Khan key masters in one place before.  It was a delight to see them all and wonderful again to see many of the them up close in the book.  

However, I again noticed that the booked did not include many of the images on display during the exhibit.  I had to reference back to my exhibit photos to refresh my memory and I noticed several of the Shere Khan pieces did not make it into the book.  Sadly, final frames from the film were instead included in numerous places throughout.   So, to get the full context of the exhibit, you just need to go and visit the exhibition before it closes!

Overall, I enjoyed book immensely and would recommend any animation art collector to add this to there library.  Much of the exhibition artwork is on display in the book along with many pieces from Andreas' collection that did not make it to the museum.  So, add the book you will get a more rounded perspective on his collection.   The book is not available on Amazon until later this fall, however, if you call the Walt Disney Family Museum website you can get a copy of the book sent to you much sooner!  

Additionally, if you are lucky enough to be a museum member, the latest newsletter booklet has a wonderful story on the new exhibit and features two articles that have conversations with Andreas Deja and Bruce Reitherman.  If you have any questions, leave me a comment!