Many movie buffs can easily recall specific sights and locations from animated Disney classics, places they can describe down to the teeniest, most florid detail.
The chandeliered library from Beast’s castle is a place entrenched in many a fan’s memory, and the grotto where Ariel keeps all of her underwater thingamabobs is easily summoned to mind.
But the look of a Disney film goes beyond the places that pop up along the way. It’s in the lines and colors and shadows and overarching style, too, all elements that weave into the larger story mythos.
Artist Eyvind Earle was a mid-century master of the form, as evidenced by his iconic background paintings for 1959’s “Sleeping Beauty.” Often cited as some of the most striking backgrounds in all of animation, Mr. Earle’s densely drawn woods were lushly medieval, yes, but they also boasted a touch mid-century panache.
