This is actually pretty cool.

Disney is known for it’s costuming! Now there is a book called The Art of Disney Costuming: Heroes, Villains, and Spaces Between that was inspired by the Walt Disney Archives’ exhibition Disney Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume exhibit at the D23 2019 Expo last month.

Rebecca Cline, Director of the Walt Disney Archives, talked about how the book came into being.

“We’d been thinking about doing a costume book for many years. It’s a book in its own right, but it was kind of a catalog for the exhibition, too.”

This book focuses more on the live-action films of the past 30 years. Cline explains:  “There may be an expectation that we’ll showcase wardrobe from Mickey Mouse Club, or costumes worn by Hayley Mills or Annette. We wanted to move the story forward here, and bring the current Disney not of the Walt era into the spotlight. It allowed us to really focus on the best in design and craft in the current Disney cinematic canon—and frankly, in the current cinematic canon, period. These are today’s top costuming talents, at the peak of their form.”

The focus of this book is on the process and the details:

“The wonderful thing is that this book is really, truly focusing on the process of design and the exceptional craft, and highlighting the designers as great artists—which they are.”–Cline

If you would like to read the original article you can do so HERE. There is a lot more information about the book and the history of costume design.  It’s a special book as it is the first time the Disney Archives have created a companion book for an Expo exhibition.

The Art of Disney Costuming: Heroes, Villains, and Spaces Between launched today and can now be purchased.  It’s a hard cover, collectible book.

Amazon offered this write-up:

“Celebrate the imagination, passion, and attention to detail invested in each Disney costume within this gorgeous coffee table book! The elegant and adventurous array of dresses, uniforms, and other attire is a feast for the eyes and a fascinating examination of pure craft and of the brilliant, creative minds behind it. The collection begins with a summation of the costumes created for Disney animation, early live action, and television, along with show wardrobes sported at the Disney Parks by Audio-Animatronics figures and Cast Members. The next section details a timeless case study: Cinderella’s ball gown. A diverse group of designers has been called upon over the years to address and improvise the creative and practical needs each time the fairy tale Cinderella has been reimagined. Each project has brought with it inherent cultural challenges when bringing a familiar and beloved tale to life again and again, and all have yielded stunning and distinct results. At last, the full galleries (organized by the character archetypes of heroes and villains, and those complex, always interesting, “spaces between”) showcase costumes across more than thirty Disney films. At each turn, this volume offers a one-of-a-kind backstage view of remarkable works of art, and it inspires a true appreciation for the highly skilled and talented costumers who created them.”

I’m just happy that costuming is getting more attention. It truly is an amazing art form and so much thought, research, technique and work goes into it. Happy to see it get some attention.

What are your thoughts? Comment and let us know!

Source: Disney Parks Blog