Creative Genius on display at Disney100: The Exhibition

Once upon a time in London…

The Tower of London may contain some of the most priceless royal artefacts in the world, but one item it doesn’t possess within its walls is Cinderella’s glass slipper. The Walt Disney Company does, however, and is using it as part of a fairytale exhibition. So, once upon a time in London, from now until January 2024 to be precise, this most iconic piece of Disney-branded footwear will be on display.

The slipper is just one item out of a treasure chest of Disney artefacts and creative genius on display at Disney100: The Exhibition. This is the largest exhibition the Disney Archives has ever created, and was put together to mark The Walt Disney Company’s 100th birthday.

One need-to-know fact is that Disney100: The Exhibition is Exclusive with a capital E. It has only visited Philadelphia and Munich, before pitching up in London, and will finish its run in Chicago. So this has been a major exhibition coup for not only the UK’s capital city, but for its lucky host, Excel.

One of the main personages responsible for this magnificent showcase is the Disney Director of Archives Becky Cline. Becky and her team have pulled some of Disney’s most priceless treasures out of its Burbank-based vaults, and sent them on a limited worldwide tour – Disney100: The Exhibition.

This is giving some very lucky people the opportunity of a lifetime to see items that have never been displayed before. So, His Majesty may have a whopping great crown, but the people have Dick Van Dyke’s horse. Okay, that one may mean more to the grandparents, but for everyone else, there’s Cruella De Vil’s gown, and for all those Star Wars fans, Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber. Yep, the actual one!

Excel has provided 20,000 square-feet of space for its Disney100 extravaganza. 250 artefacts from the worlds of Disney, plus Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel (the latest members of the House of Mouse) are displayed across 10 unique themed galleries:

Gallery 1 – Where it all began.

Gallery 2 – Where do the stories come from?

Gallery 3 – The illusion of life.

Gallery 4 – The spirit of adventure and discovery.

Gallery 5 – Magic of sound and music.

Gallery 6 – The world around us.

Gallery 7 – Innoventions.

Gallery 8 – Your Disney World – the theme parks.

Gallery 9 – The wonder of Disney – celebrating Disney fandom.

Gallery 10 – A peek into the next 100 years – what’s coming next!

These carefully thought out areas include 14 interactive installations, moving stories, original costumes, and genuine House of Mouse illustrations. It takes a good hour to travel through this Disney time-tunnel, but visitors are then free to wander around for as long as they like.

The exhibition curators and archivists have left no stone unturned, and created something incredibly special. We’d expect nothing less from Team Disney, and so although we’re unlikely to see anything quite like this for a long time, we doubt very much that this is ‘The End’.

Here at mustard XP, we’re fascinated by the cream of exhibitions like this Disney100 exclusive. We’re also constantly on the lookout for creative pioneers within the exhibition industry. We’re constantly asked to recruit for the best jobs in the business, so if you’ve got what it takes, give us a call on 0117 929 6060.