Laura Freeman Laura Freeman

Disney’s rococo roots

The Wallace Collection's new show is a witty and ingenious pairing of the 18th-century collections with rococo flourishes from Disney’s classic films

Where would Lumière’s bronze body naturally bend? How should his wax quiff fall? And how to avoid his candleholder hands looking too much like an open lavatory bowl? Preparatory drawings for Beauty and the Beast, 1991. Credit: © Disney

Extensive research went into the writing of this piece. First, I lay on the sofa watching Disney’s Cinderella. Then, Beauty and the Beast. Then, because I’m assiduous about these things, Frozen. The singalong version. I wish I could tell you that the sofa was a rococo number with ormolu mounts and a pink satin seat, but that would upholster the truth.

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