Disneyland Resort: Scheduled to expand Members’ ever-evolving portfolio of vacation options this fall, the now-materializing tower – home to The Villas at Disneyland Hotel – will celebrate the enduring legacy of Disney storytelling, from the visionary minds behind some of our favorite Walt Disney Animation Studios films to the creative process through which those films came to life. Blending animated classics with contemporary designs, villa interiors feature both historic works of art from the Disney Animation Research Library (see pages 11-14 for details about a new, made-for-Members film taking a closer look at the Disney Animation Research Library) and original pieces custom-created for this new Disney Vacation Club Resort. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the artwork waiting to be discovered inside new Deluxe Studios inspired by Sleeping Beauty and The Princess and the Frog. The Deluxe Studios are just part of the tower’s wide range of accommodations, with options designed to sleep as few as two or as many as 12. (Look for a photo tour of the tower’s other accommodations and shared spaces in upcoming editions of Disney Files Magazine.)
Proposed – Projected to Open Fall 2023. Fixtures and furnishings are subject to change. Room views will vary.
The custom-designed light box above the bed in Sleeping Beauty-themed Deluxe Studios honors the film’s iconic castle and is one of many details in the tower inspired by “color scripts” – a collection of colors unique to each film’s emotional beats and story arc. The hidden fold-down bed behind the sofa, meanwhile, features elegant, tone-on-tone artwork inspired by the film’s castle tapestries when closed, and opens to reveal the restful image of Princess Aurora seen on the previous pages of this feature. While custom-created for this resort, that image draws inspiration from the iconic art styles of Disney Legends Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle.
Inside Deluxe Studios celebrating The Princess and the Frog, custom-designed light boxes above the bed draw inspiration from the film’s stylish “Almost There” musical sequence (a wider version of the image seen on this magazine’s cover). Fold-down beds in these Deluxe Studios open to reveal a peaceful, custom-created image of young Tiana, dreaming her restaurant dreams under the glow of the wishing star while her parents peek in on their princess.
The view from bed is equally steeped in storytelling, with “art walls” displaying a curated collection of historic works of art faithfully reproduced from the originals preserved at the Disney Animation Research Library. Each wall’s three pieces are designed to celebrate artists’ creative process, from black-and-white sketches to color development art to finished product. Pieces framed in the Sleeping Beauty-themed Deluxe Studios, for example, include comparative-size sketches of Prince Phillip, Princess Aurora and her forest friends; color development art of good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather; and a finished still that finds Aurora awakening to a new day.
Art walls in Deluxe Studios celebrating The Princess and the Frog, meanwhile, feature sketch work of Tiana in her parents’ loving embrace, color development art capturing the cultural warmth of New Orleans and a completed image (not pictured) of Tiana’s happily ever after in the bayou.
While admiring your appearance in the bathroom mirror, your “background” is background art from the collection preserved at the Disney Animation Research Library, with framed art featuring either the Eyvind Earle-designed forest of Sleeping Beauty or Mama Odie’s bayou home from The Princess and the Frog.
Another surprise (though not to you since you’re reading this) awaits inside your Deluxe Studio’s closet, where Disney Imagineers have hidden customcreated artwork ideally “fit” for the theme.