5 Surprising Facts About Disneyland’s Art You Didn’t Know

Disneyland isn't just a theme park—to an art historian like myself, it’s also an immersive "textbook" of art-historical references. Here are five intriguing art history facts that may surprise even the most devoted Disney fan:

Howard Pyle, Book of Pirates, 1903

1. Pirate Imagery: The Pirates of the Caribbean ride’s visuals trace back to Howard Pyle’s drawings and paintings from the late 19th and early 20th century. Whenever you think of what pirates look like, you are undoubtedly thinking of Pyle's images.

Attributed to William H. Mumler (American, 1832 - 1884), or possibly by Helen F. Stuart (American, active 1859 - 1867), Female "spirit" with three male "spirits" next to table with a cabinet card propped against an album, 1861–1868. The Getty.

2. Haunted Mansion's Happy Haunts: Victorian spirit photography techniques from the 1860s inspired the 999 happy haunts in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. And don't forget: there is always room for one more. . . .

Frederic Edwin Church, The Heart of the Andes, 1859. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

3. Adventureland Inspiration: The Jungle Cruise landscapes draw on landscape paintings of the 19th century, like those created by members of the Hudson River School like Frederick Edwin Church. And not just any landscape paintings, but especially those that were picturing places these artists found "exotic."

Mr. Toad and  Thomas Gainsborough, Blue Boy, c. 1770. The Huntington.

4. Fantasyland Portrait: Mr. Toad’s fabulous style is indebted to Thomas Gainsborough’s portrait, The Blue Boy. Say hello to Blue Toad.

Étienne-Louis Boullée, Cénotaphe à Newton, 1784.

5. Tomorrowland Vision: Space Mountain and Tomorrowland's general architecture borrow from the utopian geometry of Étienne-Louis Boullée’s visionary, yet unbuilt, Cenotaph for Newton. Also: Hello, Death Star!

   
   

Many of these examples are prominently featured in my forthcoming book!

CITE THIS PAGE: Kilroy-Ewbank, Dr. Lauren. "5 Surprising Facts About Disneyland’s Art You Didn’t Know." lkilroyewbank.com <Insert date you accessed> https://www.lkilroyewbank.com/post/five-surprising-facts-about-disneyland-art-you-did-not-know.

---

Want to nerd out on more Disney and art history connections? Follow along with me by joining my newsletter.