It’s the “Century of the Child” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art

Exhibition Review by Maggie Hames
In 1900, Ellen Key’s book Century of the Child predicted that the 20th century would see dramatic (and welcome) changes in the life of children. Progressive thought regarding children’s rights, development, and well-being refocused society in the new century. New York City’s Museum of Modern Art has taken Key’s work as a jumping-off point for an extraordinary exhibition that is well worth your time and attention.

Curiously Brilliant: Disney’s “Alice In Wonderland”

Disney’s Thirteenth Animated Feature - 1951
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland doesn’t open in the classic Disney fashion, showing the opening of an animated storybook; which is ironic, since Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland is arguably the best source material Disney had worked with to date. Carroll’s fantastical novel with its magical transformations and talking animals begs to be animated. In fact, Disney made his name as an animator in 1923 with a silent, black and white Alice In Wonderland in an animation where he combined footage of a child actor as Alice cavorting in a fanciful, animated world.

Night and Day It’s “Cinderella”

Disney’s Twelfth Animated Feature – 1950
The 1950s were a magical decade for Disney. The studio produced a slate of memorable, winning films including Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp, book-ended by two iconic princesses: Cinderella in 1950 and Sleeping Beauty in 1959. Some decades you can do no wrong.

All You Cats Join In and “Make Mine Music”

Disney’s Eighth Animated Feature – 1946
Make Mine Music was Disney’s fourth “package” film, a feature-length film made up of a series of shorts. World War II had just come to an end, but during the war, much of Disney’s staff had been drafted or called upon by the U.S. government to make training and propaganda films. It was difficult for Disney to get anything in the pipeline except short films. And these reasonably popular package films were also a way for Disney to experiment with new techniques and talent.

Three’s A Charmer: Disney’s “The Three Caballeros”

Disney’s Seventh Animated Feature – 1944
Having seen The Three Caballeros as a child, a college student, and a fully-grown adult, I can confirm that it has more layers than you may think it does. For the kids, it’s got simple, silly visual humor and music that will get their little feet moving; for adolescents, it’s just weird enough to get them texting “LOL” and “WTF” to their friends on the other side of the room. Now that I’m a grownup (and an artist/educator to boot), I see that the folks at Disney managed to make a mostly respectful, informative celebration of Latin American culture that’s a lot more engaging than that description makes it out to be.