Ahead of the grand opening of Disney Vacation Club’s new Anaheim offering The Villas at Disneyland Hotel on September 28, Disney has debuted an image of an epic mural paying homage to multiple eras of Disney Animation’s 100-year history. The piece will be displayed at the entrance of the hotel’s new fourth tower.
The mural was designed by acclaimed studio artist and Little Golden Book cover illustrator Lorelay Bové (asst. production designer, Encanto; vizdev, The Princess and the Frog, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Raya and the Last Dragon), who shared the 2022 Art Directors Guild honor for Excellence in Production Design with the Encanto team.
Animated stars from different decades populate the design. Mickey conjures magic from a distant spire, Alice enjoys her tea party, Tiana puckers up with her frog prince, Simba stans atop Pride Rock, Moana braves the waves and Baymax soars overhead — just a few of the family faces visitors will spot.
“I wanted to have the characters in their own worlds, because I wanted to respect their worlds in their films,” Bové told Theme Park Insider. “To me, that was important. When guests look at it, the viewer is immersed into each of the vignettes individually as they travel through the mural.”
The Villas at Disneyland Hotel will occupy the 12-story tower with 344 rooms, ranging from two-person studios themed on The Jungle Book, deluxe four-person studios inspired by The Princess and the Frog or Sleeping Beauty, one bedroom (five guests) or two bedroom (nine guests) villas with Fantasia and Princess and the Frog decor.
The films represented in the mural include: Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Fantasia, Moana, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Aladdin, Snow White, Mulan, Big Hero 6, Encanto, The Princess and the Frog, Frozen, Bambi and Raya and the Last Dragon.
[Source: Theme Park Insider]
