Gizmodo went behind the scene at the “ Disney Morgue ” to see how Walt Disney ’s vivification chronicle is being preserved for future generation . The morgue has everything from the earliest drawing for brusk cartoons like Mickey Mouse ’s Steamboat Willie ( 1928 ) to animation cels from movie like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves ( 1937 ) to stunning reference art from pic like Moana ( 2016 ) .

It ’s a rare glimpse at the people and their technologies that are work to verify that Disney ’s aliveness history is around for generations to come .

In the early 24-hour interval of animation , many of the major studio saw vivification cels as disposable after a movie was stop . But today , those fragments of animation history are recognise as treasures that give us a peek at how some of our pet movies were made . Unfortunately , those piece of art story by nature demean with metre .

Article image

“ The cels disgrace naturally by the nature of the material that they ’re made of , ” said Kristen McCormick of the Walt Disney Animation Research Library .

Animation art , just like old plastic film itself , must be handle carefully . But even if they ’re wield with the utmost care , they ’re still going to become damage simply through the passing of clock time . The cels warp and shrink over the years , deteriorating through a operation called hydrolysis . Gizmodo also talked with Michael Schilling , lead scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute , about how they ’re work on repair damaged animation art .

“ If the humidity is raised to just the correct horizontal surface , the pigment will in reality reattach to the plastic rag , ” say Schilling , delineate the scrupulous cognitive operation of restoring the cels .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

Both Schilling and McCormick talk about how incredible it is to watch these sure-enough Disney picture today . Their jobs have given them a new appreciation for the workplace that went into these classics . And it inspires them to continue the work that they do to preserve these important pieces of history . They jazz their jobs , and it ’s clear that you would too if you got a chance to work with such unique treasures from the account of Disney animation .

“ I always see something fresh each daylight , ” McCormick told Gizmodo about what her job is like . “ And I ’m always astounded by the smasher of the pieces . ”

AnimationconservationdisneyDisney Animation

William Duplessie

Daily Newsletter

Get the best technical school , science , and cultivation news in your inbox day by day .

News from the future tense , delivered to your present tense .

Please select your desired newssheet and submit your email to upgrade your inbox .

Starship Test 9

You May Also Like

Lilo And Stitch 2025

CMF by Nothing Phone 2 Pro has an Essential Key that’s an AI button

Photo: Jae C. Hong

Doctor Who Omega

Roborock Saros Z70 Review

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

William Duplessie

Starship Test 9

Lilo And Stitch 2025

Roborock Saros Z70 Review

Polaroid Flip 09

Feno smart electric toothbrush

Govee Game Pixel Light 06