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Welcome to your self-guided tour of the Art of the Disney Magic. Many of the works of art you will discover along the tour are reminiscent of the 1930s and early 1940s Art Deco era. The two main inspirational sources for the collection onboard are: the tradition of the great oceanliners from the first half of the 20th century, and the rich history of the Walt Disney Company, through its own early ties to the sea and the Caribbean in animation, film making and theme park attractions.
As you enjoy the many historic works and images from Disney's past, you will also find murals, sculptures, and other inspirations that were commissioned expressly for the Disney Magic. Each work was created by painters, sculptors, and other artists with this very special setting in mind.
We hope you enjoy discovering the Art of the Disney Magic.
ENTRY HALL CHANDELIER
Decks 3, 4 and 5 - Midship
Our beautiful entry hall chandelier, Festa Venezia I, was designed and executed by glass artist Dale Chihuly. Chihuly is the most acclaimed glass artist in the United States, considered by many to be the "Tiffany of our time". While designing and working on Festa Venezia I, Chihuly and his studio team in Seattle, Washington, constructed a three-story replica of our entry hall, to see what the chandelier would look like once it was in place. This chandelier-sculpture is made up of more than 500 handmade trumpet-shaped elements.
Chihuly has been instrumental in establishing and expanding the art of blown glass in this country, and he has worked and taught in Venice, Finland, and Japan, as well as in the U.S. He was the Founder of the Pilchuck School of glass blowing near his Seattle, Washington studio. His glass sculptures can be found in the collections of major museums around the world.
For the unique requirements of a chandelier intended to be used aboard a cruise ship, Chihuly and his Studio developed an entirely new medium, utilizing a combination of glass and acrylic forms designed specifically for Festa Venezia I aboard the Disney Magic.
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RECEPTION DESK MURALS
Deck 3 - Midship
The two murals you see behind the Guest Service Desks, Magical Islands, were designed by artist Steven Guarnaccia and painted by muralists Rosskam and Leech. Mr. Guarnaccia, an artist and illustrator who lives in New Jersey, created Magical Islands in his signature style combining line and wit with graphic art that is reminiscent of the 1930s. These murals, which blend fanciful and actual geography, offer a bird's eye view of our journey. Florida and Nassau appear on the portside panel, while Castaway Cay is depicted on the starboard side. In addition to the real-world locations on the map, look for some of the other geography that the artist has added or simply relocated! Can you figure out why the isle of View is in the shape of a heart? IF you look closely, you may also find some Disney characters and images woven throughout the two murals.
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ENTRY HALL DISPLAY CASE
Deck 3 - Midship
Inside the display case on the starboard side of our Atrium is the magical ship-city of Galleonopolis, designed and created by James Grashow. Originally from New York City, and now residing in Westport, Connecticut,
Mr. Grashow is well known For his amazingly intricate and charming three-dimensional creations. Galleonopolis was designed and created to be unlike any sailing ship that has ever gone to sea. It is, in fact, a magical combination of a sailing ship and a mini-metropolis, with Disney characters not only residing there, but as integral parts of the vessel's design and architecture. It is a lively departure from the traditional concept of a galleon. The longer you inspect the work, the more you will see and delight in Mr. Grashow's unique imagination.
HELMSMAN MICKEY
Deck 3 - Midship
Commanding our Atrium is Helmsman Mickey, a bronze statue designed and created by the lmagineers of the Walt Disney Company. The inspiration for Helmsman Mickey comes from The Man at the Wheel, a statue created in 1923 by Leonard Craske, currently housed in Gloucester, Massachusetts. This statue, inscribed with "They that go down to the sea in ships," has always served as a monument to the bravery and dedication of sailors everywhere, as well as a wish that all sailors return safely to their home ports.
LUMIERE'S MURAL
Deck 3 - Midship
Our most formal restaurant, Lumiere's, features one of the most beloved and romantic scenes from the Disney animated classic - Beauty and the Beast. Created by our own Walt Disney Imagineers, the mural also stars the world's most charming candelabra, Lumiere.
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PARROT CAY STRAW HATS
Deck 3 - Aft
As you stroll into the Parrot Cay restaurant, you will find a collection of hand-painted straw hats decorated with tropical forms and designs. These hats were painted by South Carolina artist Penny Carter. Also author and illustrator of a number of children's books, Ms. Carter is well known for creating charming sculptures using colorful patterns and ornaments.
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Inside Parrot Cay is a series of five island murals that collectively describe a panoramic seascape view, complete with palm trees, parrots, and even the Disney Magic at sea. The perspective used in the mural is as if we were on Castaway Cay, looking back toward Florida and the Walt Disney World® Resort.
These five murals were designed and painted by San Francisco artists Mark Evans and Charley Brown. Messrs. Evans and Brown have worked with Disney before, and their murals can be found at Disneyland Paris and at the Walt Disney World® Casting Building in Orlando, Florida.
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At the forward end of the Parrot Cay, near the buffet, is a mosaic featuring stylized tropical leaves and parrots. The mosaic designed by Evans and Brown, was created in Italy by local craftspeople skilled in fashioning and assembling the intricate design.
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PORTSIDE CIRCULATION
Deck 4 - Midship to Aft
Along the portside hallway (or left side of the ship) on Deck 4 is an artwork in twenty-six parts entitled Nautical Alphabet. The drawing style, with watercolor washes, lends the feeling of a Victorian-era children's book. The Nautical Alphabet features a busy cast of well-dressed birds to introduce some of the important, as well as obscure, nautical terms and phrases. When viewed from A to Z, the artwork tells a story and introduces ship terminology, crew members, and other nautical information.
Most of the birds that appear throughout the Nautical Alphabet are species that are native to Florida and the Caribbean.
STAIR LANDINGS
Decks 3 and 4 - Midship
In the center stair landing between Decks 6 and 7 are two tondos, or round paintings, entitled Astronomy and Oceanography. Designed and created by Steven Guarnaccia, they were inspired by ancient Greek vase paintings, a style which also enjoyed a revival in the 1930s. The artist has taken this one step further by weaving in references to our own Disney characters and puns to create some unlikely maps of the heavens and the sea.
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STAIR LANDINGS
Decks 4 and 5 - Midship
Between Decks 4 and 5 in the Midship stair landing are two early formal portraits of Walt Disney. Walt once said "I only hope we never lose sight of one thing,- that it all started with a mouse." It could just as easily be said today that the Disney Magic was started with a mouse and was nurtured in the legacy left by one of the most influential entertainers of this century.
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PORTSIDE CIRCULATION
Deck 5 - Forward to Midship
As you stroll along the portside corridor for Deck 5, near the Oceaneer Lab, you will find Sea-Worthy Facts, a collection of 10 silkscreen prints. Created by artist Steven Guarnaccia, these works are executed in a 1930's style and were inspired by a book of images and statistics published to commemorate the inaugural sailing of the Queen Mary in the 1930s.
Sea-Worthy Facts showcases "fun facts" about the Disney Magic. If you're wondering how many pillows are on board, or how much the Disney Magic weighs, this is the place to find the answers.
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CENTRAL ELEVATOR SHAFT MURALS
Decks 6 through 8 - Midship
The murals that span the Midship elevator shaft, titled Up and About, are another collaborative effort of artist Steven Guarnaccia and muralists Rosskam and Leech. The central mural, executed in a playful 30's style, was designed to evoke some of the fun that might be taking place on the upper decks of the Disney Magic.
Like many of the artworks, the lore and history of the Walt Disney Company are woven into the mural, as well as a good number of Disney characters. In fact, if you look closely, you'll see evidence that a famous guest is enjoying a dip in the pool, while another passenger is getting caught up on the latest happenings. You can also view this mural from the elevator landing on Deck 6, or from the balconies of Decks 7 and 8.
There are two "side" murals - visible once you in the first or last elevator car - that playfully suggest the efforts of one of our special chefs gathering the ingredients he needs for one of his "creations."
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GOOFY TILE MURALS
Decks 9 and 10 - Aft
On the outside sections of Decks 9 and 10, just aft of the Mickey Pool, are two large tile murals created from images in the 1942 Goofy cartoon short "How to Swim." The upper of the two images shows Goofy at his optimistic best, yet gives us a hint that things aren't going to turn out the way he hopes. The bottom mural captures Goofy's best diving form, and shows us that things are going from bad to worse for our sporting friend.
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PALO
Deck IO -Aft
Inside Palo, you will find a number of signature works that help remind us of the Italian city that inspired this fine dining experience. As you enter, you will see a collection of authentic Venetian Carnival masks.
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Inside the restaurant’s private dining room, there is a three-part mosaic designed by American artists Boyd Reath and Jim Boyd. The Art Deco-inspired design uses typography as part of the design itself. The artists use the title of the composition, along with other text as elements in the image. The stylized scene depicted on the three mosaic panels is an homage to Venice, its famous Rialto bridge, and of course, its world famous gondoliers. The word palo refers to the striped stake or pole that a gondola is tied to when it is at rest.
ART IN YOUR STATEROOM
The art onboard the Disney Magic extends into each and every stateroom.
Over the highboy
This photograph of Walt and Lillian Disney was taken
during an Atlantic crossing in 1934 aboard the Italian ship the Rex. The image
comes from the Walt Disney Studio archives.
Over the bed
This image was inspired by an antique music roll,
boldly displaying the notes and lyrics of a song. In this case, the song is
from a Disney classic film, and was selected because it evokes a poetic, bedtime
mood on the sea. The plaque below will identify the film, the composer, the
lyricist, and the year the film was released.
Over the trunk
The connection between the adventure and romance of
the Caribbean and Disney goes way back in the company's history. Over the trunk
is a silkscreen print adapted from original concept art from the "Pirates
of the Caribbean" attraction. The plaque on the frame identifies the artist,
location, and the year the attraction was created.
STAIR LANDINGS
On the stair landings between decks on the Disney Magic, you will find animation art reproductions from the archives of the Walt Disney Studio. This collection illustrates Walt Disney's early interest in the sea, nautical themes, and the Fun of beach and resort life. Here you will find Goofy posing as a navigator, Donald Duck relaxing in a beach chair, and Pluto on the beach - and much more! Each of these works includes a plaque that will help you identify each scenes film name and release date.
OTHER PIECES IN PUBLIC SPACES
Although this concludes the self-guided tour, there is still a wealth of art on board for you to discover. We invite you to explore the remainder of the ship at your leisure and discover antique photos, prints and additional images created by the Disney Studio. Thank you for participating in this tour and we hope you have enjoyed learning more about the art of the Disney Magic.
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