2016 was the year of Disney’s “Rock the Dots” campaign, a celebration of all things Minnie Mouse. In recognition of her positive attitude and her inspiring message to be yourself, this fashion and art ad campaign highlighted her iconic polka dots to represent the character. And while the year of Minnie Mouse is almost over, Disney is still celebrating with a collection of art pieces in The Art of Minnie Mouse.
This gorgeous coffee table book features an introduction by director of Walt Disney Archives Becky Cline, followed by a complete filmography of Minnie Mouse. Before diving into the new art pieces from Disney artists, there is also a short section chronicling her milestones and also traces the origins of her iconic polka dots.
The majority of the book is artwork by Disney artists, some of which I am familiar with like Eric Tan and Dave Pacheco. Each page drastically changes in style and theme, with some pieces barely resembling Minnie and others being spot-on. It also covers a wide variety of media including digital, sculpture, photography, watercolor, gouache, and cut paper.
Similar to The Art of the Disney Princess, Minnie is depicted in many styles and forms. In some of the artwork, she impersonates historical figures like Frida Kahlo and Marie Antoinette. She is also depicted in one piece as different Disney Villainesses. Disney Parks fans will also find her paying homage to Marc Davis’ artwork from Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion.
Some of my favorite pieces allude to Minnie’s physical characteristics, such as her bow, eyelashes and nose, without depicting her as herself. Many of the pieces also place her in other cultural settings, particularly Japan, Russia, Hawaii and Paris. And a few also include Minnie with other characters, including Mickey and Nessie from The Ballad of Nessie.
The Art of Minnie Mouse is a charming collection of artwork celebrating Minnie Mouse’s pop culture status. The variety of the pieces represented make it easy to revisit again and again. I love the concept so much that I hope Disney follows this with art books for other members of the fab five.