Disney’s pantheon gets re-imagined

IN his painting “Leader of the Pack,” graffiti-turned-studio artist Greg “Craola” Simkins features Pinocchio’s cigar-toting friend Lampwick lording over a squid-like Piglet, a serpentine Bambi and a multi-armed Flower the skunk.

It’s not exactly the way Uncle Walt might have envisioned his characters, but it’s precisely what Gallery 1988 owners Katherine Cromwell and Jensen Karp had in mind when they were putting together their current group exhibition, “Remixing the Magic,” which showcases 50 artists paying homage to their favorite animated Disney characters.

“Virtually all the artists we’ve worked with watched Disney films and shorts as they were growing up,” says Cromwell, 26, who opened the gallery with Karp, 24, two years ago. “As a result, we thought it would be great to have all the artists do interpretations of these characters we know so well in their own unique styles.”

Some of the artists took a decidedly traditional approach, such as Amanda Visell, whose painting of Dumbo cradled in his mother’s trunk could easily pass as a concept drawing by one of the classic animators. On the other end of the spectrum is Lola, who contributed a Dali-esque painting of Alice having tea and cake with the white rabbit.

Other paintings include Chris Roth’s poignant depiction of Bambi’s mother looking down at her son from the heavens and, delving way back into Disney history, there’s Daniel Peacock’s painting of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who made news this month when Disney struck a deal with NBC to acquire the rights to Mickey Mouse’s precursor.

Although Cromwell and Karp’s Los Angeles gallery specializes in young, emerging artists such as Simkins, Visell and Lola, “Remixing the Magic” also boasts a cadre of established animators including Tim Biskup, Alex Kirwan, Gabe Swarr and Katie Rice, who were brought in by co-curator and TV animation writer Jon Gibson.

For animators like Rice, who currently works for “Ren & Stimpy” creator John Kricfalusi, participating in the show was an opportunity to give a nod to past Disney artists. “One of the greatest things about the old Disney movies were the beautiful paintings that were used for backgrounds and design work,” she says. “Many of us in the industry are still inspired by Mary Blair and all the other wonderful painters and artists who worked at Disney.”

Rice added that the exhibition was an excuse to play with a new set of characters, which in her case resulted in a trio of colored pen-and-ink drawings based on the shorts “Pecos Bill” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Borrowing trademarked characters is always a risky proposition, especially when they belong to a company as protective as Disney. In this case, however, the gallery not only received Disney’s permission but also a partner of sorts in the form of Luis Fernandez, the creative head of Disney’s consumer products divisions.

By pure serendipity, Fernandez lives in the same neighborhood as the gallery, and after stumbling in, he became a patron and regular at opening receptions. He also forged a relationship with Cromwell and Karp that resulted in Disney sponsoring the current exhibition in the form of opening night goodie bags and giant storefront window decals sporting Disney characters.

ACCORDING to Fernandez, the exhibition was a chance to breathe new life into both established and long-forgotten characters, an endeavor Disney might not have sanctioned a decade ago.

“I’ve been with Disney for many years, and when I started in the division, the thinking was: Don’t deviate from the look and feel of the characters -- they have to reflect the films,” he says. “Then little by little, we started pushing new interpretations of characters based on trends happening in the marketplace.”

In fact, this is not the first time that Gallery 1988 has partnered with Disney, nor will it be the last. Last summer, Disney was involved in the gallery’s chicken-themed show, which coincided with the release of Disney’s “Chicken Little” feature film; and in June, there are plans for a Pooh-themed charity show that will benefit a local school.

“It’s a form of subtle marketing on Disney’s part as they try to reach a younger, club-going audience,” says Cromwell regarding the “We Love Chickens” and “Remixing the Magic” exhibitions. At the same time, Cromwell and Karp are quick to note that Disney placed no restrictions on the artists other than the pieces be done in good taste.

“Even though we could have done this show on our own [without restrictions of any sort], we wanted to have Disney involved,” Karp added. “We don’t see this show as dealing with a monolithic corporation -- what we saw were these wonderful characters that tie so many artists together, and this show is their love letter to when it was all hand-drawn.”

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‘Remixing

the Magic’

Where: Gallery 1988, 7020 Melrose Ave., L.A.

When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays

Ends: March 10

Info: (323) 937-7088, www.gallery1988.com