As long as I can remember, I have loved all things Disney.
When I was younger I wanted to be an illustrator for the world famous Disney company, and I would spend hours copying all the well-loved characters.
Fast-forward some 20ish years, and that feeling has never gone away. My love for Disney has rubbed off onto my nine year old daughter Amber.
I was lucky enough to spend a lovely afternoon at a pop-up gallery in Westfield Stratford in London.
Illustration of Oswald and Mickey by Fabrizio for Adele
I was so giddy to meet artist Fabrizio Petrossi, an illustrator who worked for Disney for over 20 years. I even had the privilege of seeing him work. He did a fantastic drawing of Mickey and Oswald for me to keep, I will be buying a frame for it tomorrow!
Artist Fabrizio with Art Editor Adele
Fabrizio Petrossi was born in Naples, Italy on April 4, 1966. In 1992 he began to contribute to Topolino and other magazines of The Walt Disney Company Italy.
From 1995 to 2003 he was Senior Character Artist at Walt Disney Consumer Products in Paris, where he worked for Merchandising and Publishing. During these years, he acted as trainer for new artists, teaching training courses in Tokyo, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, London and Hong Kong. In 2003 he returned to comics and illustrations on a freelance basis, also working for the French comic book Pif Gadget and on the character SpongeBob.
In 2010 he assisted Lorenzo Matttioti with the character design for Enzo D’Alò’s feature film Pinocchio (2012). He works with Disney characters for Egmont, Disney-Hachette, Gemstone, Pearson and Disney Publishing USA. In 2004 he made the graphic novel Mickey Mouse and the Three Musketeers, based on the film by the same name, while for Walt Disney Imagineering he created all the posters and the concept design for the proscenium of the Meet Mickey theatre at Disneyland Paris.
Most recently, Fabrizio illlustrated Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two graphic novel, based on the hotly anticipated video game and telling the story of Mickey Mouse’s return to Wasteland to help Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as he faces the Mad Doctor.
This amazing gallery is only open from November 23rd to November 25 2012.
It celebrates the launch of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two game. My daughter Amber and I were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the game a couple of weeks ago, and Amber really enjoyed playing the game. She is looking forward to playing it in full as she loved the first Epic Mickey game.
Discover the fascinating history of Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit which is on display to the UK public as part of Mickey and Oswald’s Epic Tales; a fun event for all the family taking place at The Getty Images Gallery, Westfield, Stratford, London.
I love the retro feel to Mickey and Oswald
This exhibition celebrates the launch of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, the highly anticipated sequel to the first Disney Epic Mickey video game, by looking back at the history of Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and the characters and stories that inspired the game. All generations will be able to enjoy reliving their stories, from early cartoons through to cutting edge videogames.
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two sees Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit joining forces as true partners in an epic adventure to save Wasteland; an alternate world filled with 80 years of forgotten characters and theme park attractions.
From early animation drawings through to exclusive artwork from Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, the Mickey and Oswald’s Epic Tales exhibition brings together the wealth of history which inspired Wasteland. Artefacts will include the drawing and note given to Universal’s Carl Laemmle from Walt Disney, dated October 1, 1935, representing a rare instance prior to Disney Epic Mickey where Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit appeared together and Herb Ryman’s magnificent first pencil concept sketch of the original Disneyland park in California.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was one of Walt Disney’s earliest characters and became one of the most popular silent cartoon stars in the 1920s, appearing in 26 cartoons. However due to a contract dispute, Walt Disney sadly lost the rights to the character in 1928. This led him to create another character, Mickey Mouse, who went on to become a worldwide star.
Following a nationwide search for the best Mickey Mouse and Friends memorabilia, the winning items discovered will also be on display at the exhibition to demonstrate the UK’s own Mickey Mouse heritage.
Warren Spector, Creative Director for Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two comments: “Oswald is the quintessential forgotten Disney character. He was a major superstar in his time, and bringing him back as a heroic partner for Mickey Mouse is the perfect way to reawaken a character lost to the world for over 80 years. The Mickey and Oswald’s Epic Tales gallery provides Disney fans and gamers an opportunity to experience the story of Mickey and Oswald, from the earliest Oswald cartoons to today, with the duo becoming partners in Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. The shared history of these two characters – one long beloved, one soon to be beloved, I hope! - provided a wealth of inspiration for the game. This gallery offers a unique glimpse into the game team’s process as we created a magical world designed to honour Walt Disney’s vision.”
Epic Tales of Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit will be a truly special exhibition and is sure to provide a fun and engaging experience for all the family.
Open hours are Friday 23 November from 5.30pm to 7pm, Saturday 24 November from 11am to 7pm and Sunday 25 November 12pm until 6pm. Admission free.
On Saturday 24 November between 12pm and 3pm, children's TV favourites Dick & Dom will be demonstrating their gaming skills and offering kids the chance to play alongside them.
Gallery address: Getty Images Gallery, The Street at Westfield, Stratford City, Unit SU1119, Number 2, Stratford Place, Stratford, E20 1EJ
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is available on Nintendo Wii, Xbox360, PlayStation3 from 23 November 2012 and for Wii U from 30 November 2012. Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for Nintendo 3DS will be available from 23 November. The games are available to pre-order now from all major retailers.