Don't even try to deny it, you're a total sucker for an animated children's movie. There's an indisputable charm to movies about talking zoo animals and kung fu-fighting pandas that capture the hearts of adults and children alike. That's what makes the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture's new exhibition so special.
Dreamworks Animation: The Exhibition — The Journey from Sketch to Screen is sure to drop jaws and put sparkles into the eyes of all who gaze at the exhibit's expansive, and nostalgia-inducing, contents. The initial idea came from a partnership between the ACMI (Australia's national museum of film, television, video games and art) and Dreamworks Animation Studios, and their collective desire to give audiences the opportunity to explore over 25 years of storytelling through animated movies.
The show dates to 2014, having appeared in Singapore, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan and many other places in the years since. Now, because of scheduling conflicts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MAC in Spokane has the honor of being the first location in the United States to host Dreamworks Animation: The Exhibition— The Journey from Sketch to Screen.
"This has been an amazing process, getting this extraordinary exhibition all the way to Spokane from Australia," says Wes Jessup, executive director of the MAC. "I've been in the field for 27 years, and I've never shipped an exhibition by boat. It arrived a week late due to port issues, but we're just so thrilled that it's here."
The exhibit takes up all but two rooms inside of the MAC's main exhibition space. Every wall has been turned into a physical storyboard of various Dreamworks movies. Shrek is shown in his preliminary stages: covered in boils and looking much more wrinkly than usual. Research for The Croods is laid out on a desk, showing all who pass by how the setting was developed from photos of desert landscapes. Sculptures and tables rest low to the ground so young eyes can easily gaze upon the stories unfolding before them.
"There aren't enough words to express how amazing this exhibit truly is," Jessup says. "There are so many pieces and moving parts; our team did such an incredible job making the vision come to life right before our eyes."
The exhibition is split into four main sections: character, story, world and the drawing room. It's designed to take attendees through the process of creating a full-fledged story, starting with how the iconic characters from childhood, like Toothless the Dragon, Po the Kung Fu Panda and Puss in Boots, were created.
The characters start as a rough sketch on a piece of paper — jagged lines and vague ideas of what the character's personality will entail are thrown down, awaiting further research. From that sketch comes a carefully carved marquette, a sculptor's small preliminary model of character design. Scattered above the exhibits are audio domes that play interviews from illustrators, animators and production designers.
Once the characters are created, artists, directors, writers and producers take attendees through the step-by-step journey of creating a digital storyboard. Dialogue is written and legendary scenes, like Shrek and Donkey's first encounter, are pitched and fleshed out before the animation begins. The "World" portion of the exhibition showcases how each Dreamworks film gets its distinct look and feel through the process of inspiration and detailed research.
When the journey through the Dreamworks Animation show has seemingly concluded and there are no more rooms to explore, take the time to visit the Drawing Room. Try your hand at animating your own short sequence with characters and scenes you design on a digital animation kiosk using the same technology and software used by the Dreamworks animators.
"This exhibit is so special to me," says Chris Harris, director of exhibitions and touring at ACMI. "We spent two weeks at the studio in an amazing and immersive experience. We learned so much about diversity and creativity."
Harris states that the team spent over two years creating this exhibit and getting it ready to be shown in museums around the world.
"One year was spent working with Dreamworks, and the other year was spent working on the process of designing and building it," Harris says. "It speaks to the enduring appeal of great storytelling and the sheer fun, exuberance and diverse creativity that Dreamworks movies bring to the world. It's hard work— the movies don't just appear out of thin air."
Before its literal voyage to Spokane, the exhibit was in storage for the duration of the pandemic. The dust has been blown away, the sculpted figures re-posed and the contents updated for the exhibit's stint in Spokane.
"This exhibit was born out of technical innovation, inspired artists and hard work," Harris says. "With that we hope to inspire a new generation of young creatives that will eventually take over and create the kind of magic that made this exhibit possible." ♦
Dreamworks Animation: The Exhibition — Journey From Sketch To Screen • Through Sept. 11; open Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm • $15-$20 • Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture • 2316 W. First Ave • northwestmuseum.org • 509-456-3931
