Believe it or not, Walt Disney and Salvador Dali were bosom buddies, and not just because they could have been paired together in any group project based on last name in school. Now through January 3rd their friendship and collaborative work will be showcased at the Disney Family Museum in the exhibit Disney and Dalí: Architects of the Imagination. To get you ready for this unique and fascinating look into two unique and fascinating dudes, here are 5 Facts about the Disney & Dali Bromance.
1. They fanboy-ed each other
Dali became a fan of Disney after seeing his early animation in a “Silly Symphony” series that featured dancing skeletons and other strange creations that mirrored Dali’s love for the strange and melting. Disney read Dali’s autobiography and actually sent him his copy asking for an autograph, which is today’s modern equivalent of asking a celebrity to follow you on Instagram.
2. Museum buddies
Disney and Dali were once both showcased in the same exhibit at the Museum of Modern art in the 1930s before ever meeting each other. Dalí had paintings, and Disney had animation cells from the short “Three Little Wolves.”
3. Robots and stuff
The two men were both enamored by machines. Dali loved lenses and how optical devices warped light and imagery, and Disney used machines in all his art. I’d like to think if they were alive today they would collaborate on the trippiest, most terrifying It’s a Small World ride ever.
4. They both loved movies
Salvador Dali loved himself a movie. In 1929 he helped make the, now famously and terrifyingly shown in film classes everywhere, image of a razor blade slicing an eyeball. He even counted Walt Disney among the 3 greatest surrealists in Hollywood, the others being Cecil B. Demille and the Marx Brothers.
5. Especially animation
After World War II, Disney and Dali finally began their collaboration with the film “Destino,” an exploration into surrealist animation based on a Armando Dominguez and Ray Gilbert song. They wanted to combine Dali’s surrealist imagery with Disney’s fanciful storytelling. Imagine Fantasia, but even weirder. Disney eventually pulled the plug on the project, but they continued their friendship and admiration for each other, and even had plans to collaborate again one day.