'Awaking Beauty' exhibit pays tribute to 'Sleeping Beauty' artist Eyvind Earle

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- You may not know his name, but you know his work -- a new exhibit is opening on the artist who provided the look of Disney's "Sleeping Beauty."

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Eyvind Earle was a background painter when he caught the eye of Walt Disney.

He was selected as lead stylist for the Disney classic, "Sleeping Beauty."

Earle wanted to give the movie a medieval look. He based his art for the film on Persian and Japanese works.

"Elongated characters and really embellished landscapes with patterns," said Michael Labrie of the Walt Disney Family Museum. "It sort of looks more like a tapestry."

The retrospective includes more than 250 works of art. They range from early sketches to vivid landscapes later in his life.

"Awaking Beauty" opens Thursday at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

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