Norman Rockwell Museum's Enchanted Evening

Fiona Breslin reports from Stockbridge.To honor the 75th anniversary of Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Norman Rockwell Museum (NRM) hosted an enchanted evening on June 8th, to coincide with the opening of their new exhibit “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic." The exhibition features 200 works of original drawings, early character studies, detailed story sketches, and more, organized by the Walt Disney Family Museum. On site was director of marketing at Disney Libby Garrison and Lella Smith, creative director at Walt Disney Company Animation Research Library, to explain the story of this classic film’s development. Also in-house was Walt Disney’s eldest daughter Diane Disney Miller, a member of Norman Rockwell Museum’s National Council, and legendary dancer Marge Champion (above with NRM director Laurie Norton Moffatt). Champion collaborated on the film, beating out hundreds of other young dancers, to serve as the live reference model for the main character, a thirteen-year-old girl. The night commenced with an auction, cuisine, and dancing on the lawn overlooking Norman Rockwell’s studio, upon which the image of bluebirds were projected as an homage to Snow White. The exhibition will remain on view through October 2013.

Ani Shaker, Isabel Tonelli, Bea Kiggen and Sofia Tonelli; Lynn Benson and Martha Booth.

Animator Kristen McCormick and Karen McMenamy; The Red Lion Inn's Anne Curtain Nardi and Amy Butterworth.

Creative director at Walt Disney Company Animation Research Library Lella Smith with Frederick Keator and Renee Keator.

Aaron Wood and The Red Lion Inn's Stephanie Gravalese-Wood; Georgianne Valli-Harwood, marketing director at Iredale Mineral Cosmetics Sarah Steven, and architect James Harwood.