The new Disney+ series Prop Culture highlights the importance of props, costumes, and setting in the development of a film. They help tell the movie’s story, and hopefully, create a legacy. Disney has built an empire on creating these magical, multi-dimensional universes. The film’s set, animation, and design team play a huge part in the Disney magic.
Disney+’s Prop Culture is such an engaging series because it makes you take a moment to really evaluate and examine the specialness of certain props and costumes. Through the first season of Prop Culture, host Dan Lanigan gave us real wow moments when he showed us some original props from hit films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Tron.
Here are some of the prop reveals from Prop Culture that made us most gag in awe.
Mary Poppins’ Carpet Bag
Mary Poppins used her iconic carpet bag to pull many tricks and treats on the Banks children. Mary Poppins has become such a beloved figure for her enchanting magic, larger than life persona, and cheerful essence. Mary Poppins’ carpet bag is one of the small details that helps give this character her personality.
In Prop Culture, Lanigan visits the Disney Archives and shows the viewers and guest Erin Andrews the original Mary Poppins’ carpet bag. He was one of the people who helped bring it back to the Archives. Originally, Kraft Foods Inc., had a promotional contest in 1964 for the release of Mary Poppins. The grand prize for the sweepstakes was Mary Poppins’ carpet bag and $10,000.
The winner didn’t want the bag, so the person from the ad company delivering the prize kept the bag. It was sitting in his house for over 40 years until a series of events led it back to the Disney Archives.
Mary and Burt’s Carousel Horses From Mary Poppins
Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke really brought vibrant energy to these memorable Disney characters. One of Mary and Burt’s most playful scenes together is riding carousel horses. During Prop Culture, while at the Disney Archives, viewers see a beat up Burt horse and pristine Mary horse. The Mary one has been at the Archives, but Burt’s was just acquired. The series reveals that the horses were painted to match Mary and Burt’s personalities, and Burt’s horse even looks a little like Dick Van Dyke.
Mary’s horse was painted by her ex-husband Tony Walton and Burt’s horse was painted by Peter Ellenshaw.
The Original Honey I Shrunk The Kids Shrink Ray
Dan Lanigan takes the Honey I Shrunk the Kids original shrink ray and has it restored by Martin Meunier, an Oscar winner and restoration specialist. The shrink ray has undergone many changes over the years due to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids sequels. With the blessing of the Disney Archives, and the film’s director Joe Johnston, the shrink ray gets restored to its original design.
Original Jack Skellington Puppets
A Nightmare Before Christmas relies on clay figures to help create this beloved Christmas and Halloween classic. A lot of physical Jack Skellington figurines were made over the course of filming and animating the movie. Prop Culture showcases a few of them.
One of them is the original one that Rick Heinrichs owns and created. He and Tim Burton developed the idea, sketches, and original puppets together. He sculpted the first Jack based on Burton’s original sketch and a poem. Another one that the series showcases is the one owned by Danny Elfman; it is one of the original Santa Claus Jack puppets.
Elfman spoke about having to have restorations done on the puppet every two to three years, because they were made out of material that’s supposed to decompose.
The Muppet Movie Original Posters
Drew Struzan is a fantastic artist who worked with Jim Henson on many of his posters for Muppet movies. Lanigan travels to Struzan’s house to see some of the original posters. He told him that he just paints from feeling. Struzan also revealed that Henson was so impressed by how he made the Muppets feel alive and real, and gave them the same care as he does with them.
Prop Culture features so many cool props, so these are only a few of the many must-see items from the series. So make sure to stream it on Disney+ to see more.
