New Exhibit: Tale as Old as Time Celebrates French Stories (and More) at Epcot

The Epcot International Festival of Arts preview was yesterday, and this year’s, event, like years past, is going to feature exhibits all over the park. In the France Pavilion there is a unique new exhibit called The Tale as Old as Time: French Storytelling on Stage and Screen.

Tale as Old as Time, you’ll likely recognize, is the opening line to the song with the same name from Beauty and the Beast. In case you didn’t know, La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast) is a French fairy tale from 1740 that inspired the Disney animated and live-action films.

Props from Beauty and the Beast

At the Tale as Old as Time: French Storytelling on Stage and Screen exhibit we get a close up look at costumes, art, and music that exemplifies French culture in literature, film, and theater. France has a rich artistic background and has some of the world’s best collections of art such as the Louvre and Musee D’orsay.

Costume from Phantom of the Opera

Throughout the exhibit there are costumes from iconic films, ballets, musicals, and operas based on French stories. Some of our favorite are the costumes from Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast.

Costumes from the Sleeping Beauty ballet

We also loved the costumes from Hunchback of Notre Dame, a musical based on the animated film. The book that the film is based on was written by Victor Hugo, who also wrote another French classic: Les Miserables. In the Disney animated Hunchback, two of the gargoyles are name Victor and Hugo after him.

Costume and gargoyle prop from Hunchback of Notre Dame

Disney has produced a number of films based on French stories. In addition to Beauty and the Beast, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Sleeping Beauty, they’ve also interpreted Cinderella (more than once, of course). Other popular films such as Aristocats and Ratatouille take place in France.

Costumes from Cinderella

A new screen show called Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along will be opening in the France Pavilion on Friday, January 17 — and the show has some fun twists. And the new Ratatouille ride and Le Creperie de Paris open later this year! Let’s just say: the France pavilion is the place to be!

The Tale as Old as Time exhibit is expected to remain open past Festival of the Arts. And one fun note: some of the items in the exhibit are on loan from theaters and performance companies in Orlando; Disney said they wanted the exhibit to have a local touch. C’est tres bien!

What was your favorite part of the Tale as Old as Time exhibit? Let us know in the comments.