A few weeks ago, Disney released a few teaser pictures and some details about the refurbishment of the California Grill restaurant at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. From what few photos and details emerged, I was overjoyed: we were promised a restaurant bathed in warm tones featuring nods to mid-century modern style and design, and -even better – to the work of Disney artist Mary Blair. It sounded almost too good to be true, and given some recent Disney cynicism, my expectations were pretty low. A Mary Blair-inspired carpet could be either a triumph or a disaster in Disney’s hands. How would it go?

Well today, we found out.  (For the record, the California Grill is not yet open to the public, but will reopen next week.) I don’t yet have a full read on others’ reactions to the space, but for me, it’s decidedly a triumph. I was fully prepared to accept only a passing nod to Mary Blair (the aforementioned carpeting), but instead, we have a wonderful tribute to Mary and to her artistic legacy. But there’s another victory in this refurbishment: the new California Grill is a triumph of  updated mid-century modern design, and also a reminder of what the Contemporary was and could be again. 

For those unfamiliar with her and her work, Mary Blair  was an American artist and animator who rose to prominence through her work at the Walt Disney Company. She and her husband Lee are true Disney legends, each in their own right. Lee first joined the Disney Studios in 1940, and Mary followed shortly thereafter.

When Lee accompanied Walt and Lillian Disney on a goodwill tour of South America in 1941, Mary was by his side, more as a wife than as an artist. It was on that trip, however, that Mary reportedly honed her own animation style, one so colorful and distinctive that fellow animator Marc Davis compared her to Matisse. It didn’t take long for Mary’s work in the Disney pantheon to eclipse that of her husband. While in South America, Mary worked diligently to capture the realities of life in Latin America, and she quickly became known for her breathtaking artistic depictions of children. Walt Disney was so impressed with her work in South America that he named her art supervisor of The Three Caballeros and Saludos Amigos, two films stemming from Disney’s “good neighbor” tour.

Blair’s artistic triumphs mounted from there. From Song of the South to Cinderella to Alice in Wonderland, Mary Blair’s fingerprints are all over some of the greatest animated films ever made. Her influence later extended to it’s a small world, and then to a mural in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland .  One of her last and perhaps best-known works is a soaring mural in the Contemporary Resort:

When the Contemporary first opened in 1971, Blair’s mural felt perfectly at home in a resort whose roots were firmly in modern/mid-century modern design. The Contemporary’s architect was a man named Welton Becket, a close friend of Walt Disney and the man responsible for the distinctive Los Angeles style of architecture that sprang up in the 1950s and 60s. Inside and out, the Contemporary represented the best of the mid-century modern ethos: simple, clean lines; use of materials like glass, ceramic, and steel; and an informal, organic interior that was flexible and comfortable.

The Contemporary’s Grand Canyon Concourse – 1970s

Close-up of acrylic trees, ca. 1976. (c) Tim Gerdes

Other end of the Grand Canyon Concourse – 1970s

In its style, use of colors, and modern design, the Contemporary was a fitting home for Mary Blair’s concourse mural. Over the years, however, refurbishment and renovation has left us with a Contemporary that feels…not so contemporary…and a Mary Blair mural that feels decidedly out of place.

The modern Grand Canyon concourse seen from above.

Today’s Grand Canyon Concourse – cluttered, inorganic, sterile.

With “modern” updating, the Contemporary has lost the thread to its heritage, and Mary Blair’s work has resonance within the concourse and the resort itself. In fact, I remember a spirited debate on Twitter several months ago about the Contemporary’s Blair mural – the central point to this argument was that the mural is no longer in fact “contemporary.” Did it even fit at the resort anymore – should it just be removed?

That’s why the new California Grill gives me hope. Thanks to Scarlett Litton and the touringplans.com blog, we now have a more comprehensive look at the California Grill’s interior. It is, to me, the perfect marriage of mid-century modern with truly modern design, and Mary Blair’s work – and visage – fits in perfectly in this homage. Let’s take a look: (note: images used with permission)

Long table for group dining. Notice the carpet – a perfect Blair homage.

The banquette upholstery evokes the color and whimsy of Blair’s work.

The artwork is on-point as well.

Light fixtures – more representative of period design than of Blair herself, but still a natural fit.

Seeing how it all comes together.

Blair herself graces the walls – I’m glad she has such a rightful and obvious presence here.

Imagine a redesigned Grand Canyon Concourse – and a Contemporary lobby, for that matter – that would incorporate the spirit of Blair and her time as well as the California Grill now does. The Contemporary could, once again, be a true marvel, not just an icon of Disney design and architecture, but a national icon. My hopes are measured, of course, but I for one welcome the new California Grill for what it is, and for what it represents: a thoughtful, careful, and touching example of what Disney can do best. In an era when Disney executives are shamelessly gracing the theme parks with their own visages, it’s a relief to see the company can still honor its legends and architectural influences after all.