For generations, animated characters have made us laugh, cry and quote our favorite one-liners long after the credits roll. Whether it was Bugs Bunny outsmarting Elmer Fudd, Pinocchio dreaming of becoming a real boy or Betty Boop’s unmistakable charm, these iconic characters share one origin story — they all began as simple sketches.
Now, visitors can step behind the scenes at the Pensacola Museum of Art’s Enchanted Drawings: The Magic of Animation. Featuring more than 50 original works from the private collection of Pensacola residents Gerald and Vicki Adcox, the exhibit offers a rare glimpse into the artistry and craftsmanship that brought some of the world’s most recognizable animated films and characters to life.
Original concept sketches, hand-painted production cels and lithographs reveal the painstaking process that transformed simple pencil lines into timeless screen icons. Alongside historic animation tools, classic cartoons and interactive displays, the exhibit traces the evolution of the art form from its early experiments with moving images to the golden age of hand-drawn animation.
More than a showcase of nostalgic characters, Enchanted Drawings tells the story of animation itself and the artists whose creativity and innovation brought these timeless characters to life.
At the heart of the exhibit is a personal story that began more than 40 years ago with an unexpected stop at a shopping mall. Gerald Adcox still remembers the moment. In 1985, while visiting Chicago with his wife, Vicki, the couple came across a small display of animation art. There was no auction or gallery opening, just a chance encounter that would spark a lifelong passion for collecting.
“My wife and I were strolling through a shopping mall in Chicago when we saw them,” Adcox said. “Nobody was selling animation art, so it was the first time we had ever seen anything like it. We bought a couple little pieces, and we just got addicted from that point forward.”
One of those first purchases was a Bugs Bunny animation cel. That single piece became the foundation for a collection that has grown into roughly 70 original drawings, production cels and lithographs spanning some of animation’s most celebrated studios and artists.
For more than four decades, the collection lived quietly inside the Adcoxes’ home, shared mostly with friends and family. Now, for the first time, visitors can see these cherished works for themselves.
“I’ve always wanted to show people the collection,” Adcox said. “But you can’t run people through your house, so this is a way to do that.”
The opportunity for a public exhibit came after Pensacola Museum of Art Director Nicholas Croghan visited Adcox several years ago. While their initial conversations centered on Gerald’s broader interests in art and vintage guitars, the discussion soon turned to animation and the remarkable collection he and Vicki had quietly built over the years.
“I had the opportunity to meet Gerald and visit his office,” Croghan said. “He has an amazing collection of modern art, vintage guitars and illustrations from renowned animators and artists. As we talked, we developed the idea for an exhibit focused on storytelling through animation.”
Rather than simply hanging artwork on gallery walls, Croghan wanted the exhibit to reveal the story behind the medium by showing visitors how animation evolved, how the process works and how much craftsmanship is hidden within every frame.
“Our goal was to show original illustrations alongside early methods of creating movement, filmmaking techniques and classic animated cartoons,” Croghan explained. “The exhibit unfolds chronologically and ends with a drawing station where visitors can actually try it themselves.”
That chronological journey begins with The Enchanted Drawing (1900), one of the earliest films to incorporate animated elements. From there, the exhibit traces the rise of animation studios, the emergence of feature-length animated films and the arrival of television cartoons.
Along the way, visitors see how innovations like hand-painted cels, rotoscoping, the multiplane camera and advances in color helped shape the industry and pave the way for today’s digital animation.
The history is brought to life through original sketches, production cels and lithographs from influential artists, alongside historic devices on loan from the Pensacola History Museum — including a magic lantern and a zoetrope that demonstrate some of the earliest attempts to create motion. Screenings
of landmark shorts such as Prest-O Change-O and Dizzy Dishes further connect the artwork on display to the finished films audiences know and recognize.
Those films also mark key milestones in animation history. Prest-O Change-O (1939), directed by Chuck Jones, features an early appearance of the character who would eventually become Bugs Bunny, while Dizzy Dishes (1930) introduced Betty Boop to audiences.
Selecting what to include was no easy task. Croghan said the Adcox collection is extensive, and the goal was to choose works that best illustrate the artistic evolution of animation.
“We wanted to create a survey of animation history,” Croghan explained. “Each piece serves as a step in that journey. We focused on strong examples of original drawings and hand-painted cels that show process, character development and the golden era of American animation.”
What makes the collection especially distinctive is not just the artwork, but the relationships behind it. Adcox’s personal friendship with legendary animator Chuck Jones adds rare historical context. Jones, who helped create characters like Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, also became part of Adcox’s collecting journey.
“Gerald had a personal relationship with Chuck Jones,” Croghan said. “That connection helped spark his passion for collecting, and his stories add provenance and depth to the work.”
Adcox recalls visiting Jones at his home in Newport Beach and later interviewing him during his time working in California. “I was able to go to his home and interview him,” Adcox said. “A couple pieces came directly from him.”
He also visited the studio of Jones’ daughter, Linda, where animation artwork was being prepared for collectors.
Those experiences helped shape a collection that now includes rare and significant pieces. Among them is a hand-painted cel featuring Pinocchio and the Blue Fairy, along with a complete set of Chuck Jones’ MasterWorks lithographs that reimagine iconic Looney Tunes characters in the styles of renowned artists such as Van Gogh, Dalí, Chagall, Toulouse-Lautrec and Munch.
“The complete set of MasterWorks — nobody else has a full set,” Adcox said. “It’s 11 pieces, and it’s complete.”
Croghan describes the exhibit as a playful intersection of fine art history and animation, blending high art references with Looney Tunes humor. While longtime animation fans will recognize many of the characters, the exhibit is designed for all audiences.
Interactive elements encourage visitors to think like animators and explore the creative process themselves. That approach continues at the exhibit’s final stop: a drawing station where visitors can learn to sketch familiar characters using step-by-step instructions. It has quickly become one of the most popular parts of the show.
“Nick did such a great job putting together the exhibit,” Adcox said. “People are learning how to draw characters like the Road Runner and Pepe Le Pew. There’s always someone at that table when I stop in for a visit.”
For Croghan, that interaction speaks to the heart of what the exhibit is meant to do. “We want visitors to leave having discovered something new,” he said. “To try drawing, explore the process and connect with animation in a different way.”
In the end, every sketch, cel and painting serves as a reminder that what audiences see on screen begins with thousands of drawings, created one frame at a time.
For Adcox, sharing that world with the public has been deeply rewarding after decades of collecting. “It’s just a happy exhibit,” he said. “It brings people back to their childhood. Everything in it makes you smile.”
Whether you’re an animation fan or someone who still recognizes “What’s up, Doc?,” Enchanted Drawings offers a chance to revisit beloved characters while discovering the artistry, craftsmanship and history that brought them to life.
Visitors are invited to step behind the scenes and discover how every character, from Bugs Bunny and Betty Boop to Pinocchio and the Road Runner, began with nothing more than a pencil, a blank page and an idea. Enchanted Drawings: The Magic of Animation is on display through September 6 at the Pensacola Museum of Art, located at 407 S. Jefferson St. in downtown Pensacola.
The Pensacola Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm, and on Sunday from 12 to 4 pm. For tickets and information, visit pensacolamuseum.org.