What happens when you take Disney movie magic off the screen and put it on a mannequin?

This week on Hangin’ at the Hangar Bar, we’re taking you along on our birthday-weekend road trip to Omaha, Nebraska, where we visited The Walt Disney Archives presents Heroes & Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume at The Durham Museum.

We went in expecting incredible costumes, Disney storytelling, and maybe a little of the immersive experience we remembered from Disney100. What we found was a little different — but it gave us plenty to talk about.

We discuss what it’s like to stand inches away from costumes actually worn on screen and whether seeing how the magic is created makes it feel less magical — or makes you appreciate the work behind it even more.

Some of our favorite and most surprising costumes included:

• Johnny Depp’s incredibly detailed Wolf costume from Into the Woods

• Captain Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean — including Candice sniffing Jack Sparrow’s costume. For science.

• Meryl Streep’s Witch costume from Into the Woods

• Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent

• Helena Bonham Carter’s Queen of Hearts

• Costumes from Mary Poppins Returns

• Jafar from the live-action Aladdin

• Oprah Winfrey’s gorgeous costume from A Wrinkle in Time

• Danny DeVito’s surprisingly tiny costume from Dumbo

• Belle’s yellow dress from Beauty and the Beast, which looked very different standing in a museum than we expected from seeing it on screen

We also talk about how much costumes contribute to creating a character. Fabric, texture, color, accessories, fit and even something as simple as Barbossa’s hat can completely change how we perceive someone before the actor says a word.

Then we turn our attention to The Durham Museum itself. We enjoyed our visit, but it led to an interesting realization: Have years of visiting Disney parks completely ruined us for traditional museums?

We’re accustomed to Disney telling us why every object matters and surrounding it with story. At the Durham, we sometimes found ourselves asking, “Okay…but what are we supposed to be getting from this?”

Is that a museum storytelling problem — or a Disney adult problem? We think the answer may be a little of both.

Ultimately, the exhibit also connects back to a question we’ve been exploring recently: Are we losing the Disney magic?

Maybe understanding how the illusion is created doesn’t diminish the magic. Seeing the craftsmanship and work behind these movies might simply give us another, deeper way to connect with stories we already love.

If you’re near Omaha and enjoy Disney, movies, theater, costuming or filmmaking, we think the exhibit is worth a visit. Our advice: slow down, read the placards and look at the details. There’s a lot hiding in plain sight.

We Want to Hear From You!D23 brought some big Disney announcements, but Hangin’ at the Hangar Bar isn’t really a Disney news podcast. So what would you rather hear?

Should we do a full episode with our D23 reactions, or weave our thoughts into cold opens and future episodes when they’re relevant?

Come tell us on Facebook, Instagram or Discord — and check out our social channels for photos from the costume exhibit!

Grab a drink, grab a snack, and come hang out with us.

There’s always a great big beautiful tomorrow — and we’ll see you real soon!