When a giant crane lifted the Bullwinkle and Rocky the Flying Squirrel statue up and out of its longtime Sunset Strip spot back in the summer of 2013, it seemed no less than the pernicious, villain-minded work of the animated duo's archenemies, Boris Badenov and Nastasha Nogoodnik.
But the crane was actually procured via innocent means by Dreamworks, and the fan-based fretting as to where the cheerful statue would end up has been allayed, at least for the time being: Moose and Squirrel can now be admired at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills.
The statue is the silly -- er, somber and important, rather -- centerpiece to the just-debuted Jay Ward Legacy Exhibit. The three-month exhibit "explores the world of the legendary animation producer Jay Ward from Rocky & Bullwinkle to Mr. Peabody & Sherman with over 60 pieces of rarely seen artwork, sculpture, and memorabilia on display."
Dreams Animation and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment are the twosome behind the exhibit, which marks the Oct. 14 Blu-Ray and DVD release of "Mr. Peabody & Sherman."
The Paley Center for Media is open Wednesdays through Sundays, and admission is free, though a suggestion contribution of ten bucks is recommended for adults. That not Badenov at all.
Where will the Rocky & Bullwinkle statue, which now rocks a spiffy paint job since it was last seen on the Sunset Strip, head next? The exhibit is on through the end of the year, and word has it the statue may hold court at the Paley for a bit beyond that.
Figure this is an excellent chance to get up-close to the comical work of art, something that all of those thousands of drivers who sped by it on Sunset over the decades likely never took the opportunity to do.
