A Disney exhibition in Tokyo
© AFP/File Toshifumi Kitamura

TOKYO (AFP) - The rare collection had travelled to Japan in the early 1960s for exhibits at department stores and museums but then faded from view.

The current owner, state-run Chiba University in suburban Tokyo, said it decided to return the collection to The Walt Disney Co. to ensure it was well preserved for future generations.

"We concluded it will be best to entrust the work to Walt Disney," the university said in a statement.

In return, Disney would give the university digital copies of the work as well as one million dollars, which the school would use to start a fund to promote education on art and animation, the statement said.

The collection features work from "Flowers and Trees," the world's oldest colour animation, which was released in 1932.

It also includes original painted work, drawings and background pictures from movies such as "Sleeping Beauty," "Fantasia," "Bambi" and "Cinderella."

After the exhibitions in the 1960s, Disney donated the collection to the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.

The museum later gave it to Hidesaburo Genda, a late animation scholar at Chiba University, for educational purposes and research.

Most forgot about the collection, which was being stored at the university's engineering faculty.

Its historical value only came to light in 2004 when the university decided to make digital copies and asked Disney about copyright issues.

©AFP