The artwork originally came to Japan in 1960 for an exhibit at department stores called "Motion Picture Art: Walt Disney." The following year it was displayed at the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo in their exhibit "The Art of Animation." Afterward, the museum donated the pieces to Chiba University for educational purposes, where it was put in storage and forgotten. The collection was rediscovered in 2005, and about 200 of the pieces were exhibited across Japan in 2006 and 2007, alongside 350 more pieces provided by Disney.

Chiba University will formally donate the collection to the Walt Disney Animation Research Library. In addition to cels and backgrounds, the collection also includes conceptual art and storyboards from Disney films including "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty." In gratitude for the return of the materials, Disney plans to donate $1 million to found a scholarship at the university.

[Source: Chiba University via Anime! Anime!]