I am filled with joy when I discover a great book about Disney history or a great Disney art book, so there was joy indeed when I received the new installment of The Archive Series: Animation, which was launched last year with the volume about Story.

The animation drawings that are shown in this book are marvelous and marvelously reproduced. They all showcase emblematic scenes, or emblematic animators (including a few effects animators).

In addition, the person who supervised the layout of this book is talented and displays a clear sense of humor. Check out the drawings of Tinker Bell and Mr. Smee on pages 156 and 157 and you will understand what I mean.

The choice of the drawings is not only spot-on, it is often very clever. I had never noticed some of the parrallels between some attitudes on Ben Ali Gator and some of Chernabog, for example, that are subtly highlighted in the book. I loved seeing on the same page Donald in the 1934 and the 1941 versions of Orphan's Benefit (Dick Lundy / Johnny Cannon). And the beauty of each of Milt Kahl's drawings, and the joy in John Sibley's animation,...


Another great news: the only mistake of the volume about Story has been corrected in the Animation volume: the captions are now where they belong instead of at the end of the book.


Unfortunately it is one of the captions that proves to be the only error in the book through an unfortunate typo which credits Clyde Geronimi as an animator on a Three Caballeros sequence that should have been attributed to Ward Kimball. As we all know, unfortunately, typos survive even in the best edited books so we will be quick to forget it.

In summary: This book is a "must-have" and one of the best art books of the year (very, very, very little text). A great gift for yourself or for a friend this Christmas. Not to be missed.