Friday, January 13, 2012


This just in from Jeffrey Jones:

[Many years ago, I read "Mickey's Tour Of The Walt Disney Animation Department". It was a three or four page article in a hardcover Donald Duck comic book (I believe published by Abbeville) explaining how animation is done, and used Disney characters in the roles of animators, editors, ink and paint, etc. Do you have access to that article? If so, I think many people would enjoy reading it on your Disney History Blog. I found one page of it online (in Italian) and I've attached it to this email.]

Those images really ring a bell. Could one of you remind me where they were initially released and would you have access to the full series?

8 comments:

David said...

I think it's in the Abbeville Mickey Mouse book too. Maybe. I have that copy, but it's in the bedroom and my wife is asleep. I'll check tomorrow.

DBenson said...

Recall reading somewhere that these dioramas were a display at the studio itself.

National Geographic's August 1963 issue had a huge article covering the whole Disney operation, and included a section on the animation process. That was illustrated by drawings featuring the same characters in the same poses (Mickey's guest is identified as "Mr. G. O. Graphic"). Vintage Disneyland Tickets has it scanned.

Question is, whether the drawings were the basis for the dioramas or whether the dioramas were the basis for the drawings.

Anonymous said...

I second all those statements: if I am not wrong, those displays were created by Bill Justice.

Anonymous said...

Some more informative details:

http://afilmla.blogspot.com/2009/05/mr-go-graphic_14.html

Didier Ghez said...

Thanks! I knew I had seen those somewhere!!!

Mark Sonntag said...

I remember these being reproduced in the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Knowledge series I had as a kid. It was in book 22, which also had Mickey telling the story of Walt's life (including old photos and Gottfredson strips)and how he met Walt. My first exposure to Disney history . . I was 7 years old.

JeffyT said...

Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Knowledge series...wow!!! I seriously have been searching for what these were for decades. I had and loved them as a kid. I have tried all kinds of searches, but could never find anything on them. I was looking at "Disney Encyclopedia" type searches. Awesome. I wonder where I could find them?

Julie said...

To JeffyT: I have the Wonderful World of Knowledge set from the 70's. They are for sale- $80.