I just picked up this book which, from page 195 to 216, contains the excellent essay by David Leon Higdon and Phill Lehrman titled Huxley's ´Deep Jam´ and the Adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, complete with Aldous Huxley's full synopsis for Alice in Wonderland.

Speaking of Disney's Lost Chords, did any reader of this blog realize that Disney launched earlier this year digital albums on Amazon featuring the never-released Disney songs?!!

As part of this great series you will be able to get:

Cinderella, The Aristocats, and The Rescuers (thanks to Greg Ehrbar for the heads up about all this).

Disney's Lost Chords - Volumes 1 and 2 are two of the very best Disney History books published in recent years. If you have not yet done so, I would strongly encourage you to pick them up via Amazon. Russell has only a few copies left and he is running out of them fast.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0615206336/didierghezsdisneA/

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0615134513/didierghezsdisneA/

My plug here is kind of selfish: I really would like to see volume 3 being released soon and that will only happen after Russell manages to sell a few more copies of the first two volumes!

According to Heritage Auction this Lucky Strike ad was created by the Disney Studio. Could any reader confirm this?

Since finding issues of the seminal Disney History magazine Peristence of Vision is so tough these days, here is a heads up about a set which is currently being sold on the ebay. The auction ends this Sunday.

Wonderful Freddie Moore drawing seem this week on Heritage Auctions.

There is so much good stuff being posted at the moment on Heritage Auctions that it is difficult to spot all the great items there. This concept art from Walt Peregoy for the abandoned Don Quixote project is one of the highlights.

Do not miss today:

- PROMOTING OIL WITH OIL by Paul F. Anderson
- Main Street, U.S.A. Is NOT Based on Marceline by Jim Korkis

Thanks to JB Kaufman, here is a true gem: the only interview I know of Disney composer Leigh Harline. Enjoy!

Do not miss today:

- KEN ANDERSON AND THE HAUNTED MANSION by Paul F. Anderson
- Ferdinand Horvath Character Concept Drawing - Horned Creature by Matt Crandall
- Ferdinand Horvath Character Concept Drawing - Tiger Bird by Matt Crandall
- Prince John & Sir Hiss Pencil Test by Andreas Deja

Since this is a slow month when it comes to Disney book releases, I thought some of you might like to hear about a new biography of John Lasseter which has just been released in Spain (in Spanish), written by journalist and Disney enthusiast Jorge Fonte.

Do not miss today:

- Lost Disney Gag Drawings of “Snow White” Artist Discovered by Amid Amidi
- Roger Broggie Jr. dies at 73; audio-animatronics whiz for Disney by Valerie Nelson
- Super Goof Flies Again by Jim Korkis

This just in from Gunnar:

[I just found this rather exeptional piece of art on ComicArt Fans:

From description:

Story Painting for Winken, Blinken and Nod, 1938

Signed pre-production artwork from the Disney studio is very rare. This exceptional painting in watercolor and guache is signed by Emil Flohri, who worked for Disney from 1929 until 1938. It is painted on paper similar to that used for background paintings and is rather large for story art -- 9 X 11 inches.]

This just in:

[Swann Auction Galleries will spotlight a wide variety of Disney cartoons and drawings during its sale of 20th Century Illustration on January 24.

Swann will be offering 19 lots of Disney material.  Image lot numbers and catalogue descriptions are as follows:

Lot 136, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) "The Art of Skiing." Hand-painted animation cel featuring Goofy from The Art of Skiing. 230x190 mm; 9x7 1/2 inches. 1941. Matted with affixed caption below reading "Eyes should be kept to the front because objects sometimes appear with amazing suddenness." Courvoisier Galleries label and Disney Productions rubberstamp on verso. Estimate $1,500-2,500

Lot 137, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Grumpy. Graphite and color pencil. 255x305 mm; 10x12 inches, sheet. Animation drawing for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Circa 1937. Estimate $800-1,200

Lot 138, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Sleepy. Graphite and color pencil. 255x305 mm; 10x12 inches, sheet. Animation drawing for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Circa 1937. Disney Studio rubberstamp lower left. Estimate $500-750

Lot 139, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Happy. Graphite. 255x305 mm; 10x12 inches, sheet. Animation drawing for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Circa 1937. Estimate $500-750

Lot 140, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Doc. Graphite and color pencil. 315x375 mm; 12 1/2x14 3/4 inches, sheet. Animation drawing for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Circa 1937. Estimate $400-600

Lot 141, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Bambi. Graphite and color pencil. 255x305 mm; 10x12 inches, sheet. Animation drawing. Circa 1941. Estimate $500-750

Lot 142, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Captain Donald Duck and His Performing Seals. Graphite and color pencil. Two animation drawings (each 180x290 mm; 6 3/4x11 1/2 inches) for the animated short Mickey's Circus (1937). Estimate $1,000-1,500.  Donald is partially hidden by the jumble of hungry seals in one of the two drawings, the other shows three performing seals.

Lot 143, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Sir Cumference. Color crayon. Each 170 x 213mm; 6 x 8 1/4 inches. Two concept drawings for the animated short Knight for a Day (1946). Estimate $1,000-1,500.  Bold, lively sketches of the jousting champion in the popular Goofy cartoon.

Lot 144, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) The Hunstman. Hand-painted cel over wood. 140x135 mm; 5 1/2x5 1/4 inches. Not examined out of frame. Circa 1937. Estimate $800-1,200.  From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature-length animated film from Disney, as well as the first full-length cel animated feature in motion picture history.

Lot 145, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Fantasia. Pencil with colored pencil border on paper. 253x303 mm; 10x12 inches. Rubberstamp on verso with faint bleed-through lower right. Not examined out of frame. Circa 1940. Estimate $1,200-1,800.  Sketch prepared for the Dance of the Hours sequence showing high-kicking ostriches and grinning crocodiles.

Lot 146, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Flora and Merryweather. Painted cel for Sleeping Beauty (1959). 155x235 mm; 6 1/4x9 1/4 inches. Disney Production gold label on verso. Estimate $800-1,200.  The Good Fairies sew a gown as a special surprise present for Princess Aurora on her sixteenth birthday. Sold by the Art Corner in Disneyland in Anaheim, Ca.

Lot 147, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Donald Duck in night cap. Painted cel for an unidentified episode of The Wonderful World of Color. 160x235 mm; 6 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches. Disney Production gold label on verso. Estimate $800-1,200

Lot 148, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Donald Duck and Tinkerbell. Painted cell for an unidentified episode of The Wonderful World of Color. 160x235mm; 6 1/4x 9 1/2 inches. Disney Production gold label on verso. Estimate $800-1,200

Lot 149, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) The Aristocats. Gouache and ink. 220x260 mm; 8 3/4x10 1/4 inches. Finished illustration possibly for the British edition of Disneyland Magazine. Estimate $500-750.  Painting of Duchess and her three kittens Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse from the 1970 animated feature film.

Lot 150, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Happy Birthday to Pooh. Pen and ink and watercolor. 190x290 mm; 7 1/2x11 1/4 inches. Finished illustration possibly for the British edition of Disneyland Magazine. Nd. Estimate $1,500-2,500.  Although one of the most famous episodes in A. A. Milne's books and the Walt Disney films was Eeyore's birthday, he oddly does not join all the other famous Pooh characters round the table in this picture. Pooh prefers to eat honey at this celebration in his honor while the rest of the gang enjoys birthday cake.

Lot 151, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Shere Khan the Tiger. Gouache and ink. 170x330 mm; 6 3/4x13 1/4 inches. Finished illustration possibly for the British edition of Disneyland Magazine. Nd. Estimate $500-750.  Painting of a frog menaced by Shere Khan, the villain in Disney's The Jungle Book (1967). George Sanders provided the malevolent beast's voice in the popular animated feature.

Lot 152, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Tigger. Pen and ink and watercolor. 135x333 mm; 5 1/4x13 inches. Finished illustration possibly for the British edition of Disneyland Magazine. Nd. Estimate $800-1,200.  Tigger is today one of the most beloved Disney characters. Puppeteer Paul Winchell supplied the voice of this endearing cartoon personality.

Lot 153, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) 'So yuh wanna play games huh!' Pencil. 145x195 mm; 5 3/4x7 1/4 inches. Concept drawing of Pete for an unidentified Walt Disney animated short. Estimate $400-600.  Pete was the proverbial villain of the early Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoons. This sketch does not seem to match up with any of the released animated shorts and may be for an unrealized project.

Lot 154, (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS.) Mickey Mouse. Original 3-tiered Sunday comic strip, ink on stiff paper; Mickey Mouse logo pastedown. 400x590 mm; 15 3/4x23 inches. Dated November 12, 1950 (King Features Syndicate). Upper margin with production notes in pencil and studio rubberstamps, bottom tier separated cleanly and stapled at far left margin, light smudging and some minor yellowing chiefly along margins. Not examined out of frame. Estimate $3,500-5,000.  Featuring Goofy improvising his inaugural "travelogue movie" (filmed for "WOW T.V") with the help of some tattooed sailors as Mickey looks on with Minnie.

I have also attached two high-resolution images: lot 145 (M25669-2) and lot 150 (M25995-2).



If you’d like to view the online catalogue, please click here: http://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/asp/searchresults.asp?st=U&view1=View&sale_value=2300&rf_lot_range_from=1&rf_lot_range_to=End, or http://www.swanngalleries.com/3dcat/2300/ for the 3D version.]

This just in from Gunnar Andreassen:

[Enclosed an early article (Sept. 30 - 1933) by "Walt Disney" - an English one that you might not have seen.  Very probably not written by WD, perhaps by his publicity department, or more likely assembled by an English writer and based on available material.]

The documentary film "Tyrus Wong:Brushstrokes in Hollywood" has just been nominated for Indiewire's PROJECT OF THE MONTH. Please VOTE and help the filmmaker win a consultation with the Tribeca Film Institute and help give the film some valuable exposure.

HOW TO VOTE:

PLEASE be sure to follow these FOUR simple steps. If not, your vote will not be registered & therefore won't count. Thank you so much for your 1-2 minutes of time and support.

1) Visit the voting site: http://www.indiewire.com/article/decide-who-talks-to-the-tribeca-film-institute-vote-for-decembers-project-of-the-month
2) VOTE for "Tyrus Wong:Brushstrokes in Hollywood."
3) Enter your EMAIL address and then click on the "Confirmation" link to register to vote.
4) Check your email for an email from "Polldaddy" and then hit "Confirm Poll Vote." Voila. You're done!!

That was simple enough (I hope) Please help SPREAD THE WORD -- post it on Facebook, email to your friends, blog, tweet it, etc. 
THANK YOU for taking the time to do this. The contest ends this Friday, Jan 18th, so please vote today.

This just in from Sam Gennaway through Facebook:

[Bobby Burgess has been working on an autobiography and I found one of "his" earliest writing examples and wanted to share. This is from the Mickey Mouse Club Magazine 1956.]

Let's admit it, I am a little puzzled when it comes to reviewing a products like the newly released Walt Disney Animation Studios The Archive Series: Walt Disney's Nine Old Men: The Flipbooks. As I mentioned a few times in the past there is more and more a tendency today to see two completely different types of Disney books being released: purely visual ones with little text (The Archives Series being a prime example) or in-depth ones with zero or close to zero illustratons (Walt's People or Michael Barrier's and Jim Korkis' books for example). This is, of course, linked to Disney's approval process when it comes to "art books" and books containing Disney illustrations. 

So when Disney Editions releases a new product, I always hope that if it is a purely visual book it will contain some never-seen-before documents and that otherwise it will be one of those rare exceptions (like Canemaker's or JB Kaufman's books) which will contain both in-depth research and great illustrations.

Unfortunately I am often disappointed.

But in the case of Walt Disney Animation Studios The Archive Series: Walt Disney's Nine Old Men: The Flipbooks I have to forget my disappointment, since from day one the title said it all. This is a series of flipbooks, with all the limitations that this entails: one scene per flipbook, no text in the books themselves, artwork that, in some ways, we are already very familiar with.

If one accepts this concept for what it is worth, then one has to admit that the idea is beautifully executed: the scenes selected are emblematic, the packaging is beautiful, the books, while small (like sketchbooks should be) respect the quality standards of The Archives Series.

And I adored the small booklet which comes with the sketchbooks and which contains profiles of the Nine Old Men by John Canemaker, Don Hahn, Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, Eric Goldberg, John Musker, Ron Clements, Bob Kurtz and Dale Baer.

This just in from Gunnar Andreassen:

[Have you during you moving days to the USA had time to view the last offers at Van Eation Galleries ?

 

Dozens and dozens of model sheets from the 1930s - a lot of which I hadn't seen earlier:

 

http://www.vegalleries.com/newart.html]

 

I had not seen those. I have selected those three highlights. Two from Ken Anderson and one from Ferdinand Horvath.

 

 

More from Gunnar Andreassen: [In connection with the Joe Grant drawings I send you these, see enclosures.  Also found on Heritage - today.

From the description:

 Extremely Rare 1935 R90 "Mickey Mouse With The Movie Stars" Complete Set (24) - #1 on PSA Set Registry! Rank: #1 on the PSA Set Registry with a 5.08 GPA. From within every theme and era of collecting a precious few sets capture the imagination like no other. When one thinks of 1930's non-sport, the name "Mickey Mouse and the Movie Stars" is the stuff dreams are made of. Produced by Gum Inc. in 1935. Although this series has been given its very own entry in the American Card Catalog, it actually serves as the closing run of high numbers to the very popular, and very common, R89 "Mickey Mouse" edition. There is no debate about calling them the rarest of the rare, especially when the opportunity to purchase just one card generates bidding that proves to be emotionally devastating to all but the top bidder. The cards are numbered from #97 through #120 and feature a cartoon scene of Mickey Mouse mingling with an unnamed star of the silver screen. We can only guess that the change in format and rarity account for the additional ACC entry. This is the first time Heritage has had the pleasure of offering these treasured collectibles in complete set form. The fact that this presentation is the #1 place holder on the PSA Registry is the sweetest "icing on the cake" as they say. It happens in so few instances where we can offer the most enticing combination of rarity and quality. We simply can't convey in words the tremendous chance this is for the advanced hobbyist to add this 24-card complete set to their prized collection. Includes: PSA NM 7: 1 cards, #117; PSA EX-MT 6: 13 cards, #'s 98, 99 Groucho Marx, 103, 104, 106, 107, 108, 109 Durante, 110, 113 Garbo, 114, Fairbanks, 115, 118 and 119;PSA EX 5: 4 cards, #'s 97, 101, 102 and 111; PSA VG-EX 4: 1 card, #112; PSA Good 2: 3 cards, #'s 100, 105 and 120; PSA PR 1: 1 card, #116.

Sold for $ 17.925]

Gunnar adds: [I have tried to identify the 24 filmstars on the MM cards:

 

William Powell  -  Ed Wynn  -  Joan Blondell  -  George Arliss

Mae West  -  Will Rogers  -  Jimmy Durante  -  Wallace Beery

Adolphe Menjou  -  John Barrymore (?)  -  Maurice Chevalier  -  Groucho Marx

Leslie Howard  -  Constance Bennett  -  Greta Garbo  -  Eddie Cantor

Richard Dix  -  Joe E. Brown  -  Douglas Fairbanks  -  Edward G. Robinson

Stan Laurel/Oliver Hardy  -  Lionel Barrymore  -  Harpo Marx  -  Charlie Chaplin]

Do not miss today:

- The Big Parade of '59 by Dave de Caro
- A Brief Talk with Joe Ranft by Jim Korkis

More Joe Grant drawings from The New Movie Magazine (September 1933) sent by Gunnar. I found those utterly fascinating. Do we know if other issues of the magazine contained similar drawings?

Hal Horne, of course, was the editor of the Mickey Mouse Magazine and the person who sold Walt the famous "gag file".

 Stunning material received through Gunnar Andreassen this weekend:

[Here are some early Disney drawings/caricatures by Joe Grant.  The drawings are certainly more interesting than the text.

From The New Movie Magazine (October and November 1933).]

 

 

I picked up last week on ebay this great movie catalog from the '30s and believe that some of you will enjoy seeing it. Aside from its cover, its chief interest are the original translations of quite a few early shorts. 

This story was released in Look magazine dated May 18, 1943 and I thought you might enjoy it. The size of Look means that some sections are slightly cut off due to the size of my scanner.

This just in from Gunnar Andreassen:

[A cover with Pinocchio (and Jiminy Cricket) that I can't remember having seen earlier. Screen Romance, Jan. 1940.]

Do not miss today:

- Gallery: The Amazing Character Designs of Ferdinand Horvath by Amid Amidi
- Tales From the Mouseketeers by Jim Korkis
- Souvenir Friday- Heath Biography of Walt Disney on Stuff from the Park

Moving is not always easy, especially when you have to carry so many books, magazines and DVDs. But it has its rewards, like finding forgotten gems, like this great article by Dave Smith released in the February 1985 issue of Starlog.

Enjoy!