Disney History

Monday, September 14, 2020

Now that the last volume of the They Drew as They Pleased book series has been released, what am I working on when it comes to Disney history, aside from volumes 25 and 26 of the Walt's People book series?

SHORT TERM

1. 2020 Hyperion Historical Alliance Annual

The new Hyperion Historical Alliance Annual is about to be released in just a few weeks and contains two new essays by yours truly. One about "Grace Huntington in Disney's Story Department" (I am particularly proud of this essay which explores totally uncharted territory) and one about "Mickey Mouse's Revivals (1978 - 2018)."

2. The Origins of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures monograph

This new monograph relies on huge amounts of never-seen-before material including the diaries of cinematographers Al and Elma Milotte, their "lost" autobiography, storyboards of many of the early, unproduced True-Life Adventures and a lot more. It will be the first time ever that this story will be told. The layout of the monograph is now in the process of being approved by Disney, and (depending on how things evolve with COVID), the monograph should be released by the Hyperion Historical Alliance Press at some point next year.

3. 2021 Hyperion Historical Alliance Annual

I have submitted two essays for the 2021 HHA Annual. One about "Bianca Majolie in the Story Department" (I have uncovered huge amounts of new material since I released that chapter about Bianca in They Drew as They Pleased - Volume 1) and one about "Walt Kelly in the Story Department" (including a surprising revelation about the origins of Pogo).

LONGER TERM

4. Walt Disney's Adventures in Music, History and Nature monograph

I have started researching the second volume of the "True-Life Adventures" monograph series. That second volume which will focus on "Beaver Valley" and "The Olympic Elk," but also on two parallel series that Walt was working on at the time: "Adventures in Music" and "Adventures in History".

5. Mickey Mouse on Stage and on Radio in the 1930s monograph (in collaboration with Libby Spatz)

Full of new info and never-seen-before photos of the Fanchon and Marco shows, the Roxy Theater show, the Stadler and Rose shows, the "Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air" radio show, the British "Meet Mickey Mouse!" radio show and a lot more...

6. The Making of Walt Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People monograph (in collaboration with Jim Hollifield)

Complete with an in-depth exploration of Walt Disney's trip to Ireland in 1946. Full of stunning never-seen-before photographs. I am currently awaiting the detailed diaries of one of the storytellers who met Walt in Ireland in 1946. Can't wait to get them in a few weeks and to get the entries translated from Gaelic to English.

7. Two essays for the 2022 HHA Annual

If all goes well, I am planning to research and write two essays for that issue of the Annual. One will be about Walt Disney and Hans Christian Andersen, the other about a proposed collaboration between The Walt Disney Studios and the French animation studio Les Gemeaux in 1946/47.

Of course, all the "longer term" projects are now progressing more slowly than planned due to the impact of the pandemic.

More about all of this soon...

Sunday, August 30, 2020

This upcoming book may not technically be a Disney history book, but artist T.S. Sullivant's art has inspired the art of so many Disney artists over the years, that mentioning it here is a no-brainer. Can't wait!