Monday, February 16, 2026

 


My good friend and fellow Disney historian Nunziante Valoroso is trying to locate the first dubbed version of Cinderella in Italian and would appreciate any help that you could provide. (Email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com if you have any info about this.)

Here is what he told me:

[Here are the things we know on the first Italian dubbing of Cinderella

Written by Roberto de Leonardis and directed by Mario Almirante it was recorded in Rome at CDC (Compagnia doppiatori Cinematografici)

Among the voices were Tina Lattanzi (The Queen in 1938 dubbing of Snow White), Mario Besesti (Italian voice of Stromboli in Pinocchio) and Stefano Sibaldi (narrator in Peter and the Wolf and in many Disney documentaries and voice of Timothy Mouse in Dumbo)

Cinderella had the voice of Giuliana Maroni (famous character dubbing actress) and for the songs of Deddi Savagnone .

This dubbing was used only for first edition of 1950 and the reissue of 1958. The following reissue of 1967 would have a new dubbing, always made by Roberto de Leonardis that is still used, also on Disney+.

The funny thing is that Disneyland records issued a storyteller LP of Cinderella in 1965  with this first dubbing and never changed it, reprinting it also on CD in the 1990’s! So we, as children, went to cinemas and listened to the 1967 voices then, at home, listened to the old dubbing (Italian storyteller records were generally made recording music and dialogue directly from our local soundtrack)

We have always had in Italy the curiosity to listen to the COMPLETE first Italian dubbing… (The LP contained only 45 minutes, some clips were used in “Disneyland” episodes dubbed BEFORE 1967)

Do you think something could be done? ]

Friday, January 23, 2026


 My new book is now available via Stuart Ng Books. Hurrah!

Thursday, January 22, 2026


I am very impressed by this new book released by The Old Mill Press. The author did his homework beautifully and I discovered around 20 photos of Walt which I had not seen before.

A must-have for Disney parks enthusiasts.

Monday, January 19, 2026


If you love the Donald Duck comic stories created by Carl Barks (who doesn't?) and want to read them in the format that they deserve (the massive Taschen format) then this new book is definitely for you.

And it comes with an introduction that my friend Jim Fanning, which, as always, is a real joy to read.

Be warned though... you will need a bigger bookshelf or even a bigger house to store this gigantic volume.

Once again Taschen outdid themselves.

Sunday, January 18, 2026


I just received my copy of Tim Foster's new book, Spaceship Earth--The Definitive History. Once again Tim did a wonderful job with this project without access to the Disney Archives or the WDI Archives. I am really, really glad to own this book.

Is this "The Definitive History"? It is not. For this we will have to get access to the WDI archives and to read the memos and other documents related to the creation and construction of the attraction.

But is this book a marvelously detailed starting point through which I learned a lot? The answer is an unconditional "yes." Way to go Tim!

Friday, December 19, 2025

 The Disney Books Network has just been updated.

Tuesday, December 16, 2025


Wonderful news to start the day! Walt's People--Volume 31 has just been released.

As the back cover mentions:

[In this volume, animator IZZY KLEIN shares memories of story artist and Big Mouseketeer, Roy Williams, and of a prank Williams played on his colleague, Ed Penner, on a hot summer day

Actor KEVIN CORCORAN explains how, during the filming of the movie, Swiss Family Robinson, an elephant stood on his head.

Historian BOB THOMAS discusses the making of The Rescuers with sixteen Disney artists and gets candid answers from both the "old guard" and the "new blood.'

And cinematographers ERNST and JEAN HEINIGER take us to the Japan of the 1950s during the filming of two episodes of Disney's "People and Places" series Japan and Ama Girls

All this and much more...]

And here is the table of contents:

[Bob Thomas: Dorothy and Glenn Puder

The Letters of Izzy Klein

Michael Barrier: Paul Satterfield

Paul Sorokowski: Don Lusk

Ken Anderson Remembers Milt Kahl

Dave Mason: Eleanor McConville

Michael Mallory: Kathryn Beaumont

Robin Allan: Kathryn Beaumont

EMC West: Ilene Woods

Jérémie Noyer: Mary Costa

Michael Singer: Kevin Corcoran

Toshio Oka: Ernst Heiniger

Ernst Heiniger: Death is Often Closer Than You Think

Jean Heiniger: Japan as I Remember

Ernst Heiniger: A Flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo

Ernst Heiniger: A Shinto Wedding

Ernst Heiniger: The Family of Fishermen from Inatori, Japan

Jean Heiniger: A Year in the Grand Canyon

Ernst Heiniger: The Last Flight of an Owl

Ernst Heiniger: An Intimate Report on Walt Disney—Man and Genius

A Decade with Disneyland by Ed Ettinger

Bob Thomas: Andy Gaskill

Bob Thomas: Dick Sebast

Bob Thomas: Bill Cottrell

Bob Thomas: Ollie Johnston

Bob Thomas: Frank Thomas

Bob Thomas: Art Stevens

Bob Thomas: John Pomeroy

Bob Thomas: Jack Buckley

Bob Thomas: James Coleman

Bob Thomas: Cliff Nordberg

Bob Thomas: Ron Clements

Bob Thomas: Bob McCrea

Bob Thomas: Dale Baer

Bob Thomas: Don Bluth

Bob Thomas: Woolie Reitherman, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, and Larry Clemmons

Jim Korkis: Joe Ranft

Michael Broggie: Buzz Price

Bob Thomas: Buzz Price]