Sadly...

Tyrus Wong Dies at 106

OK, I am finally able to focus on the blog again. Apologies for the short absence over the past few days.

While researching the career of story artist Leo Salkin, I stumbled upon the digital archives on The American Legion Magazine. They contain a few cool Disney-related pieces and I will be posting a few of them over the next few weeks.

This first one dates from October 1934 and is an homage of Walt Disney to The Stars and Stripes cartoonist Albian A. Wallgren.

Sadly: Disney Legend Charlie Ridgeway Has Passed Away.

The blog is a little silent these days as I am trying to complete or kick-start a few important projects:

1. Jack-Of-All-Trades - Interviews with Ken Anderson by Paul F. Anderson: The manuscript is now complete and if all goes well the book will be released by early February.

2. Walt's People - Volume 19: The book is ready and only awaiting the cover drawing so I am really hoping to see it in print in February or March.

3. I spent a large part of the last 10 days editing the first volume of the Ward Kimball Diaries (1939 to 1941). This is absolutely fascinating stuff. If all goes well this book will be release in May and maybe even a little earlier. We will see.

4. I also plan to start editing soon some of the sections of the Leo Salkin autobiography and diaries.

4. And of course I am hard at work correcting the galleys of They Drew As They Pleased - Volume 3 and writing They Drew As They Pleased - Volume 4.

I love it.

I am working on the chapter about Tom Oreb for the 4th volume of They Drew As They Pleased. Some of the great drawings I stumbled upon while researching his career at the Animation Research Library were some wonderful designs for characters of Paul Bunyan. Unfortunately, what I cannot tell is whether Oreb created those in 1946 when Paul Bunyan was viewed as one of the sequences of the planned American Folklore package feature (which was later abandoned) or whether he drew them ten years later when the project was revived as a short.

In any case, I thought you would enjoy this article from July 25, 1946 (not linked to Oreb) which discusses the "research" process.

The Disney Books Network was updated this weekend.

Not about Disney, but definitely a book I will pick up next year!

This just in from Theme Park Press:

[DISNEY UNBUILT

Mickey's Attic

For all that Disney has built, there's so much more it hasn't built. Here's your nickel tour of the parks, lands, attractions, restaurants, and hotels that hatched from the fertile minds of the Disney Imagineers, from the 1950s to the present, but that you'll likely never see or experience.

Okay, mouse fans, time for some straight talk. This book is a pocket guide. You can't fit an encyclopedia in your pocket. If you're looking for definitive scholarship about Thunder Mesa and Beastly Kingdom and Muppet Studio and the many other well-known abandoned Disney projects, you won't find it here. Far from it!

What you will find, and what makes this book so unique, is that it's all here, every serious and every whimsical notion that Imagineering ever put in a blueprint, or on a napkin, in little digestible slices of Disney magic.

Did you know that Disney once planned:

- A "Tower of Terror" based on Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein—and then on the novels of Stephen King

- A brand-new theme park about the "history of America", with such things as a Civil War fort, a Dust Bowl farm, and a World War II airfield

- A new pavilion in Epcot all about the weather and sponsored by ... the Weather Channel

- An "Australia" section of Animal Kingdom to go along with the existing Africa and Asia sections

And I'm just getting started. The most obscure, the most truly forgotten Imagineering wishes and fancies are here in this sampler of might have been.]

And so, in no particular order, here is the list of the Disney history books which I consider as the "must haves" of 2016:

THE ART BOOKS

Ghez, Didier: They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years published by Chronicle Books; 2016.

Kothenschulte, Daniel (editor): The Walt Disney Film Archives: The Animated Movies 1921-1968 published by Taschen; 2016.

Cline, Rebecca: The Walt Disney Studios: A Lot to Remember published by Disney Editions; 2016.

Neary, Kevin and Susan: The Disney Park Maps published by Disney Editions; 2016.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

Care, Ross: Disney Legend Wilfred Jackson - A Life in Animation published by Theme Park Press; 2016.

Shaw, Mel: Animator on Horseback published by Theme Park Press; 2016.

Penfield, Bob: The Last Original Disneylander: Stories & Secrets from the Last to Retire of the First to Be Hired published by Bonaventure Press; 2016.

Levy, Lawrence: To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2016.

OTHER GREAT BOOKS

Pierce, Todd James: Three Years in Wonderland published by University Press of Mississippi; 2016.

Becattini, Alberto: Disney Comics: The Whole Story published by Theme Park Press; 2016.

Ghez, Didier (editor): Walt's People - Volume 18 published by Theme Park Press; 2016.

Korkis, Jim: Walt's Words: Quotations of Walt Disney with Sources published by Theme Park Press; 2016.

THE EXPANDED REPRINTS

Kaufman, J.B.; Merritt, Russell: Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series published by Disney Editions; 2016.

West, John G.: Walt Disney and Live Action: The Disney Studio's Live-Action Features of the 1950s and 60s published by Theme Park Press; 2016.

If all goes well, I will post later today my selection of the best Disney history books of 2016. More soon...

After years of efforts, Ross Care's book about Wilfred Jackson is finally available on Amazon. Here is what I wrote last week for the back cover:

[Disney Legend Wilfred Jackson was universally recognized by his colleagues and by animation historians as the best and most thorough of Disney directors.

He is the man behind Academy-Award winners The Tortoise and the Hare, The Country Cousin, and The Old Mill and the director of some of the most famous sequences from Disney’s animated features.

For seven years, “Jaxon” corresponded with Disney historian Ross Care. In his letters to Care he discussed in tremendous details his career, his thought process and his work on the Disney shorts and features. These fascinating letters are a treasure trove for Disney history enthusiasts.

In addition, while preparing this volume, Ross and editor Didier Ghez discovered Jaxon’s unpublished diary as well as a series of captivating letters that the director sent to his family in 1945 during the filming of Song of the South.

All these priceless documents as well as Ross Care’s in-depth essay about Jaxon’s career are presented in this book for the very first time.]

Quick reminder about the astounding upcoming auction from Heritage Auctions (December 11). You can see the catalog at this link.

This just in from Todd James Pierce:

[I know that Bob has been working on this book for years--about his experiences as the last member of Club 55 to retire. He was hired when Disneyland opened, worked with Walt and has a window on Main Street. (I also understand that there's a hardback version that will be available later this month.)]

This just in from Bob McLain from Theme Park Press. The book is available at this link.

[Who Let the Mouse Out of the Bag?

In a vault deep beneath Main Street, U.S.A., under princess lock and skeleton key, Disney keeps its big, forbidden book of secrets. This isn't that book. But it's probably the closest we'll ever get to the tales that Disney doesn't tell about your favorite theme park attractions.

For most guests at a Disney theme park, it's enough to know when the park opens, where the rides are, and how long it'll take to get on those rides.

But that's not you, is it? You're not a low-information guest.

You know that a Disney attraction doesn't just pop up in a park one day, no questions asked. There's a method to the magic, a plan for making all that pixie dust happen, a high-stakes, high-thrills narrative available—once upon a time—to insiders only. Now it's demystified for one and all.

Put down that FastPass. You won't need it. You're in the right queue for E-ticket adventures behind the scenes at the Jungle Cruise, the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, and many more. Boarding now...

Disney Demystified! When the mystery ends, the magic really begins!]

David Peake just stumbled upon this link which gives us a glimpse into various exciting books to come. Those I am most looking forward to are:

Ink & Paint - The Women of Walt Disney's Animation by Mindy Johnson (Sept. 5, 2017)

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons by David Bossert and David Gerstein (August 29, 2017)

Travels with Walt Disney - A Photographic Voyage Around the World by Jeff Kurtti (July 25, 2017)

A Kiss Goodnight by Richard Sherman, illustrated by Floyd Norman (August 22, 2017)

Shanghai Disneyland - A Celebration of Dreams by Fangxing Pitcher (June 13, 2017)

I am currently working on the chapter about Tom Oreb for the fourth volume of the They Drew As They Pleased book series, and I am learning a lot, as always. For example, I had totally forgotten that Tom Oreb had drawn the cartoons that illutrate the 1943 Disney booklet, The Ropes at Disney.

The last two years have been the best ones in a long, long time when it comes to animated features. From mys standpoint, Zootopia, Inside Out, Kubo and the Two Strings and now Moana are not just animated masterpieces, they are movie masterpieces.

I was glad to watch John  Muster and Ron Clements' latest movie this weekend, I was happy to see that it was a triumph at the box office, and I was delighted to receive this week a review copy of The Art of Moana from Chronicle Books. The Kakamora are my favorite characters in the movie and I loved seeing how the designs evolved.

I am biased, of course, but I have to admit that I love those volumes from Chronicle Books. As always, their passion for the product shows in every single detail.  Once more: kuddos to them!

On December 11, Heritage Auction will hold another spectacular Animation Art auction. As always, they have located quite a few rare masterpieces including those two spendlid ones by Mary Blair. The one from Susie, the Little Blue Coupe is one of only 5 pieces by Mary Blair from that short that I am aware of.

You can check out the catalog at this link.

This just in from Theme Park Press:

[SKIPPER STORIES
True Tales from Disneyland's Jungle Cruise

Real Skippers of Disneyland

In this unique oral history of Disneyland's iconic attraction, the World Famous Jungle Cruise, dozens of skippers, from the 1950s to the present, share harrowing, humorous, sometimes even horrific tales of their pun-fraught voyages and their behind-the-scenes hellraising.

The Jungle Cruise is that most unusual of Disney attractions where the ride itself is secondary to the cast member. Once the boat leaves the dock, Disney no longer controls the experience; your skipper does.

Former skipper and now history professor David John Marley presents the uncensored stories of six decades of Jungle Cruise skippers. Their never-before-spieled tales include:

- Skipper selection, skipper training, how the ride works, and no-holds-barred confessions of what life is like in the jungle

- Celebrity guests: the good, the bad, and the entitled, and one very public embarrassment, skipper style

- The rite of passage for new Jungle Cruise skippers: peeing in the river

- Drunken orgies, stand-up comedy, and a heist that led to one skipper's permanent expulsion from Disneyland

- Pranks and more pranks, from the comic to the cruel, with dickish skippers and unruly guests learning the law of the jungle

Welcome to the Jungle...]

This just in from Theme Park Press about The Walt Disney World that Never Was:

[The Imagineering Graveyard

On an alternate earth, Walt Disney World guests are taking in the thrills of Thunder Mesa, braving the Beastly Kingdom, marveling at Villains Mountain, and staying the night at Disney's Persian Resort. Want to join them? This is your guidebook to the theme park that Disney never built.

In this unique, extensively researched book, Christopher Smith discusses the many attractions, shows, and resorts that were planned for Walt Disney World, from opening day to the present day, but that exist only in the minds of Imagineers.

You'll find old "favorites" such as Thunder Mesa and Beastly Kingdom, as well as those lost to the pixie dust of time, like Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers, the Enchanted Snow Palace, and Buffalo Junction. Smith looks at the politics and internal struggles behind the decision to shelve each concept, and imagines what guests might have experienced.

Every park at Walt Disney World - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios - has its hidden cache of "lost" attractions. They're all here, along with the many resort hotels that Disney intended to build, but didn't.

Put aside those guidebooks of the Walt Disney World that is, and come to a vacation kingdom that you can visit only if you find the second star to the right and then keep straight on till morning.]

The French version of Garry Apgar's great book about Mickey is available at this link.

I need to get a copy of the catalog from this Japanese exhibition. Could anyone help?

Very much looking forward to the book by James Bohn, Music in Disney's Animated Features: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Jungle Book, which will be released in June next year.

I will be in "survival" mode over the next few weeks in order not to lose my mind. This blog will be updated again around November 22.

This upcoming book has just been announced by David Bossert on his web site. Can't wait!

[OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT

The Search For The Lost Cartoons

By David A. Bossert

SUMMER 2017

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Cartoons is an in-depth look at the origins of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio first major animation success in 1927, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The latest book from author David Bossert will explore the importance of this character from the rejection of the first Oswald short, Poor Papa, to the well-received second short, Trolley Troubles, to losing the rights to the character all together. This book will cover the definitive history of all twenty-six Walt Disney directed Oswald cartoons.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is a seminal part of the early Walt Disney Company history. Without the Disney Bros. losing the rights to Oswald, there may very well never have been a Mickey Mouse created. This new book will track the history of Oswald using rare, never before seen, surviving documentation; letters between Walt Disney and his brother Roy O.; early photos from the Kingswell Road and Hyperion Studio facilities; the film shorts; the repatriation of Oswald to Disney from Universal in 2005; and of course the Sportscaster Al Michaels connection.

This compelling, profusely illustrated volume is targeted to Disney animation aficionados and fans alike with an introduction by author and Disney historian J.B. Kaufman and archival editing by David Gerstein. It is the definitive Oswald the Lucky Rabbit reference for libraries, film schools, and anyone with an interest in the silent film era of early Hollywood and the animation film industry. This newest book by Bossert will coincide with the 90th Anniversary of Oswald and releases in the summer of 2017.]

This just in about upcoming books from Chronicle Books by David Peake:

[THE ART OF CARS 3 Preface by John Lasseter Foreword by Brian Fee Introduction by Bill Cone and Jay Shuster Pixar Animation Studios presents The Art of Cars 3, a behind-the-scenes look at the concept art from the latest film in the popular Cars franchise. Fascinating storyboards, full-color pastels, digital paintings, and more offer a unique perspective into the beloved world of Lightning McQueen and his friends, new and old. With a preface by John Lasseter, foreword by director Brian Fee and an introduction by production designers Bill Cone and Jay Shuster, The Art of Cars 3 is a scenic road trip through a masterfully animated film. Hardcover, $40.00, 28 x 23 cm, 160 pages, plus gatefold, full-color illustrations throughout, 6000 words, Spring 2017

THE ART OF COCO Foreword by John Lasseter Introduction by Lee Unkrich Pixar Animation Studio’s latest film is the celebration of a lifetime, where the discovery of a generations-old mystery leads to a most extraordinary and surprising family reunion. Filled with captivating storyboards, character sketches, and gorgeous full-color digital paintings, The Art of Coco draws back the curtain to provide a fascinating look at the development art that inspired Pixar’s most mesmerizing world to date. Hardcover, $40.00, 28cm x 23cm, 176 pages, full-color illustrations throughout, 6,000 words

THE COLOR OF PIXAR Introduction by Tia Kratter This eye-catching new hardcover collects more than 300 images from the Pixar Animation Studio archive, arranged in a stunning spectrum of color. Using gorgeous final frames from iconic feature films that focus on hidden moments and unexpected color palettes within beloved films, this colorful cross section of work from more than 30 years at Pixar is elegant in its simplicity and bold in its vision. Eye-catching and in a gift-friendly package, this book will be a centerpiece for any Pixar fan. Hardcover, $29.95, 20 x 15 cm, 352 pages, full-color images throughout, 500 words, Fall 2017]

The catalog of the upcoming Van Eaton Galleries auction is now online.

Really looking forward to finally ready this book.

I have now received this book and I LOVE it. This is an extremely important reference volume. Finally a book full of "real" Walt quotes and not invented ones. (Of course some of the quotes come from articles that Walt only signed - but as long as he allowed for his name to be featured at the end of an article, even if an article was not actually written by him the words became his.) Finally a book in which Jim lists his sources carefully.

This is a "must have".

Do not miss this wonderful homage to Mitsuo Natsume: The Forgotten Imagineer!

The new Hake's auction is now online. The most spectacular piece it features is this beautiful Kay Nielsen which I had never seen before.

The blog will be updated again next Monday.

I can't stand the cover of this book but apparently, from what I hear, its content is excellent. According to the publisher:

[On the Road with Walt

British university professor and Disney scholar Lee Brooks chronicles the road trip he took with his family from Anaheim to Orlando, and all "Walt" points in between, in search of how America molded Walt Disney, and how Walt gave voice to our values, our dreams, and a big slice of our pop culture.

The best way to understand Walt Disney is to follow in his footsteps—literally. And the best way to understand his "mythical America" is to look at it through the perspective of someone foreign to it. On a road trip! In the passenger seat of a rented blue Ford Fusion, Lee Brooks attempts to unravel the skein of history, fantasy, and pop culture that for a few decades took the guise of Walt Disney.

Watch for the exit signs to:

- Anaheim, California, where the trip begins, and where the spirit of Walt Disney is seen reflected in the windows along Main Street, USA

- Kansas City, Missouri, where the McConahay Building, home to Walt Disney's first studio, Laugh-O-Gram, still stands, in derelict grandeur

- Marceline, Missouri, where the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, in the stillness of an old railroad depot, opens for a few hours each day to reveal its preserved relics from Walt's past

- Orlando, Florida, where the Magic Kingdom that Walt inspired but didn't live to visit still evokes much of what's mythical about America, and about Walt himself

ARE WE THERE YET?]

The catalog of Van Eaton's upcoming Disneyland-related auction is now available for pre-order.

This just in from Disney historian Jake Friedman:

[I'm looking for a volunteer in LA who would make use of the public library and send me scans from within 4 months of Daily Variety.  Or someone who has online access to their archives. [The volunteer would get] research credit in my book [about Art Babbitt]. This would not take more than part of a day.]

Could somebody help? If so, please email me (didier.ghez@gmail.com) or Jake (jakefriedmantoons@gmail.com)

One more interesting book just released by Theme Park Press. According to the publisher:

[Jay Stein Builds a Better Mousetrap

After years of sitting fat and happy atop the theme park totem pole, Mickey Mouse discovered a big cat in his backyard named Jay Stein. Against stiff odds, corporate politics, and fierce opposition from Michael Eisner's Disney, Jay Stein founded Universal Studios Florida. This is how he did it.

Starting in the mailroom of MCA (now NBCUniversal), where his duties included delivering messages to stars like Alfred Hitchcock and Ronald Reagan, Jay Stein soon found himself in charge of the Universal Studio Tour, reporting directly to MCA chairman Lew Wasserman. He became a keen observer of what Walt Disney had accomplished in Disneyland—and how one day he might do even better.

That day came when Wasserman gave Jay the go-ahead to build a Universal theme park in Orlando, Florida. With help from Steven Spielberg, Jay got to work, in Jay style: no excuses, no retreats, no failures. Despite Disney's relentless attempts to sabotage the project, and ruinous infighting among members of his own team, Jay did not give up.

When the new theme park opened in 1990, it was full of Jay's patented "JayBangs"—rides and attractions that stunned, shocked, and surprised guests, dousing them with water, blasting them with air, heat, or cold, and giving them what the Disney parks of that time lacked: fear and visceral delight.

It was beating Michael Eisner at his own game. It was catching Mickey in a trap he couldn't aw-shucks his way out of. It was Jay Stein's triumph. But the man who went from delivering messages to building theme parks wasn't done yet...]

This just in from Theme Park Press:

WALT'S WORDS by JIM KORKIS

[Did Walt Really Say That?

Now you'll know for sure, in this comprehensive collection of Walt Disney's wisdom, as delivered through interviews, articles, speeches, TV appearances, and more. Each of the over 800 quotes in this book is authoritatively sourced as well. You'll be surprised by what Walt said—and what he didn't say!

Disney historian Jim Korkis has devoted a lifetime of research into assembling the most complete, most accurate, most useful compilation of Walt Disney's quotes ever put into print. For fans, it's a deep dive into the wisdom of Walt; for authors and researchers, it's an invaluable reference, as Korkis also provides the source of each quote—something you won't find anywhere else.

Walt Disney had a lot to say, about many different topics, including America, animation and films, art and music, books, business, Disneyland, education, fear and failure, Mickey Mouse, money and work, religion, storytelling, television, and women. It's all here, uncensored and unedited.

The best way to learn about Walt Disney is to read what he said, not what others have said about him. Walt's Words is the closest we'll ever get to an autobiography of Walt Disney.]

Theme Park Press is releasing a great amount of new books this week. I will be mentioning some of them on the blog over the next few days, starting with this one. John G. West's book about Disney's live-action features is a classic and one that any serious Disney historian should already have on their bookshelves. This reprint includes a large amount of never-seen-before photographs, which makes it even more exciting. The publisher wrote:

[Beyond Animation

In this definitive guide to Walt Disney's live-action output, Dr. John G. West explores an often overlooked but important chapter in Disney cinematic history: the live-action films and television shows released by the Disney studio during Walt's lifetime.

From blockbuster movies like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mary Poppins, and Treasure Island, to such lesser-known efforts as Savage Sam and Monkeys, Go Home!, West describes the production of each film in detail, with backstage stories and complete cast and crew information.

The small screen output of the Disney studio is given similar treatment: over 70 episodes of Zorro, Texas John Slaughter, Davy Crockett, and other TV series are described and catalogued, along with in-depth analyses of the shows themselves.

Plus, the book features over 80 photos, many of them never seen before, including candid shots of Walt Disney in his office.

In addition to his detailed coverage of Disney's live-action films and TV shows, West devotes several chapters to a fast-moving but comprehensive history of the Disney studio's live-action productions, from the producers, directors, writers, composers, and set directors involved, to the meanings behind Walt's live-action films and the values he sought to impart on American culture.]

Projects update

What am I working on these days? Here is a quick summary:

1. They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Late Golden Age

The third volume in the They Drew As They Pleased book series focuses on the artists from the Story Research and Character Model Departments: Eduardo Sola Franco, Johnny Walbridge, Jack Miller, Campbell Grant, James Bodrero, and Martin Provensen.

The text is now finalized and all the illustrations approved by Disney. I will see the first layouts in November. Exciting! This will be a huge volume (248 pages long vs. the usual 208).

2. Walt's People - Volume 19

The manuscript has been finalized and sent to the contributors for comments. If all goes well it will be released before the end of the year.

3. The Wilfred Jackson correspondence and diaries

As you know, I helped historian Ross Care put together a book which, among its exciting content, includes Wilfred Jackson's diaries, and letters from the set of Song of the South. The book will be released in December this year.

4. The Snow White interviews - Part 1

I also had the pleasure of editing the interviews with artists who worked on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by David Johnson. Those will be released in two separate volumes, the first one of which should be released this year.

5. They Drew As They Pleased - Volume 4

The volume will focus on the 1950s and 1960s. It will include artwork by (and chapters about) Lee Blair, Mary Blair, Tom Oreb, John Dunn, and Walt Peregoy. I have written the first drafts of the chapters about Lee Blair and Walt Peregoy and will be hard at work researching at the Disney Archives and Animation Research Library next month.

6. Walt's People - Volume 20

I am starting to work on the different chapters for that volume.

7. The autobiography of Leo Salkin

After 6 years of intense research, the lost autobiography of storyman Leo Salkin has been located by yours truly. It is a fascinating document and I am working with Leo's granddaughter to get it released next year in book form.

8. The Ward Kimball diaries

This is a long term project, but I am still working on it along with a few other Disney historians.

I may pick up this book when it comes out.

Quick heads up from Garry Apgar about this new French book which might interest a few of you (I think I will pass).

Thanks to my good friend and fellow Disney historian, Mindy Johnson, I have recently discovered the only known photo of Bela Lugosi posing as Chernabog to guide the animators of Fantasia (especially Bill Tytla). If all goes well that photo will be released in the third volume of They Drew As They Pleased.

The filming session with Bela Lugosi took place at the Disney Studio on November 12, 1939. Now, thanks to Aaron Goldberg, author of The Disney Story, here is a clipping from the February 1940 issue of the magazine Modern Screen about that session.

Not to be missed:

- The Story of Walt Disney’s Final Official Visit to Disneyland by Dave Mason.

Interesting Goofy sketch by Thelma Witmer discovered on this website. I would love to find out more about it.

Thanks to Garry Apgar I ended up picking up a copy of this book last week and after having glanced at its content, I have to admit that I was totally wrong. This is a good book and the author has really tried to include newspaper and magazine articles that have not been seen anywhere else. There is even an article about Roy Williams and a short interview with Mary Blair that I had never seen before. Nothing earth-shattering but a good read in all cases.

This came as a total surprise to me last week: The first volume of my They Drew As They Pleased book series has just been released in Japanese!

Despite the fact that it contains extremely little text (which was my only disappointment),
Maps of the Disney Parks: Charting 60 Years from California to Shanghai is an excellent book which does beautifully what it intends to do, i.e. showcase the maps that were created for the Disney parks around the world by the likes of Sam McKim and Paul Hartley. The layout is great and it is full of little surprises which made me want to study each page carefully.

If you love the Disney parks and the Disney park maps, this is without a doubt a "must have".

This is not a book that I will pick up but some of you might be interested in the fact that it exists, hence this post.

I just picked up on ebay a copy of the British magazine Illustrated from July 30, 1949, which contains this marvelous  article about the Disneys' visit to the United Kingdom from around June 15 to August 15, 1949. I have a feeling that many of you will enjoy it. You can click on each of the pages to enlarge them.

One more book released for Disney comics enthusiasts who are also fluent in Italian.