Friday, December 31, 2021


I just stumbled upon this very rare clip (see 0:27 onwards) which shows a float titled “The Court of Funnies,” which appeared in the Christmas parade sponsored by the Eaton Department store on November 17, 1934 in Toronto, Canada. The same parade also appeared in Montreal on November 24, 1934.

Happy 2022 to all of you! 

Thursday, December 30, 2021


And here is one more book I am looking forward to.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

 The Disney Books Network has finally been updated today. Apologies for the delay.

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

I realized a few days ago that, in the 1930s and the 1940s, the magazine Collier's contained a lot of special artwork created for it by the Disney Studios. I still have a lot to explore on this new trail, but here is a first example from an issue dated June 30, 1934. 

 

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

I had always wanted to watch Steel and America, the 1965 educational film produced by Disney for the American Iron and Steel Institute. I finally found a link to the whole documentary.
 

Sunday, December 19, 2021


 The autobiography of Don Bluth is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Can't wait!!

Monday, December 13, 2021


One of the monographs I am working on at the moment (along with my friend and fellow Disney historian Libby Spatz) includes a chapter that deals with Mickey Mouse marionette shows from the 1930s. While tying some loose ends on the chapter, I stumbled upon this upcoming book, which is now available for pre-order on Amazon. 

Bob Baker started working on Disney-related shows when he was just a kid. Later in his life was the man behind some of Disneyland most elaborate display windows. Apparently the book includes quite a few pages (and photos) related to his Disney career. 

Tuesday, December 07, 2021

Did you enjoy Robin Allan's book, Walt Disney and Europe? Did you love the catalog of the 2007 Grand Palais exhibition, Once Upon a Time Walt Disney? If so, you will love the catalog of the new Met exhibition, Inspiring Walt Disney, written by Wolf Burchard.

Wolf really did his homework and this catalog is a "must-have." There is not much that we have not seen before when it comes to Disney artwork, but the choice of documents is excellent and the contextualization is what makes this book so valuable. The text is also well written and very well researched.

Monday, December 06, 2021


Last week I received a copy of the new book The Art of Aaron Blaise. Blaise directed Brother Bear and served as visual development artist on several Disney and non-Disney animated features, including the unproduced Disney project King of the Elves.

The book contains a large amount of Disney-related artwork (for produced and unproduced projects) which is, surprisingly, not identified as having been created for Disney. I was delighted to see that artwork appear in book form. 

Sunday, December 05, 2021

 New Disneyland auction coming up at Van Eaton Galleries.

Friday, December 03, 2021

Women of Walt Disney Imagineering is finally available for pre-order on Amazon! I cannot wait to read it when it is released next year.
 

Monday, November 29, 2021


I just received a copy of Marcy Carriker Smothers' new book, Walt's Disneyland -- A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney.

I love the quality of the research that Marcy conducted for the book. The text is fascinating from start to finish and the amount of original quotes that Marcy gathered is astounding. Reading this book is a pure delight.

My only two disappointments are that this is a soft-cover book and the fact that very few of the illustrations are new. I suspect that most of this is due to the pandemic which made access to new visual documents almost impossible.

All in all this book is a "must have", though. Way to go Marcy.

Friday, November 26, 2021


I just received The Art of Disney Encanto and am very much looking forward to watching the movie when it is released on Disney+ (since Rita and I are yet to venture to a cinema).

As always I loved this book from publisher Chronicle Books. The talent of concept artists Lorelay Bove and Byron Howard never ceases to amaze me, and it is a delight to discover new artists like art director Camille Andre through this new publication.

Can't wait (but will have to) to see the movie!

Tuesday, November 23, 2021


Jim Korkis just emailed me to let me know that Dick Nunis had announced at Destination D the upcoming release of his autobiography via Disney Editions. Can't wait!

Thursday, November 18, 2021

The Disney Revolt by my good friend and fellow Disney historian Jake Friedman is now available for pre-order on Amazon. 

I have had a chance to read an early version of the manuscript and I can confirm that this will be one of the best Disney history books of 2022 and probably of the decade.

This is the first time I understood clearly the day by day chronology of the 1941 Disney strike and who did what and why.

This is a balanced account, a meticulously researched story, and a beautifully written book, which should be at the very top of your wish list!  

 

Wednesday, November 17, 2021


John Musker just created those marvelous caricatures for the cover of Walt's People - Volume 26, which should be released in a few weeks.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021


In my book Disney's Grand Tour, I wrote:

"On his last full day in Paris, July 2, 1935, Walt took time to discover the office of the daily newspaper Paris-Soir. There he had lunch with actor Robert Montgomery; Paris-Soir’s General Manager; actress Nicole de Rouves; M. de Kermaingant; and MGM’s representative in Paris, Allan Byre; as well as Curtis Melnitz, Sam Cohen, and Marcel Teyssère from United Artists."

I just stumbled this morning upon a photo of this event and thought many of you would enjoy it as much as I did!

Monday, November 15, 2021


This new book just in from Jim Korkis:

[Are you smarter than a Disney Historian?

Of course you are because nobody can know everything about Walt Disney World.   In this book, author Jim Korkis who is an acknowledged and respected Disney Historian has provided 500 multiple choice questions about fifty years of WDW.

 

The 500 questions are divided into ten different sections. In keeping with the spirit of WDW’s 50th anniversary, they are gathered in groups of 50. Readers can pick and choose which sections they might want to try or skip or even what order to try and answer them.

 

Everything from the individual parks to the resorts to things outside the parks and resorts are included as well as WDW history.  Additional sections feature lists of fifty years of historical highlights, fun facts and more.

 

These are not the typical questions that can be found on the internet but questions and answers that were verified by the Walt Disney Company over the last thirty years.   Jim was responsible for writing many trivia quizzes and fun fact media sheets for WDW so all of that information had to go through scrutiny of several Disney departments including the Disney Archives for final approval.

 

The answer section does not just provide the correct answer but is usually several sentences to explain fully why it was the right answer or why the other choices were wrong.  In that way, even if someone got the question correct, they might still learn a little bit more.

 

Jim hopes this book will encourage readers to go back and re-look at something at Walt Disney World in a different perspective that they might have seen dozens of times or maybe discover a hidden treasure they never knew had always been there like how leaf imprints are created in Disney’s concrete walkways or which Port Orleans ferry boat has a misspelled name.

 

The book is formatted so that even after taking the quiz, it can still be used as a valuable reference and an opportunity to irritate other people by quizzing them.]

Monday, November 08, 2021


I had never seen this clip of Walt arriving in the Netherlands in 1951

Thanks to François Monferran for the heads up!

Wednesday, November 03, 2021


I am looking forward to reading this new issue of Disney Twenty-Three.

Friday, October 29, 2021


This just in from Jim Korkis:

[Vault of Walt Volume 10: Final Edition brings to a close the best-selling decade-long series of books that showcased the rarely told and out-of-the-ordinary stories of Disney history that never appear in any other books.

 

The books are each divided into four distinct sections devoted to Walt Disney, Disney films, Disney theme parks and oddball niche material.   All of these tales are based on decades of research, dozens of exclusive interviews with people who worked at Disney and obscure, long out-of-print magazines and articles. 

 

These stories have helped to fill in many gaps in Disney history as well as being praised by Walt Disney’s oldest daughter, Diane Disney Miller.   Disney historian Jim Korkis has tried to squeeze in even more stories that usual for this final volume.

 

This particular edition highlights how a young Walt Disney survived a virus pandemic that took the lives of millions of Americans, the complete story of every project comedian Robin Williams did at the Walt Disney Company, how Walt Disney World handles the threat of hurricanes, and a detailed look behind the creation of Jessica Rabbit.

 

That’s only the beginning!  Stories about Walt’s personal adventures in Hawaii, the true story behind Disneyland’s Indian Village, a lengthy overview of Disney postage stamps and the behind-the-scenes information on films like Enchanted, Dick Tracy and Condorman as well as much, much more fill these pages to overflowing.

 

With the recent flood of Disney related books and the ever-increasing difficulty in finding and verifying obscure information, it is now an appropriate time to conclude this popular series of ten books that will all remain in print to inform and entertain Disney fans as well as provide valuable and accurate research material for future scholars. 



Walt Stories

First Official Walt Disney Biography

Young Walt Survives the Pandemic

The Walt Disney U.S. Postage Stamp

Walt Disney’s Final Awards

Hawaiian Walt

The Walt and Lilly Love Story

Film Stories

The Making of Enchanted (2007)

Disney’s Dick Tracy (1990)

Robin Williams at Disney

Condorman (1981)

The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1964)

Goofy’s Freeway Phobia (1965)

Theme Park Stories

Disneyland’s Indian Village

From Swiss Family to Tarzan Treehouse

Monsanto’s Adventure Thru Inner Space

Story of Toy Story Land

Walt Disney World Versus the Hurricanes

The Opening of Disney MGM Studios

Other Disney Stories

A Brief Glimpse at Disney’s Philatelic History

Lux Radio Theater: The Disney Adaptations

Roy Williams

Disney Family Album

Dumbo’s Mothers

Jessica Rabbit: Drawn to Be Bad]

Friday, October 15, 2021


VOLUNTEER NEEDED IN TORONTO

In the context of my research about Mickey Mouse on Stage and on Radio in the 1930s, I am trying to find a volunteer based in Toronto who would be willing to conduct some research in person at the Archives of Toronto (in the T. Eaton Company Fonds). 

If you would like to help, could you email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com?

Tuesday, October 12, 2021


Claude Coats -- Walt Disney's Imagineer is definitely one of the great Disney history books of the season. Kuddos to Dave Bossert and Alan Coats!


At 101 Ruthie was still answering my emails from her iPhone. I am saddened at the news of her passing at 111, but what a wonderful life!

Monday, October 11, 2021

Why would I mention this cook book on the Disney History blog? 

Simply put, because, thanks to author Marcy Carriker Smothers, what used to be just a beautiful book about Disney food has now been updated to include several sections about historical facts related to Walt Disney World restaurants and their history, including some wonderful pieces of concept art which I had never seen before. To make matters even better, several of those pieces are by Disney Legend Dorothea Redmond.
 

Sunday, October 10, 2021

I just got a heads up from my friend David Peake about these two upcoming books. I will definitely pick up both the one about The Little Mermaid and the one about The Lion King!



 

Thursday, October 07, 2021


I just spotted this upcoming book (March 2022) and will order a copy as soon as pre-order of the physical version becomes available on Amazon. 

Wednesday, October 06, 2021


This book was released a few months ago and I should have mentioned it much earlier. The author, Renée Farrington, is the daughter of Disney artist Ray Patin (one of the talented animators of Disney's Golden Age). Her heavily illustrated and beautifully written memoir takes us from the Golden Age of animation all the way to her most recent adventures in the shadow of the Hollywood sign. This is truly a delightful read.

There are a few chapters about her father's career at Disney and after Disney, with some great, never-seen-before illustrations. However the book is Renée's autobiography and therefore most of its is not about Disney, but about what it was like to grow up in Hollywood, "in the shadow of the sign."


Friday, October 01, 2021

Did one of you happen to buy this lot recently? If so, could you please email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com? Thanks in advance,
 

Thursday, September 30, 2021


Yesterday evening I received a review copy of the book A Portrait of Walt Disney World which will be officially released tomorrow. Written by my friends Kevin Kern, Tim O'Day, and Steven Vagnini, this huge volume is definitely a must-have and will probably become one of the very best Disney books of the year, along with Jim Cora's autobiography, the Claude Coats biography and Marcy Smother's Walt's Disneyland.

At first glance, the balance of illustrations and text is excellent and there seems to be a very large amount of photographs and pieces of artwork that we had not seen until now in book form.

Knowing how great Kevin Kern, Tim O'Day, and Steven Vagnini are on the historical angle, I am expecting that the text will be full of fun surprises.

I can't wait to start reading. In the meantime, you all know what one of your gifts should be this holiday season. 

Wednesday, September 22, 2021


I just picked up the autobiography of Maureen O'Hara, which contains an excellent chapter about the making of The Parent Trap.

Monday, September 20, 2021


One of my good friends just gave me a head up about this upcoming book / exhibition catalog. I am not certain that the exhibition or the book will contain any section about Nielsen's work for Disney but I know that some of you will want to be aware of this upcoming release.

Friday, September 17, 2021


Here is another autobiography I cannot wait to pick up when it is released next month!

Thursday, September 16, 2021

I am finishing to read Hayley Mills' wonderful autobiography. I have owned the autobiography of her father, John Mills, for quite a while. It is also excellent.

What I discovered yesterday, though, is that her mother also wrote her memoirs. I just bought a copy on AbeBooks. 

 

Monday, September 06, 2021

I am just back from a delightful trip to Walt Disney World and had the pleasure of discovering and buying this book about the 25 Anniversary of The Disney Conservation Fund. It was released last year. Little text and mostly beautiful pictures.

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Sad, sad news: Jack Couffer Dies: Oscar-Nominated Cinematographer Behind ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ Was 96

Fortunately Jack wrote various excellent books of memoirs and I also released an interview with him in Walt's People.

R.I.P.

Friday, August 06, 2021


 Looking forward to this upcoming issue of Disney Twenty-Three.

Friday, July 23, 2021

  

Spectacular auction coming up at Heritage Auctions on August 6 to 8!

Friday, July 09, 2021


 Do you live in Italy? If so, you do not want to miss this upcoming exhibition!

Thursday, July 08, 2021

Here are two photos of Walt I had never seen before and that I located this week. In the first one he is traveling to the Chicago's Century of Progress exhibition. On the second one he is on his way back.

 

Wednesday, July 07, 2021


 Interesting Disneyana auction coming up at the end of the month.

Tuesday, July 06, 2021

Lucie Dolene was the French voice of Snow White and was "the French June Foray." 

I can't wait to buy and read her recently released autobiography (in French, of course).
 

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

What am I up to at the moment? While the pandemic slowed many projects down, I still have a lot cooking these days... a few projects that I cannot yet reveal (including one in collaboration with historians JB Kaufman and Ted Thomas) and a few that I can: 

1. The manuscript of Walt's People - Volume 26 is ready and being reviewed by contributors. I expect it to be released around October of this year.

2. The monograph about The Origins of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures is awaiting review and approval by Disney and show be available well before the end of the year, if things go according to plan.

3. And along with my friend and fellow historian, Libby Spatz, I am currently tackling one of my most ambitious projects to date: a monograph titled Mickey Mouse on Stage and on Radio in the 1930s. We are making so many outstanding discoveries (among other things thanks to many volunteers around the US and around the world) that I have a feeling that the monograph may have to be split into two volumes. The photograph above is one of my latest finds. It dates from 1936 and features the two entertainers from New Zealand Reg Morgan and Albert Russell as they hosted the first Mickey Mouse radio program in Australia, "The Adventures of Mickey Mouse."

Sunday, June 27, 2021

 The Disney Books Network has just been updated.

Friday, June 25, 2021

An exhibition about Disney's cinematographer Ernst A. Heiniger, "famous" for his role on one of the People and Places and on Grand Canyon, is now taking place in Switzerland. A catalog of the exhibition has been released and I just ordered a copy.

A documentary about Ernst A. Heiniger has also been posted at this link on YouTube. 

Thanks to Jim Hollifield for the heads up this morning.
 

Tuesday, June 15, 2021


 If you can read Finnish, do not miss this newly released book.

Sunday, June 13, 2021

 
 
VOLUNTEER NEEDED IN DAYTON, OHIO

Is one of you based in Dayton, Ohio (or nearby) and willing to conduct some fascinating Disney-history-related research at Wright State University? If so, could you email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com?
 
There is an amazing, untapped collection there which is bound to contain a lot of photographs linked to Mickey Mouse in the 1930s. This ad from 1931 gives a small clue about the story.
 
Thanks in advance. Fingers crossed.

Friday, June 11, 2021


 Sometimes Mickey Mouse is a little scary...