Two great books that none of you should miss just popped up this weekend for pre-order on Amazon:
The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney's Disneyland by Don Hahn and Christopher Merritt and After Disney: Toil, Trouble, and the Transformation of America's Favorite Company by Neil O'Brien.
This is an absolutely gorgeous art book which highlights some of the best items in the collections of The Walt Disney Family Museum.
My favorite sections are the ones that focus on the artifacts owned by Walt and his family, like items from Walt's miniature collection, the saddles Walt used on his trips with the Rancheros Visitadores, Walt's polo paraphernalia, etc.
I was also delighted to discover quite a few photos that I had never seen.
And the team of the Museum also really did their homework when it comes to the text which is both accurate and informative.
Way to go! This is a book I am bound to read and re-read often.
DISNEY HISTORY COMPETITION
Ok, let's do something fun! I am launching a Disney History competition that opens now and lasts until Monday at midnight PST.
If you have a document related to Disney history (photograph, written material, piece of artwork, etc.) that you believe I have never seen before and that will really excite me, please email it at Didier.Ghez@gmail.com (and let me know if you allow me to post it online if you win the competition).
On Tuesday next week, I will select the winner, who will receive from Skyway Press the latest 4 copies of "Walt's People," thanks to Skyway Press' owner, my friend and fellow Disney historian, Joe Campana.
I can't wait to discover new pieces of Disney history!
I just received my copy of the late Richard Williams' autobiography, Adventures in Animation, and, as expected, it is a winner.
My favorite chapters are those about Milt Kahl, Art Babbitt and Grim Natwick, of course.
I just received a copy of another extremely important book about Disney history that will be released in a few weeks, Stephen Anderson's Disney In-Between--The Lost Years 1966-1986. Here is what I wrote about it for the back cover:
At long last! This is the book about Disney history I have been waiting for more than 30 years. Stephen Anderson’s year-by-year account of the period between Walt Disney’s death and the Renaissance of Disney animation is researched with care, visually striking, thoroughly entertaining and a page-turner to boot. Thanks to this masterful volume, light is finally shining bright on those years full of drama and promise known to some as Disney’s “dark ages.”
Let's admit it, when I first saw the cover of Bring the Magic Home by Sunny Chanel I did not think that book was for me.
Yet, when I saw it at D23, I realized that I was totally wrong and that I needed it.
The photos of the themed houses interiors are stunning, but more importantly, the author decided to interview quite a few Imagineers (including Tony Baxter) and to include a good number of Disney concept paintings that I had not seen before.
Which means that the book ends up becoming not just a feast for the eyes but also a very interesting book on the periphery of Disney history.
Well-worth it from my admittedly subjective standpoint.
I like Bob Weis (Global Imagineering Ambassador and former President of Walt Disney Imagineering) very, very much, not just because of what he helped create while at WDI, but also because he cares deeply about Disney history and is one of the main drivers when it comes to cataloging and preserving Marty Sklar's papers.
It did not come as a surprise, therefore, that I loved his autobiography, Dream Chasing, which is well-written, detailed and honest.
It is a great read; one that really takes you behind the scenes at WDI. The fact that Bob also talks a lot about many of his colleagues makes the book even more valuable from my standpoint.
Definitely a "must-have."
In preparation for our panel at D23 on Friday, however, I thought you would enjoy seeing it.
Remember to come and meet us at Booth 325 to pick up your autographed copy of Walt Disney and El Grupo in Latin America.
The books is divided into three sections: Early life of Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, Disney merchandise and Disneyland.
The section of the book that I found the most exciting is the one about the early life of Walt and of Ub Iwerks. There is a lot of new material about Ub's father and about Ub's early business venture, complete with illustrations. And Mike digs quite deep into the environment in which Walt grew up, which is also very interesting. You will not find any really new info about Walt himself but you will about his surroundings (complete with illustrations).
The section about Disneyana did not include anything new to me.
I am not a Disneyland specialist so I cannot give you an educated opinion about the third section of the book, save to say that I really enjoyed the story about the 10 millionth visitor of the park and the 10,000 pennies he was awarded by Walt.
Overall, this book is a good read, but particularly valuable if you are into Disney history minutiae and if you are especially interested in the childhood and teenage years of Ub and Walt.
BOOTH 325: This is the Hyperion Historical Alliance booth at D23 The Ultimate Fan Event.
Please come and meet us there from Friday August 9 to Sunday August 11.
You will be able to buy our latest releases: our 4 Annuals and the three HHA Monographs, including Walt Disney and El Grupo in Latin America and The Origins of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures.
You will also be able to meet many Disney historians and members of the HHA, including Paula Sigman-Lowery, Leslie Smith, Steve and Virginia Reeser, Joe Campana, Todd James Pierce, Mindy Johnson, Tom Morris, Tom Klein... and of course Ted Thomas, JB Kaufman and yours truly.
Please feel free to bring books that you want to get autographed.
See you all soon!!!
I am still looking for a volunteer near Syracuse University to conduct some Disney-related research there.
If you are willing to help, could you please email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com? (I thought I had found a volunteer but for some reason that person is now ghosting me.)
In fact, I was blown away. This is a game-changer and a book that every single one of us Disney history enthusiasts must have on our shelves.
It is full from cover to cover of new information, and a very large amount of the illustrations have never been seen before.
Pete and Don are both outstanding Disney historians -- Yes, believe it or not, Pete is not just an amazing director and Pixar's Chief Creative Officer, he is also an accomplished Disney historian!!! And both of them did their homework and then some.
This is a book you will want to pre-order right now if you have not already done so.
For various reasons I have not been to a cinema since Oppenheimer, but I am definitely planning to catch "Inside Out 2" on the silver screen. I am very much looking forward to this, in fact.
The new book The Art of Inside Out 2 released by Chronicle Books reinforces my eagerness to watch the upcoming movie. I love the design of the new characters and the concept artwork is gorgeous.
Definitely worth adding to your library.
If you enjoy Jim Korkis' books you will probably like this one. It is a light read for casual Disney fans. I am not sure how Jex decided which characters to include and which ones to leave out. The result does not move the needle in terms of Disney history (that was never the goal) but is a fun read nonetheless.
And we have liftoff! After months of hard work, Walt’s People: Volume 29 has just been released.
This volume features the interviews conducted by historian Ross Care with Ken Anderson, Art Babbitt, Lee and Mary Blair, Claude Coats, Ken Darby, Marc Davis, Eyvind Earle, Gerry Geronimi, Jack Hannah, Duck Huemer, Wilfred Jackson, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, Bill Peet, Frank Thomas, and Judge Whitaker.
Please buy it as soon as you can. I really hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
From October 10 to November 14, 1931 Walt and Lillian Disney embarked on a vacation that took them to the Grand Canyon, St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, Washington D.C., Miami and Cuba. They sailed back home on the liner California by way of the Panama Canal. While in Kansas City, Walt received the Legion of Honor from the Order of De Molay.
In both St. Louis and Washington D.C. he visited the local zoo. This photo and this article are related to his visit to Washington. Enjoy!
Author Joe Gallagher was kind enough to send me a copy of his new book A Walking Tour of the Magic Kingdom. Like Tim Foster's books it is an excellent entry point to Disney history for casual Disney enthusiasts. Beautifully illustrated, it is divided into three sections:
"Tours" (of the various lands), "Facts by Year" (my favorite section) and "Slightly Impossible Quiz" (to test your knowledge of course).
Again, not a book for historians but a fantastic gift for casual fans who want to know a lot more. I am glad to own a copy.
For those of you who have friends and family who love Disney history and want to learn more without becoming Disney historians... for the casual Disney fans who want to discover a little more about the history of the parks while enjoying beautiful Disney-related illustrations... I have something for you:
I just discovered the magazine "Celebrations" as well as the books written by Tim Foster and really liked them. Like books by my good friend Jim Fanning they provide the perfect introduction to Disney magic. I wish these books had been available when I was a kid or a teenager starting to learn about the wonderful world of Disney!
