I have just had a chance to see the interior of The upcoming book from Taschen The Walt Disney Film Archives: The Animated Movies 1921-1968 and while I have not yet read the text, I can already tell you that this book is a masterpiece. It is an absolute beauty and a dream come true for Disney historians and Disney history enthusiasts.

I had a chance to interview the editor of the project, Daniel Kothenschulte, who shared the story of the genesis of the project and a lot more.

Didier Ghez: Can you tell us about the genesis of the project? How was it born and how did it evolve?

Daniel Kothenschulte: To make a short story long: A moment that had a huge impact on my life was when I first saw Christopher Finch’s The Art of Walt Disney in a Cologne book store not long after it had come out. I was about seven at that time and adored the first Disney productions I had seen, The Jungle Book, Peter Pan and Robin Hood. This magnificent book just blew me away. I had not seen a book that huge and the fact that such a massive tome was published on Disney was mind-blowing to me. I moved page after page and learned about the existence of a film called Fantasia. There was a double-spread that even touched another love of my childhood, dinosaurs! The only thing I did not like about the book was its price, 124 Deutschmarks. Unaffordable to my parent! However, the book-seller, a nice lady named Frau Linte who still runs the film book section at Koenig’s book store 40 years later, made a great suggestion. She said, “Why don’t you come here as often as you can and have a look? Nobody will buy it anyway.” I followed this advice up until the sad day when the book was gone. Somebody had bought it! I often wondered who that person was, but when I told it to Benedikt Taschen he said, “Maybe it was me!” However there was another newly published book that I could afford: Leonard Maltin’s The Disney Films. My father read it to me, translating it into German just to feed my thirst for education.

I went on to become a writer on film history and art… and when one day Taschen picked up a book on Hollywood in the Thirties for international release which I had made with artist Robert Nippoldt, I told him about my dream of doing a book on classic Disney. A book that would compile the best production artwork and add some unseen items from the ARL collections which I had already visited. I guess it was just the right moment. Taschen was just negotiating a deal with Disney. He is the biggest fan of Donald Duck and Carl Barks. Before he went into publishing he used to run a great comic book store in Cologne.

DG: What were you trying to achieve with this book?

DK: I wanted to create an experience similar to my childhood love for the Christopher Finch and the Maltin books. Finch was the first writer in 30 years to mention Albert Hurter’s work in a book. In later years, seminal books by John Canemaker, my long-time friend Robin Allan, J. B. Kaufman and you, Didier, introduced us to so many more masters who worked on these films. Finch spent two pages on Hurter’s work while still addressing a general audience not specialised in animation. This is what I am after: I see this book as the ideal, imaginary exhibition on Walt Disney. As a Disney enthusiast, you will find all the masterworks and lots of things that will make you dig deeper and deeper. Another aim was to re-write the canon of classic Disney. I have always adored the neglected package films. Make Mine Music and Melody Time have never found the recognition they deserve. In recent years, concert audiences learned about “The Swan of Tuonela” which is an encore at Disney concerts. But there is so much more in the vaults. I see Disney’s Golden Age as an experiment similar to the most ambitious renaissance workshops. Another ambition is to point out that Disney was as much interested in modernism that he was in love with late 19^th century illustration.

DG: You conducted a lot of research at the Disney Archives and at the Animation Research Library for the book. What do you consider as your greatest discoveries?

DK: Thomas Hart Benton’s illustrated treatment for “Davy Crockett” might not be as visually striking as Dali`s Destino. But for anyone who loves American folk art and folk music this is a landmark work. I had inquired about this before as a researcher. But when Disney archivist Kevin Kern pulled this for me, it just blew me away.

Another beautiful find is the pastel storyboard for another designated “South of the border” adventure to Cuba. When ARL archivist Fox Carney opened a package that had not been touched in many, many years I felt like opening an Egyptian tomb. There was one pastel of Donald dancing with some cigars. I never thought we would get a permission from Disney to publish this. It was John Lasseter who made this possible.

DG: Who are the Disney historians who contributed to the project?

DK: Didier, you are one of them. We have Charles Solomon, J. B. Kaufman, my childhood hero Leonard Maltin, Russell Merritt and J. B. Kaufman, Mindy Johnson, Dave Smith who authorized a reprint of his seminal essay on the Space films for television, Brian Sibley, the late Robin Allan, two German writers, Andreas Platthaus and Katja Lüthge, and myself.

DG: Are you working on more Disney-related books at the moment?

DK: Yes, the next volumes will be a monograph on Walt Disney, the man, a second “Archives” volume on the later films, and volumes on Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Taschen will also publish a volume on Disneyland.

This just in from Michael Goldberg:

[I noticed this in an article on the TCM Website about DeMille’s ‘The Ten Commandments’! I had not seen this referenced before! Thought it might be of interest!

According to a May 1954 version of the screenplay, the look of the pillar of divine fire was suggested by the dcor paintings done by Pavel Tchelitchev for the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo version of the ballet "Firebird." Studio records add that several of the animators who worked on the pillar of fire, the finger of God, the burning bush and other effects were borrowed from the Walt Disney Studios. The studio special effects report noted that the writing of the commandments on the tablets "was accomplished by animating three different drawings for each frame," and that nine shades of color were used for the pillar of fire.]

Any idea of who the Disney artists were?

[UPDATE:

Steven Hartley says: I recently found a article here on effects animator, George Rowley, and it appears he was an unc. animation supervisor on the special effects on the Cecil DeMille picture.

Todd Pierce says: The Ten Commandments work was done by Ed Parks and maybe others too.

So in essence, the Disney-done special effects in Forbidden Planet lost to other Disney-done special effects in Ten Commendments for the 1956 Oscars.]

This collection of classic Disney comics has suddenly become a lot more interesting since I just heard that Michael Barrier had written some essays for it. I will pick it up ASAP.

Cartoon Brew is offering a look inside the upcoming Taschen book. Definitely worth checking out!

This just in from Ken Kebow:

[Hi Didier -

I hope this finds you well and you are enjoying your summer.

I was hoping you could share this new website (just put on-line today!) with everyone who follows your web site.  It is exclusively about the ward winning documentary "The Whimsical Imagineer" we've produced about Rolly.

Lots is going on with the film (screening this month at WDI, film festival awards, WDFM Screening) so I want to give all of Rolly's fans and Disney fans updates on what is happening with the film.  And we are slowly making progress with Disney to be able to distribute the film to the general public.

Here is the web address: www.rollycrump.com]

The blog will be updated again on August 8th.

My good friend Sebastien Durand just forwarded some very exciting Disney comics news this morning. I am particularly looking forward to the graphic novel by Loisel, of course!

While researching the life of Bianca Majolie a few years back, I stumbled upon the following article that some of you might enjoy:

On July 28, 1938, this article appeared in the Lewiston Evening Journal:

“Last month we received a letter from Miss Bianca Majolie, Research Department, Walt Disney Productions, Hollywood, California, reading as follows:

‘We are at work on our third feature, Bambi, which deals with the life of a deer. As a setting for this subject, we are contemplating using New England states—specifically Maine—countryside.

‘Could you inform us where we can obtain photographs and colored slides of scenic backgrounds around that part of the country? Perhaps the travel bureaus, or the schools and colleges might have some material of that sort.

‘We will greatly appreciate your cooperation in this matter and feel that the publicity given your beautiful section of the country might help to compensate you for the trouble taken on our behalf.’

Recalling that Archer Grover, Deputy Commissioner of the State Department of Inland Fisheries and Game had recently shown us some beautiful color photographs (stills, not movies), we referred the letter to him and perhaps you may read in the papers that the Fish and Game Department not only sent photographs for backgrounds but also shipped two live deer. ‘Bambi,’ a ten-weeks-old fawn, accompanied by another fawn of the same age as a companion, to the Walt Disney Studio.

‘Bambi’ will be used as a model for the leading character in Walt Disney’s next full-length picture.

Both fawns are orphans, having been rescued by game wardens after their mothers had died. It is expected they will be returned to Maine after they have finished their movie ‘contract.’”

I just heard that Alberto Becattini's seminal book about the history of Disney comics will soon be released in English by Theme Park Press. The book will not contain any illlustrations (for copyright reasons) but it will still be a "must-have" from my standpoint!

Van Eaton Galleries updated their website this morning and I could not resist sharing this new Mary Blair that they just unearthed and which I hope to include in They Drew As They Pleased - Volume 4.

With the recent passing of Tom Tumbush, it is likely that Tomart's Disneyana Update issue 82 will be the last issue of the magazine. I find it to be very sad news, obviously.

I just realized that the 1980s UK magazine Animator had posted all its archives online. This is a great resource if there is one.

I just received Disney Villains - Delightfully Evil by Jen Darcy. I was hoping that the book might be full of never-seen-before artwork and new information. Unfortunately it is a re-packaging of what most of us have already seen a million times before.

Don't get me wrong, this is a very nice product that should sell well. It's a nice gift for families who have kids with an interest in Disney or for collectors with a passing interest in the art of Disney.

For Disney historians and true Disney history enthusiasts, however, this book is clearly not a "must have". If you do not already own it and want a great book on the same subject, do not forget to pick up The Disney Villain by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, which remains a classic.

If you have read Mel Shaw's autobiography, Animator on Horseback, B-1st, or the recently released Walt's People - Volume 18, could I please ask you to review them on Amazon?

By the way, here is the table of content of Walt's People - Volume 18:

Foreword: Tom Sito
The Mique Nelson letters
Dave Smith: Katherine Kerwin
Michael Barrier: Gerry Geronimi
Ross Care: Gerry Geronimi
Ross Care: Ward Kimball
John Culhane: Ward Kimball
John Culhane: Dick Huemer
Ron Merk: Ken O’Connor
Janet Martin: Chaperone for Donald Duck
Kathy and Richard Greene: Herb Ryman
Don Douglass: Five Years with Walt
Bob Thomas: Ken Peterson
Alberto Becattini: Kay Wright
Bill Spicer: Del Connell
MICA Productions: Elma Milotte
Doobie Moseley: Bob Gurr
Jim Korkis: Bob Gurr
Didier Ghez: Bob Gurr
Michael Broggie: Barbara Palmer
Julie Svendsen: Hani El-Masri

Do you own any original pre-production artwork from "Man in Space" or any other rare documents linked to the Kimball "space and science" projects? If so, could you please email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com? I am trying to gather illustrations and documentation for the chapter about John W. Dunn in They Drew As They Pleased - Volume 4.

I learned with great sadness yesterday evening that my good friend (and publisher for many years) Tom Tumbusch, passed away last week.

Tom is known in the Disney history community for the tremendous research he conducted about the history of Disney merchandizing, which resullted into 5 seminal books on the subject and a magazine (Tomart's Disneyana Updates) spanning 82 issues.

I probably would not have become a Disney historian without the discovery of Tom's books during my first trip to the US in the mid-'80s.

Tom will be missed dearly.

This is a book I will pick up and read as soon as it is released. The back cover reads:

[“Hi, Lawrence?” the caller asked. “This is Steve Jobs. I saw your picture in a magazine a few years ago and thought we’d work together someday.”
 
After Steve Jobs was unceremoniously dismissed from Apple, he turned his attention to a little-known graphics art company that he owned called Pixar.

One day, out of the blue, Jobs called Lawrence Levy, a Harvard-trained lawyer and Silicon Valley executive to whom he had never spoken before, in the hope of persuading Levy to help him get Pixar on the right track.
 
What Levy found in Pixar was a company on the verge of failure. To Pixar and Beyond is the extraordinary story of what happened next: How Levy, working closely with Jobs and the Pixar team, produced and implemented a highly improbable roadmap that transformed the sleepy graphics art studio into one of Hollywood’s greatest success stories.

Set in the worlds of Silicon Valley and Hollywood, the book takes readers inside Pixar, Disney, law firms, and investment banks. It provides an up-close, first-hand account of Pixar’s stunning ascent, how it took risks, Levy’s enduring collaboration and friendship with Jobs, and how Levy came to see in Pixar deeper parallels that apply to all aspects of our lives.

This just in from Bob McLain from Theme Park Press:

[MAGIC KINGDOMS

Disney the World Over

Clemson University professor Stephanie Barczewski delivers a scholarly but accessible comparative history of the Disney theme parks, from Anaheim to Shanghai, with a focus on the engineering, cultural, and political challenges that Disney overcame to build its "happiest places" across the globe.

From their genesis in the orange groves of California and the swamplands of Florida to their globalization in Japan, France, Hong Kong, and China, the story of the Disney theme parks is a thrill ride in itself. Barczewski starts her tale in the 1920s, when a young Walt Disney, full of dreams but still shy of success, first envisioned what many years later became Disneyland.

Unlike other books that delve into the details of a single theme park, MAGIC KINGDOMS is a broad narrative about how each Disney park led to the next, and the unique challenges that complicated - and in some cases nearly halted - their creation.

Featuring a cast of characters that includes artists, Imagineers, politicians, business moguls, and of course, Walt Disney himself, plus dozens of photos, MAGIC KINGDOMS provides the big picture of Disney's theme park empire.]

I have hinted at this book a few times before, but it is now finally available on pre-order on Amazon.

The Walt Disney Film Archives: The Animated Movies 1921-1968 is a phenomenal undertaking. It's a huge book (624 pages) and some of the best Disney historians have been asked to write chapters for it, including Leonard Maltin, Charles Solomon, J.B. Kaufman, Mindy Johnson and yours truly.

I had the pleasure of writing the chapter about the making of The Reluctant Dragon. This was no easy task, but I believe that you will discover a lot of information by reading the chapter. I stumbled upon quite a few new facts while researching it. And as always I tried to quote from sources that are not easily available.

The other thing that is exciting about the book is that it will contain a huge amount of never-released-before artwork. The only chapter whose pages I have seen to date is the one about The Reluctant Dragon, but from all of the information that I was able to gather from people who worked on the project the visual content of most of the other chapters will be as exciting as the text itself. 

Did I already mention that I can't wait!?

Excellent news to start the weekend: Walt's People - Volume 18 has just been released! Believe me if I tell you that there is fascinating information and stories in this volume, once again.

Can't wait to get a peak inside They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years?

You can now see of few of the pages inside the book by going to Google Books.

Time for a quick update about the projects I am currently working on:

1. You already know about the next volume of Walt's People (Volume 18) which will be released in just a few days.

2. And you have heard about They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years which is scheduled for release on August 30, 2016.

3. I am currently helping David Johnson with the editing of two books similar to Walt's People which will collect the fascinating interviews he conducted about the making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The first one of those should be released in August or September. The second one at some point in 2017.

4. September this year should also see the release of Ross Care's excellent book about director Wilfred Jackson, complete with Ross Care's letters from Wilfred Jackson and Jackson's recently uncovered diary.

5. As for next year, aside from Walt's People - Volume 19 and the second volume of David Johnson's interviews, I am hoping to get some recently uncovered material from Leo Salkin (a short autobiography, a diary, etc.) in shape for publication.

6. Along with Paula Sigman-Lowery, Jim Hollifield, and Todd Pierce I am also trying to edit all the interviews that Paul F. Anderson conducted with Ken Anderson in order to release them in book form during 2017.

7. And finally, there is They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Character Model Department, whose manuscript is now complete and which should see the light of day in September next year.

This is fun.

This just in from Garry Apgar:

[“Elie Wiesel Visits Disneyland”

Nobel Prize-winning author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel died on Saturday, just five days after an article, “Elie Wiesel Visits Disneyland,” appeared on the website of Tablet magazine. The article, by Menachem Butler, quotes extensively from a story about Walt Disney and the original Magic Kingdom written and published by Wiesel almost exactly sixty years ago.

Wiesel was a journalist at the time, and the story was published in 1957, in Yiddish, in the New York-based Jewish newspaper Forverts (Yiddish for Forward). Titled in English, “A Visit to the Wonderful Disneyland,” the piece was primarily a report on a visit by Wiesel to the park and his response to the experience. In the story, as translated by Butler, Wiesel remarked:

“I don’t know if a Garden of Eden awaits adults in the hereafter. I do know, though, that there is a Garden of Eden for children here in this life. I know because I myself visited this paradise. I have just returned from there, just passed through its gates, just left the magical kingdom known as Disneyland. And as I bid that kingdom farewell, I understood for the first time the true meaning of the French saying ‘to leave is to die a little’ [partir, c’est mourir un peu].”

Wiesel went on to say that “the person who created this land, this universe, must be a genius, a rare genius.” He also recalled meeting Disney in person in 1953 in Cannes, on the occasion of Walt’s promotion to the rank of Officier in the French Legion of Honor. In an interview with Disney, Wiesel said: “The whole world loves you; your children’s films have brought you honor, renown, and anything one could wish for.” He then asked: “What is your goal? What do you want—what would you want—to achieve with your film work?”  

“Disney thought for a bit,” Wiesel said, “fixing his large eyes on a far off, invisible point in space, and answered: ‘Childhood. The goal of my work has always been to awaken a sense of youth in men, in adults. Because—the best part of man’s life is his childhood.’”

Neither then, nor later in life (so far as I know), did Wiesel ever suspect, much less accuse, Walt Disney of being anti-Semitic. That alone should put that toxic canard permanently to rest. It won’t, of course. In the lengthy comments section following a post by Amid Amidi in 2011 on the Cartoon Brew website, some of the more ignorant participants in the “conversation” couldn’t even spell “anti-Semitic” correctly.

One of them even wrote “anti-semantic.”  Oy vey.]

This just in from Michael Goldberg:

[Didier,

Hope all is well.

I found this in an index of the Santa Clarita Valley, north of LA, Containing info on the founding of Cal-Arts from 1965-66!

There is a gallery showing the 16 pages of the original brochure and at least on pic of Walt, sitting with Edith Head(late costume designer) and others of interest!

Thought you might enjoy.]

Collector Robert Sommers informed me recently that he is trying to sell a collection of drawings by artist Bernard Garbutt, who taught for a while at the Disney Studio.

You can find more information at this link.

I just received the cover drawings by John Musker for the next volume of Walt's People (Volume 18). The book will be released in July.

This just in from Bob McLain, owner of Theme Park Press about a few newly released books:

THE UNOFFICIAL DISNEYLAND 1955 COMPANION

A Year in the Life of Disneyland

And what a year! In 1955, Walt Disney's dream of a theme park, the first of its kind in the world, came true. Disney historian Jim Korkis' entertaining tale of an American pop culture icon is power-packed with details, and the most thorough account of Disneyland's early days ever published.

As Walt Disney once said: "it takes people to make the dream a reality". Korkis never loses sight of the many people who built Disneyland, from famous Imagineers to obscure ticket takers. From their stories he crafts the epic adventure of how Walt conjured magic from an orange grove, with all the politics and the pixie dust, and the thrill of doing what no one had ever done before.

Just a few of the highlights from Disneyland 1955:

- The many little-known inspirations for Disneyland

- First-person narratives from Disneyland cast members who were there on opening day

- How politics and corporate wheeling and dealing were instrumental in getting Disneyland off the ground

- The story of the short-lived (and little missed) Mickey Mouse Club Circus

- Comprehensive almanacs of Main Street and the four "lands" in the park, as they existed in 1955

KORKIS IS YOUR "K-TICKET" TO DISNEYLAND...1955!

=== === === === ===


THE VAULT OF WALT: VOLUME 5

Disney History at Its Best

No one knows Disney history, or tells it better, than Jim Korkis, and he's back with a new set of 20 stories from his Vault of Walt. Whether it's Disney films, Disney theme parks, or Walt himself, Jim's stories will charm and delight Disney fans of all ages.

The best-selling Vault of Walt series has brought serious, but fun, Disney history to tens of thousands of readers. Now in its fifth volume, the series features former Disney cast member and master storyteller Jim Korkis' home-spun, entertaining tales, from the early years of Walt Disney to the present.

Step inside the vault with Jim to hear about:

- Walt's attempt to blacklist "Communists", including his full, uncensored Congressional testimony

- Disney's often-maligned "package films"

- How Barack Obama entered the Hall of Presidents

- The surprising early trade in Disney 8mm home movies

- Disney's original plans for Epcot's American Adventure, and why the Imagineers axed Will Rogers

Discover these and many other new tales of Disney history, as only Jim Korkis can tell them, in The Vault of Walt: Volume 5.

Then be sure to check out ALL the volumes in THE VAULT OF WALT!

 

ARIELLE IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

Lions and Tigers and Cast Members

Armed with a freshly minted degree in anthropology, Arielle Tuan found her job prospects less than hoped for. Then she heard of the professional internships at Disney's Animal Kingdom for college graduates interested in conservation. Apply? Why not! And from there her adventure began...

Arielle soon found herself in possession of a "bug box" and told to educate guests about conservation and how they could help save the world — whether they wanted to hear it or not. After the bug boxes, she moved to Wilderness Explorer Stations (then known as Kids Clubs) and "animal positions", including one that featured the seldom cooperative Marley the Crocodile.

For shy, introverted Arielle, her months in the steaming "jungle" of the Animal Kingdom, surrounded by wild animals and sometimes even wilder guests and cast members, brought about a metamorphosis.

From the girl with the bug box that most guests ignored as they raced for the "thrill" rides every morning, Arielle found her groove as one of the park's Conservation Education Presenters. Her stories shed light on a whole other world at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

YOU'LL HAVE A WILD TIME!

WALT'S PEOPLE: VOLUME 5 (re-release)

Disney History from the Source

The Walt's People series is an oral history of all things Disney, as told by the artists, animators, designers, engineers, and executives who made it happen, from the 1920s through the present.

Walt's People: Volume 5 features appearances by Hugh Harman, Nadine Missakian, Ward Kimball, Erwin Verity, James Algar, Winston Hibler, Bill Anderson, Bill Walsh, George Bruns, Buddy Baker, Fess Parker, Walt Stanchfield, Marc Davis, Alice Davis, T. Hee, Maurice Noble, Al Dempster, Walt Peregoy, Floyd Norman, Bill Evans, Jack Bradbury, Lynn Karp, Dave Michener, Vance Gerry, John Musker, and Ron Clements.

Among the hundreds of stories in this volume:

- BILL WALSH takes stock of his long career with Disney, starting as a writer for the Mickey Mouse comic strip in 1943 and concluding as a producer for some of Disney's biggest films in the 1960s and early 1970s.

- FESS PARKER draws a bead on his complex relationship with Walt Disney, who was responsible for Parker's fame as Davy Crockett, but also for clipping Parker's career by not letting him take plum roles in non-Disney films.

- ALICE DAVIS recounts her romance with much older Disney artist Marc Davis, her fearless attitude toward Walt, and her work for Disney as a costume designer.

- JOHN MUSKER & RON CLEMENTS engage in a lively dialogue about their start at the Disney studio during a dark time, and how their success with films like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin ushered in a new golden age of Disney animation.

The entertaining, informative stories in every volume of Walt's People will please both Disney scholars and eager fans alike.

More great sheet music being released by Voigt Publications!

I just received yesterday the catalog of the Disney - Art of Storytelling exhibition which is currenty being displayed at The Nordic Watercolor Museum in Skärhamn, Sweden from March 20 to September 4, 2016.

This huge catalog, written by Tracey Miller-Zarneke and released in a bilingual version (Swedish / English) is a pure beauty and contains quite a lot of artwork that I had never seen before, with my favorite pieces being the concept drawings created for The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Pecos Bill and Robin Hood. Sheer delight, but unfortunately extremely difficult to get a hold of except if you know someone in Skärhamn, Sweden.

I just received a copy of The Art of Disney's Dragons and loved that book. While it contains practically no text, there is enough artwork in it that I had never seen before for me to consider it a "must have". It is a small book and about half of it is animation-related and the other half park-related. This is not a history book, but it remains nonetheless a very, very enjoyable "un-pretentious" product.

While researching the career of Retta Scott for They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years, I stumbled upon a little unknown jewel, the story of "B-1st", a never-released book that Retta had created on her own time with the help of Woolie Reitherman. I knew the book had to be published and this is now the case thanks to Theme Parke Press, complete with a foreword by the director of Planes, Klay Hall!

It took 11 years of efforts: Animator on Horseback, Mel Shaw's long-awaited autobiography, has finally been released, complete with all the illustrations that Mel created for the book. If you are reading this, this book is without the shadow of a doubt a "must-have."

[UPDATE: Since my old Amazon foe, "A Gass" decided to once more post a one-star review without even reading the book (his standard MO), could I please ask all of you to post honest reviews of the book after reading it? Thanks in advance.]

This just in from Sebastien Durand for those of you who live in France.

Quick reminder about the spectacular auction from Van Eaton Galleries coming up this weekend!

This just in from Garry Apgar:

[Here is arguably the best review, all in one piece, of my two Mickey books. With a timely tie-in by Laurence Jarvik to the recent horrific news in Orlando. The fanatical Islamist killer had, apparently, cased Walt Disney World, which might have been his preferred target rather than the far more vulnerable Pulse Club. WDW security measures almost certainly saved the park and its visitors. I've even seen a photo of the terrorist's son wearing a Mickey tee-shirt. All of this, of course, further bloody-awful, and bloody-ironic, proof of how emblematic Mickey is of America and all that we stand for.]

I was stuck in Buenos Aires over the weekend due to some air controllers' strike in Argentina, but I am now back in Miami.

The upside was that I was able to work on They Drew As They Pleased - Volume 3 and on Walt's People - Volume 18.

The first one of those books will be released in September 2017, the second much earlier: by the end of July 2016.

Closer still on the horizon are two books from Theme Park Press that I helped edit, which will be released by the end of this month:

Animator on Horseback, the autobiography of Mel Shaw (after 11 years of efforts to make this happen) and B-1st, a beautiful children's book written and designed by Woolie Reitherman and Retta Scott at the start of World War I, which will be published for the first time 75 years later!

I just received The Art of Finding Dory. I always enjoy those volumes from Chronicle Books, but this particular book did not strike a chord for your reason. My guess is that I find those art books particularly interesting when they focus on character designs more than on layouts or backgrounds. And the sequel to Finding Nemo does not seem to include many new characters, which probably explains my disappointment.

I have a feeling that I will enjoy The Art of Moana a lot more when it is released.

This just in from Garry Apgar:

[My new book, Mickey Mouse: Emblem of theAmerican Spirit, published by the Walt Disney Family Foundation Press, was reviewed in the June 3rd issue of the Times Literary Supplement. The TLS is England’s, and America’s, oldest publication of its kind, and perhaps the classiest!

In the opening paragraphs, the reviewer had this to say:

   “If optimism is the defining American virtue — and it had better be, you sometimes can’t help feeling — then this book’s central proposition, that the essence of the nation is more fully embodied in one animated rodent than all the flag-hoisters and touch-downers of nearly 250 swaggering years, makes perfect sense. It is hard to avoid a certain feeling of manifest destiny when you are reminded of just how popular Mickey Mouse along with his on-off consort Minnie and all their kith and kin were during the years flanking the Second World War.

   “This engaging and tirelessly informative book is really two volumes in one handy slip-case … The first half narrates the professional life of Walt Disney, from the genesis of his cartooning career in Kansas City to a promising brief first stint in Hollywood, to the happy accident that made sense of it all: the evolution of Mickey from the pooled DNA of various ‘cute’ animals devised by Disney and others to star in the pioneering animated shorts …”

Further along into the review, the critic said: “You wouldn’t expect a book published by the Walt Disney Family Foundation to be overly critical of the maestro … But it is thorough and fine-grained, and fair on the events of Disney’s career.” I’ll take that as a compliment, both for me and the WDFF Press!

On another note: For those of you who live in Connecticut, the cable program “Focus on Connecticut” is scheduled to broadcast an interview with me over the weekend. The interview, which will air several times on Saturday and Sunday, will focus on my article in the April issue of Connecticut Magazine about Walt’s connections with the Nutmeg State. Todd James Pierce is quoted in the article about rumored plans for a Disney park in Connecticut. The interview will run several times over the weekend on News 12, which is part of the Cablevision network. Alas, the TLS review is not available online.]

Not a Disney book, of course, but an upcoming book I can't wait to pick up!

Sadly, this just in: Willis Pyle 1914-2016

From Todd James Pierce:

[For those interested, New England Review just published my narrative essay on Ward Kimball and the making of Snow White. It's written in the same research-oriented narrative style as Three Years in Wonderland. But fair warning, it is the only Disney-related essay in the journal. You can find it at "most" Barnes and Nobles in the periodical section for $12. You can also order one directly for $8 (including shipping). The online form will automatically load with "subscription," but use the pull down menu to select "current issue - $8." It's issue 37:1. The essay runs 14 pages.

Link to discounted rate: http://www.tinyurl.com/F-FNER

Three interesting new books released by Theme Park Press in May:

- FROM HORIZONS TO SPACE MOUNTAIN is the autobiography of Imagineer George McGinnis (Bob Gurr wrote the foreword).

- THE DISNEY APPRENTICE is the (partial) autobiography of another Imagineer, though more of an Imagineering executive, Chuck Shields (Bob Gurr wrote the foreword, X. Atencio provided the cover art).

- MAGICIAN OF THE MOVIES is the re-release of his biography of Walt Disney, from 1966 (and meant for children).