In the new Hake's auction there is a also an item that I had never seen before: a pre-WWII pig from Spain by the company Ernesto Cahn. By looking for more online, I found the three pigs in their original box. I will now have to try and find more info about Ernesto Cahn...

The new auction from Hake's contains a few marvelous items. My favorite is this specific piece of artwork. The caption (which I checked for accuracy before it was published) reads:

[15x17.75" frame contains mixed media concept original art for an unproduced Disney project adapting Rudolf Erich Raspe's Baron Munchausen character, specifically Jack Pearl's radio characterization. Art is by Bill Herwig, who joined the Disney studio in Jan. 1934. While all production documentation for this project appears to be lost, a 1935 memo from Disney's Story Research Department mentions a Baron Munchausen idea w/a list of projects in progress including a "Baron Mickey" listed w/story number "M 502." A few years earlier, Disney had begun looking into a way to splice animated sequences into other studios live action films, in a way to add to their exposure while at the same time minimizing the cost of producing a full length feature film on their own. MGM was approached about "The Adventures Of Munchausen" project, w/MGM's David O. Selznick noting that Disney's animation would be the perfect vehicle for conveying the Baron's tendency for telling tall tales. Sadly this project w/Disney's involvement never came to be. The film was eventually released as "Meet The Baron," a solely live action film starring Jack Pearl and Jimmy Durante. Offered here is a glimpse into what might have been. The wonderfully watercolored scene shows a magical kingdom, complete w/a multi-tiered castle (w/some roofs and walls made of Swiss cheese) set against a starry bkg. featuring many stars and a few ringed planets. Herwig has signed in pencil at lower right and art has been attractively matted to 8.25x11". Displays Exc. Superbly detailed original art from a lost Disney project. Rare.]

And I also received my personal copy of Jim Korkis's Secret Stories of Mickey Mouse and love seeing all those facts about Mickey gathered in a single volume.

I just received copies of two of Jim Korkis's latest books: More Secret Stories of Disneyland and Other Secret Stories of Walt Disney World. As always, it is a true pleasure to get Jim's new books and to see even more little-know stories collection in physical volumes.

Way to go to both Jim and Theme Park Press!

While I did not get to see this exhibition in Paris, I was glad to get the catalog thanks to a French friend. Not a "must have" by any stretch of the imagination but definitely a document that I loved to get.

I am curious about this upcoming book, which seems to include at least one section about Disney animation in Australia...

This just in from Theme Park Press about Jim Korkis' new book:

[Mickey Mouse! This Is Your Life...

In this one-of-a-kind "biography," Disney historian Jim Korkis chronicles the animated life of Mickey Mouse, from his birth on a train to proud parents Walt and Lillian Disney, to his upcoming 90th birthday bash. It's the full and complete story of Disney's forever-young mouse.

Most Disney fans nowadays experience Mickey as a costumed character in the theme parks. He has no TV show, no franchise of feature films. His heyday was before most of us were born. But Mickey has endured as a uniquely American symbol, and the best way to "meet" Mickey is not with an autograph book but with a fun look back at both his public and his private life.

In over 100 short chapters, Korkis covers every noteworthy event in the mouse’s life, including Mickey’s cartoon career, where he lives, whether he’s married, his suicide attempt, hidden Mickeys, the “men behind the mouse,” and much, much more.

No hype, no studio-approved narrative: it's all here, the good and the bad, the highs and the lows.

100% GENUINE MICKEY!]

I have been waiting for this book for close to 10 years, since it was first announced by Disney Editions around 2009.

From All of Us to All of You The Disney Christmas Card by Jeff Kurtti does not disappoint: not only are all the Disney Christmas Cards from the XXth century reproduced in the book, Jeff also took the time to write short bios of some of the artists who created them. I also love some of the visual bonuses he included, especially the two Latin American Christmas designs of Donald and Panchito by Hank Porter, which I had never seen in a book before.

Way to go Jeff!  

This huge book in Spanish about the Disney songs will be released in Spain in a few day. I have not seen it yet and therefore cannot comment on its content.

This great news just in: Disney Streaming Service Will Feature Docuseries on Ink & Paint Department.

Congratulations Mindy!

I just received a review copy of The Art of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse by Jessica Ward.

This is by no means a "must have." It is just a very fun book.

If you own The Art of Mickey Mouse (Hyperion, 1991), The Art of the Disney Princess (Disney Editions, 2009), or The Art of Minnie Mouse (Disney Editions, 2016) you know what to expect: fun reinterpretations of Mickey Mouse by dozens of modern artists.

Great interview by John Musker and Ron Clements by Kevin Kern from the Walt Disney Archives.

Call me stupid if you want, but I will pick up a copy of this autobiography this week...

BOOK PROJECTS UPDATE

I spent the whole weekend working on several book projects and I thought it might be time to give you an update:

1. I was reviewing the galleys of the 5th volume of the They Drew As They Pleased book series (The Hidden Art of Disney's Early Renaissance) which focuses on the 1970s and early 1980s and on Ken Anderson and Mel Shaw in particular. They look absolutely stunning. The book covers a period which has seldom been discussed in Disney history books and contains huge amounts of artwork linked to The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Rescuers and many, many more Disney projects, various of which never made it to the screen. The book will be released in August 2019.

 2. Over the past few weeks, I also wrote the first drafts of the chapters which will appear in the 6th and final volume of the series (The Hidden Art of Disney's New Golden Age), which focuses on the 1990s until the Present and includes chapters about Joe Grant, Hans Bacher, Mike Gabriel and Mike Giaimo. That is the volume that will be released in 2020.

3. Finally, I am finalizing Walt's People - Volume 22, which will be released in February next year and which will contain some truly exceptional content, including a short autobiography of Ferdinand Horvath (!), the complete Disney-related letters of Eduardo Sola Franco, and an in-depth interview with Gary Goldman about his Disney career.

4. And Walt's People - Volume 23 is also making good progress and will include an in-depth interview with Fini Rudiger-Littlejohn and with Jeff Burke among other highlights...

On the other hand, two projects are on the back-burner right now: the diaries of Ward Kimball and the autobiography of Leo Salkin. I am still hopeful that those two books will make it in print some day.

There are also a few very cool surprises in store above and beyond the books that are already official, including a fascinating magazine, a series of monographs and a "lost" autobiography from an animator who worked at Disney in the 1930s. I will share news about those as soon as possible.

More soon!

Dave Bossert's new book is now available for pre-order.

I finally had a chance to browse the new Disneyland book by Chris Nichols and wanted to correct what I said about it a few days ago.

The book is an absolute beauty and, when it comes to the text, Chris really did his homework. So the question is, is the book presenting enough visual documents to be worth buying? From my standpoint, the answer is a clear yes. At first sight, I would say that I found that about 30% of the visual documents are photos or pieces of concept art that I had never seen before. I especially loved some pieces by Rolly Crump and some concept art of Adventures Thru Inner Space, as well as some beautiful black and white photos of Fantasyland. I am glad that I will finally get a physical copy of the book in two weeks. I consider it a "must have".

Has any French reader of this blog seen this book? Is it worth picking up?

Another interview about They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era that some of you may enjoy.

I love this French comic book series and I am very much looking forward to this upcoming volume which has just been announced...

You might enjoy this in-depth interview I just granted to KFJC about They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era.

This exhibition catalog seems to be about to be released in the UK on November 1. (Thanks to David Peake for the heads up).

This book will be released on November 13. Can't wait!!

As a reminder: an important book will be released next week (actually two important books, really, but only one is about Disney ;-)... the Taschen book by Chris Nichols about Disneyland. From what I have seen it is definitely worth picking up.

Great interview with Grim Natwick just found on YouTube by Todd James Pierce. Pure delight.

I just spotted this on Amazon today.

More details about the upcoming Mickey Mouse Taschen book thanks to J.B. Kaufman's blog.

INCOMPLETE ROSETTA STONE

A few months back, I stumbled upon one page of a document titled "Story Situations", dated September 20, 1939. I was stunned! I knew exactly what I was looking at: This was a page of a much longer document listing story ideas for abandoned Disney shorts. Looking at a list I have in my collection, I deducted that the full document must have been between 30 and 35 pages long. By conducting some additional research, I realized that a friend of mine had 9 additional pages. I now have pages 21 to 30, but I am still missing pages 1 to 19 and 31 to 35 (or 34).

The Disney Archives do not seem to have a copy of this document and it is entirely possible that the additional pages will never be found.

This is immensely frustrating from a historical standpoint since the document contains the synopses of various shorts in progress about which we know almost nothing. Based on another list, I know for example that the lost pages of the "Story Situations" document contain the synopses of a planned Band Concert sequel and a Country Cousin sequel.

If anyone of you has any idea of where to find the additional pages, please do not hesitate to email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com

This is a long-shot, but who knows ;-)

The contents of the new Disney twenty three magazine have just been released. I am especially looking forward to:

"Animation historian Fox Carney dives into the vaults of the Animation Research Library to show off stunning paintings and drawings from Mickey’s rich history."

Great review of They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era on Boing Boing! today.

Walt's People - Volume 21 was released today! Do not miss this specific volume. I believe it is one of the best in the series.

Walt's People: Volume 21 features appearances by Ferdinand Horvath, Ken Peterson, Bob Givens, Sylvia Holland, Tyrus Wong, John Hench, Marc Davis, Alice Davis, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, Floyd Norman, Paul R. Hartley (via his daughter Stacey Hartley), Bill Cottrell, Lillian Disney, Glen Keane, and Darrell Van Citters.

They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era will be released in just a few days.

I discussed the making of the book with the team of Mousetalgia. You can listen to it at this link. 

One more interesting auction coming up at Van Eaton Galleries.

Great preview of the upcoming Nine Old Men exhibit catalog released here.

Fascinating interview of Chris Merritt and Pete Docter about their upcoming book(s) about Marc Davis. That book will be revolutionary and I just can't wait for it to be released.

I can't wait to get a copy of the catalog from the Nine Old Men exhibition which will be released in October.

And here is one additional new book from Theme Park Press that I am interested in. The publisher mentions:

[Disneyland has a lot to hide. Well, that sounds nefarious, so how about, Disneyland has a lot for you to discover. And I don't mean wait times and ride descriptions. I mean the deep, rich, hidden legacy of the park. Its real secrets.

No one knows Disney history better than Disney historian Jim Korkis. In this book, the latest in his best-selling "Secret Stories" series, he unearths still more Disneyland gold and presents it in bite-sized stories that you can enjoy while waiting in line, sitting in a monorail, or whenever you have a few moments to fill with fresh Disney knowledge.

With over 90 "mini chapters", organized by theme park "land", plus a special section devoted to some of the attractions that exist beyond the berm, you're sure to discover new lore about the Happiest Place on Earth, including Roastie Toasties, the Jungle Cruise elephants, Ray Bradbury's Halloween Tree, the (new) Redhead from Pirates of the Caribbean, the Matterhorn Garden, Star Tours, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, and so much more that the pixie dust will dance in front of your eyes for days.]

Theme Park Press just released two more good books. Here is the description of the first one from the publisher:

[You've heard Jim Korkis' secret stories of Walt Disney World. Then you heard more of Jim Korkis' secret stories of Walt Disney World. Now, with the neighbors gone home and the kids asleep, Jim has a special treat: other secret stories of Walt Disney World. Gather round.

You know what's more fun than finding Hidden Mickeys at Walt Disney World? Reading secret stories about Walt Disney World. And no one knows more Disney secrets than Jim Korkis. Just when it seems like the secrets well is dry, the often imitated, never duplicated Korkis hits a gusher:

The evolution and emancipation of the Redhead in Pirates of the Caribbean
The one place in Disney World where you'll see radioactive monsters, zombies, and a giant psychotic woman
The backstories of Auntie Kau'i, Miss Adventure, and other little-known Disney "characters"
More "Disney that never was" with Epcot's Venezuela pavilion and the Lake Buena Vista monorail
Each story is short enough to read whenever you have a spare moment that needs Disney in it. That's, like, every spare moment, so pace yourself... ]

Happy 4th of July.

Do not miss this great article today:

Disney's Lost and Found: James Lewis by Vincent Randle

I just read this small book by Scott Madden about Walt and polo. It is well written, and the author really did his homework, going to all the sources available to him to put it together. And it is an easy read.

The issue, of course, is that Scott Madden did not have access to the Disney Archives, which means that, despite his best efforts, all of us who have read most of the books written about Disney learn very little.

It is an excellent starting point, though, and one that will be very useful to researchers who might have the opportunity in the future to dig even deeper into the subject matter. 

I just received my own copy of Pierre Lambert's spectacular new version of his Pinocchio book. If you love Disney history books and have an unlimited budget (and a large house) you will want to pick this one up. (Otherwise you will want to wait a few months for the release of the regular edition.)

The special edition that has just been released is the largest Disney history book I have ever seen in my life, is limited to 750 copies, and is not cheap. I was blown away by it.

You can find more information (and a video) about it on the site of dealer Stuart Ng. My heartfelt congratulations to Pierre for another masterpiece.

This came in the mail today. I have to admit that I am extremely proud of this fourth volume in the They Drew As They Pleased book series, which focuses on Lee and Mary Blair, Tom Oreb, John Dunn and Walt Peregoy.

Almost every single one of the pieces of artwork included in the book had never been seen before in book form, and the story of the 1950s and the 1960s was almost virgin territory when it comes to concept artists (Mary Blair aside, of course).

I have a feeling that you will be amazed.

Some exciting material coming up at auction via Van Eaton Galleries.

While I eagerly await the first physical copy of They Drew As They Pleased - Volume 4, which should arrive in about 2 weeks, I spent a large part of Thursday, Friday and Saturday finalizing all the elements of Volume 5. The text was fully written last year and edited last month, all the close to 400 illustrations have been selected and this allowed me to put together over the past few days the massive caption file which will guide the designer Cat Grishaver over the next few months.

This is a massive amount of work, but I have a feeling all of you will love the end result. 

Now on pre-order on Amazon.

The Disney Books Network was updated today.

John  Musker just sent me this morning the cover drawing for Walt's People - Volume 21. Just a few more weeks to wait and that new volume will be ready. It contains some truly stunning new material.

Quick reminder: Do not forget to check out the catalog of this stunning upcoming auction!

This book by JB Kaufman and David Gerstein will be one of the best books of the year. Can't wait!