I just received my own copy of My Boss, Walt, Jack Couffer's new book.

Jack Couffer was a Disney cinematographer who worked on some True-Life Adventures and on several of Disney's movies about animals.  If you have read his two previous autobiographies, you will find that this last book recounts some of the same stories, but from a different angle and with many additional details. Even more importantly, this volume is heavily illustrated with some of Jack's most impressive photos.

This is definitely a page-turner and a must have from my standpoint.

I was very sad to hear that artist Milton Quon, who worked on Fantasia and Dumbo passed away on Tuesday. He was 105 years young.

Some important updates about They Drew as They Pleased - Volume 5:

1. It looks as if the official release date may have been pushed back to October 1, but I am still trying to clarify this. The good news is that the discount on Amazon is now up to 37%

2. If all goes according to plan, you will be able to buy the book exclusively at the D23 Expo and I will be there to autograph it. It will be sold on the Ryman Arts / Hyperion Historical Alliance booth. I will have more details soon about the booth location and the schedule of the autograph sessions.

Excellent news to start the day. Michael Barrier has just released his interviews with Maurice Noble.

Excellent graphic novel in French, just released in France, which, among other happy surprises includes a page by my good friend Mike Peraza.

For those of you who wonder how you can order this special issue of the magazine / newsletter Manuscripts, I just got the following information:

Copies can be purchased for $7 each including postage. Paypal to Sands.Manuscript@protonmail.com or check/mo to The Manuscript Society, PO Box 13349, Overland Park, KS 66282

Look out for some exciting Disney history related announcements over the next few weeks: panels, revolutionary new publications, etc. all premiering at the 2019 D23 Expo. Some really major news soon... Stay tuned.

I just received the latest Animation Art Auction catalog from Heritage Auctions (June 15 - 16) which contains some stunning treasures, as always.

Four of the highlights are shown here:

- A huge and very rare treatment for a proposed movie featuring Mickey Mouse.
- A large set of story drawings from the Goofy short How to Play Golf.
- A wonderful promotional drawing by Hank Porter.
- An astonishing piece from Bambi by Gustaf Tenggren.

Do not miss this spectacular article by Jim Korkis on CartoonResearch. It is full of wonderful surprises.

I had not idea of the existence of this excellent book until my friend and fellow Disney historian Todd James Pierce mentioned it to me last week.

This just in from Michael Goldberg:

[Didier- Don’t know if you were ever a fan of Motion Picture Special effects, but this short video with Albert Whitlock, who had worked at Disney in the '50s and early '60s, has a nice piece about Whitlock’s work on “Ten Who Dared” an early '60s Disney Film about John Wesley Powell - Explorer of the Colorado River.

Anyway, he talks about one matte painting in the film and how Walt did not like it and his solution.

I have heard the story referenced before, but this is from the Horse’s mouth, as the saying goes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb2RHGYhB54

This link takes you to a wonderful website about Matte Painting by a fellow in New Zealand. This entry is all about Disney Films and contains images that Whitlock refers to in his video.]

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

[In over eighty individual chapters, each filled with facts, quotes, and anecdotes, Disney historian Jim Korkis chronicles the very best of a Disneyland that no longer exists, taking us back in time to "Walt's park" and revealing how it has changed between then and now.

Live mermaids swimming in the Submarine Lagoon. ... Pack mules nipping at the shoes of children. ... Flying saucers hovering inches in the air over a circular floor. For many people this was the Disneyland of their youth, but over the years dozens of shows, attractions, and experiences have disappeared forever from the Happiest Place on Earth.

In this latest volume of his best-selling Secret Stories series, Korkis shares behind-the-scenes information—much of it never before in print—about what used to delight guests at Disneyland.

From Main Street's Intimate Apparel Shop and Frontierland's Mineral Hall, to Fantasyland's Pirate Ship restaurant and Adventureland's Barker Bird, Korkis excavates, unearths, and discovers a Disneyland past that will be sweetly nostalgic to some, and a unique glimpse into a forgotten past for others.

Who knows what we'll find!]

I have just received my own copy of Ross Anderson's long-awaited book about the making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

If you look at the back cover, you will see that I wrote about it: "Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat makes a significant contribution to the fields of animation history, Disney history, and film history. The research that Anderson conducts is in-depth, original, and all-encompassing. His whole book covers ground that has mostly never been covered before."

I strongly believe this. The amount of original research that Ross conducted to write this book is staggering. However, be warned: this is not a book that is easy to read. The amount of information it contains is much too rich for it to be the case. It is a fantastic reference book and you will learn a lot by reading it. However, Ross tried to include so much in it that it also makes it a difficult read. That is the main drawback.

I had seen an early manuscript and what I discovered with great pleasure in the finished book is a large amount of photos that I had never seen before and which enrich it even more.

This is a must-have and not just if you enjoy Roger Rabbit. There is so much about the "Disney Studio transition" period of the 1970s and early 1980s that you are bound to find the content of this book fascinating in one way or another.

Way to go Ross.

This just in from Theme Park Press. I can't wait to read this new book!

[As a motion-picture writer, director, producer, and cinematographer, Jack Couffer shot wildlife films for Walt Disney, journeying to some of the most remote and exotic places on earth. Here, in his final book, he shares powerful, poignant stories about his favorite subject: animals.

Couffer made Disney feature and television films for 30 years. The Living Desert, Nikki, Wild Dog of the North, Never Cry Wolf, and a dozen other titles bear his identity. His stories filmed in far-away places like Africa, the Galápagos Islands, Antarctica, and the wilds of the American West give us a glimpse into the pains and joys of working with friends and adversaries inside the Disney studio.

Replete with photos, My Boss, Walt is Jack Couffer's swan-song chronicle of his long life of exploration, adventure, and joy.]

This new book by author Andrew Kiste is a very welcome surprise. It is very well written and well researched. Andrew got access to documents from the GE Archives, for example, which I had no idea existed. This is a great reference about Disney and the 1964/65 World's Fair, which is well worth picking up.

I have only two minor issues with what I read until now:
- I wish that the author had added footnotes. I am a pain in the neck about this, but I really like to know exactly where the information mentioned in the text comes from.
- Based on the bibliography, it seems like the author may not be aware of the special issue of the magazine Persistence of Vision about Disney and the World's Fair, which I found a little unsettling if correct.

Those are two small points however. I really enjoyed this book. 

 

The new animation art auction from Heritage coming up on June 15 and 16 is spectacular. You should really have a look at its stunning catalog.

As we await the release of They Drew as They Pleased - Volume 5 in just a few weeks (now only $35 on Amazon!) I wanted to mention that Volume 6 (the final volume in the series) got the official go-ahead from Chronicle Books a few days ago. It will be released next year and will focus on the lives, careers and art of Joe Grant, Hans Bacher, Mike Gabriel and Michael Giaimo.

I just received this new book. I really enjoy all of Jim Korkis' books, but I believe this is the best one to date. It is very easy to read, more than 300-page long, and full of stories that I had not seen anywhere else before. Way to go Jim!

I just received a copy of this new book and thoroughly enjoy it. There are apparently so many new incidental characters in this upcoming movie that the concept artists had a ball while designing them... and it shows. I am looking forward to seeing the movie.

I just spotted this book on Amazon but have not yet picked it up.