Thursday, June 19, 2008

Here is a great text received a few weeks ago and that I thought you might enjoy.

I will be on vacations until June 30th. The blog will be updated again on July 1st.


Issue 12 of the magazine Tales from the Laughing Place has just been released.
Do not miss today:

- THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MOUSE! by Brian Sibley
- WALT & NORMAN ROCKWELL part 2 by Mark Sonntag
- Walt Disney and the Red Cross - part one by David Lesjak
- Roy Disney Enlists in the Navy by David Lesjak
- Future Fantasias by Hans Perk
- World War One Walt by Wade Sampson

Friday, June 13, 2008

I will be in Italy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, so no update until next Thursday.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Here is a fascinating document sent to me by Philippe Videcoq as part of a much larger "memo" about Future Fantasias. Some of the ideas considered made it in Fantasia 2000.

I have reposted everything as the pages I posted last Wednesday were unreadable.









Do not miss today:

- Chris Strodder's Disneyland Encyclopedia: A Review
- Not What Walt Intended (you will learn more about this subject by reading David Gerstein's article about the Mickey Mouse Annual when it appears in a future issue of Tomart's Disneyana)
- Animals as "Human Types" by Pete Emslie
- Walt Disney Recognition Day by Wade Sampson

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Walt's People - Volume 6 is now available on Amazon! If you have web sites or blogs, please spread the word.

I was already excited about Charles Solomon's upcoming book Disney Lost and Found: Exploring the Hidden Artwork from Never-Produced Animation, but having received the cover image from Disney Editions yesterday, I am even more eager to get it... if only to find out where the image on the left comes from.
Speaking of projects that were not completed: I will be travelling a lot within the next few weeks but I hope to find time to soon post an exceptional document about the Fantasias-that-never-were sent to me recently by Philippe Videcoq.
This just in from Jim Korkis:

[Just received in the mail today Graphic Biography Walt Disney from Saddleback Educational Publishing, Three Watson, Irvine, California 92618-2767 and was disappointed to find it was just a colorized reprint of the Walt Disney comic book biography from Pendulum Press Illustrated Biography Series from 1979. Produced by comic book legend Vincent Fago, the series had comic book biographies of over a dozen celebrities including Harry Houdini. This colorized reprint is also part of a series of over a dozen celebritiy comic book biographies. The latest reprint omits the fact that the Walt biography was written by Debbie Toan and illustrated by Tenny Henson. The reprint also omits the "teacher section" which included four pages of multiple choice questions about Walt and "Questions to Think About and Discuss" inclduing "What problems did Walt have when he first began working on his movies?" and "If you had to suggest a character or a story that the Disney studios might want to make into a movie, what would it be? What kinds of stories might not be acceptable to them? Why?" Both versions have some badly drawn versions of classic Disney animated characters and a final scene of Walt in his hospital bedroom talking about where he would put the monorail at Disneyworld. Again, for completists like me, this is a nice addition to my library of Walt Disney biographies but for others, they may rightly chose to save up their pennies for the newly released paperback version of Mike Barrier's The Animated Man that features corrections from the hardback.]
Do not miss today:

- This interesting blog about Disney Golden Books discovered by Jim Korkis
- Alice Board 1 by Michael Sporn

Monday, June 09, 2008

Check this link for an excellent article that I just received from Jim Korkis.

This just in from Disney Editions:

No zeros, all heroes—it’s the boys’ turn to shine!

From the Prince who is Charming, to the Prince who began as a “diamond in the rough,” to the Lord of the Jungle, and to the many princes whose kiss led to a happily ever after, the Disney princes are often neglected in favor of their female counterparts.

Disney's Neglected Prince is a hard cover “Art of” book that focuses on the guys, whether they rule from a castle, a forest, or a mountaintop, or just marry well. The roster includes royal favorites such as Princes Phillip, Eric, and the Beast; royalty from other realms including Hercules, John Smith and Li Shang; and the latest to ascend to the throne—Prince Edward from the upcoming Disney feature Enchanted and the Prince from The Princess and the Frog. Rare and rarely seen visual development art from The Walt Disney Feature Animation Studio will give Disney fans an opportunity to enjoy these hand-drawn hunks in a whole new way.

Disney's Neglected Prince is 9 x 11 in size, 128 pages, available in April 2009.

She began as a flash of light in the mind of playwright J.M. Barrie, with a voice the sound of tinkling bells. And with a sprinkle of her pixie-dust, flight is possible! Yet, as magical as this little fairy is, she presented one of the more defining challenges to Disney’s remarkable animators.

Said Walt, “We could make the little sprite glow like a firefly as she darts through space and have her speak with the sound of bell.” During her development for the film and then beyond, she has transformed from a tiny fairy ballet dancer – florally bedecked and aloof as a cherubim – to a high-tempered and ultra-feminine little vixen.

Over the past fifty years, Tinker Bell has evolved into a beloved icon embraced by millions of fans for her coy flirtations, her pixie antics, and her potent doses of Disney magic, whether it’s on screen, in books, or setting off the fireworks in the Disney parks.

This book explores her origins and years of development from a sweet little spark of light with a Dresden doll’s delicacy to a pom-pom-shoe-wearing, mischievous blonde top-knotted fairy.

Tinker Bell - An Evolution is 9 x 11 in size, 128 pages, available in May 2009.]
Walt's People - Volume 1

If you have tried to buy Walt's People - Volume 1 since March of this year through Amazon or Barnes and Noble, you may have noticed that this volume is now listed as unavailable. Xlibris seems to have changed its policies regarding distribution and the books they release are now only available for 2 years on the online bookstores. To have the books available there for a longer time, one has to pay a $69 yearly fee. This is a terrible frustration as I was not aware of this policy when I signed up with Xlibris 3 years ago. This additional cost multiplied by the number of volumes in the series is likely to unbalance completely the economics of the project. I will probably have to look for sponsors soon. We will see. For now I have taken steps to get WP - Volume 1 available again asap on the online bookstores.

All volumes remain available on Xlibris.com, of course.

Do not miss today:

- Souvenir Friday- Celebrity Sports Center on Stuff from the Park
- Raising the Roof in Kansas City by Michael Barrier (June 6, 2008)
- Recap Friday - Wizard’s Duel Storyboard by Michael Sporn
- The Pixar Touch by Mark Mayerson

Friday, June 06, 2008

This just in from Don Peri:

[I have attached a story sketch from So Dear to My Heart that I thought you might like for your blog. This is one of my favorite pieces from my collection.]

Great way to start the weekend.
This just in from Jim Korkis:

[I just ordered this new Walt Disney biography. It looks like it is another juvenile biography and may be done up like a comic book.]

Also from Jim:

[The Autumn 2007 issue of Heritage magazine has an article on the Disney Celebrity Sports Center. I just ordered a copy yesterday so I haven't seen it yet. Here is a link.]
Do not miss today:

- LIFE with Alice by Michael Sporn

Thursday, June 05, 2008


From the Bob Cowan's collection, here is an old memo about a skiing trip with the "Disneyites". This probably happened in the '30s. I wonder if anyone has more info about this.

Do not miss today:
- Thanks to Jeff Pepper for having spotted the great new blog Inside Disney Music. Quite a few excellent entries already.
- Walt's Field Day by Hans Perk (a truly outstanding post)
- Mickey Mouse Boy Scout lamp by David Lesjak
- Anatomy of a mid-1940s photo - part 2 by David Lesjak
- Interview of Ken Duncan (Part 1) on Animation Podcast
- Follow-Up on Mickey’s Polo Game by Thad Komorowski (Thanks to Michael Barrier for the link)

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Two nice items by Les Clark from the collection of Bob and Sue DeLucia: The Mickey above was painted by Les for his wife Georgia the year he passed away.
I am clearly looking forward to getting this book when it gets released in August.
This just in from Jim Korkis:

[Does anyone know anything more about this? Who is playing Walt and what does he say for 45 minutes?]

Didier: the actor playing Walt will be Bill Worley, apparently. Check this link for more details.]

["Disney," "Edison" to Appear in Kirkwood

KIRKWOOD, Mo. (West County Journal) – Walt Disney, Thomas A. Edison, Margaret Mitchell and P.T. Barnum will be in Kirkwood this week. The Kirkwood Public Library and the Missouri Humanities Council are inviting the public to take a journey back in time as Chautauqua 2008, "That's Entertainment," arrives Thursday for a four-day appearance. Actors from across the country will grace the stage; the performers have been compared to scholars who have completed in-depth research of their characters. Each night, there will be an opening act, such as the Moolah Shrine clowns, Dan Rubright's and Steve Schnekel's "New Sounds," and Joe Thompson's Dixieland Band. Then, the actors will bring their characters back to life with a 30- to 45-minute in-character monologue covering their accomplishments, place in history and impact on public entertainment. Following the performances, the actors will step out of character and answer questions from the audience with their historical knowledge. The events are free and will take place in the Lions Amphitheater in Kirkwood Park. A different character will make an appearance in each program, beginning with Walt Disney Thursday, Thomas Edison Friday, Margaret Mitchell Saturday and Phineas Taylor Barnum Sunday.]
Do not miss today:

- Gag Cartoons by Michael Sporn
- The Killing Fields by Michael Barrier (June 3, 2008)
- The Little Disney Garage Nobody Wanted by Wade Sampson
- Imagineer Jason Surrell on Mouse Planet
- "Your Order?" From the Disney Commissary c. 1940 by Jenny Lerew
- Nice blog created to celebrate the Big Bad Wolf's 75th birthday

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

This just in from Ross Anderson:

[There is a very interesting film clip of a volleyball game with the Disney animators versus the Producers on The Blackwing Diaries. John Musker is commentating and Tim Burton, Chris Buck, Darrell van Citters, Randy Cartwright are playing.

It reminded me of a film that Tim Burton filmed at that time called, "Luau". It is like a perverse Annette Funicello/Frankie Avalon beach movie. Mike Gabriel, Joe Ranft, John Musker and many of that gang were in it, but copies are notoriously rare. I have only ever seen a couple of stills in books on Tim Burton. I would really appreciate it if you could put out the call for anybody who is willing to share the film, Luau, with others.]

Could anyone help?
Nice photo of Dali visiting Walt discovered recently on ebay.
I updated the Disney Books Network yesterday.

Monday, June 02, 2008

Some great photos of Walt being sold on ebay at the moment.



Do not miss today:

- Walt Disney, the Silver Buffalo and the Boy Scouts of America by David Lesjak
- The Walt Disney Family Foundation site has been updated
- Walt and Dolores—and Diego by Michael Barrier (May 29, 2008)
- Excellent 4-part series of articles about the Disney-MGM Studio Backlot project by Todd James Pierce on Jim Hill Media
- Disney Animators Vs. Producers by Amid Amidi
- Ralph Wright, the Oregonian by Hans Perk
- The Pixar Touch by Jeff Pepper
- Don Peri interviewed on Mouse Guest
- Book Review: Working with Walt: Interviews with Disney Artists by Martin Goodman