Rating: 
Summary: Unlocking the magic behind Disney Film Making.
Review: If you are interested in animation, and want to really understand it then this is the book to get. Thomas and Johnston are fine writers and their love for their art is easilly apparent. It's a long, sometimes exasperating, book on the subject of animation; I'd advise the reader to take their time with this one, and perhaps skip the really technical stuff that may be too much for the average reader.
Whats really inspiring is the dedication all the young artists showed in exploring this new medium, and how Walt Disney's amazing gifts as a leader, visionary, and storyteller kept the "Disney Train" surging ahead even after Disney's death in 1966.
Rating:
Summary: Unlocking the magic behind Disney Film Making.
Review: If you are interested in animation, and want to really understand it then this is the book to get. Thomas and Johnston are fine writers and their love for their art is easilly apparent. It's a long, sometimes exasperating, book on the subject of animation; I'd advise the reader to take their time with this one, and perhaps skip the really technical stuff that may be too much for the average reader.
Whats really inspiring is the dedication all the young artists showed in exploring this new medium, and how Walt Disney's amazing gifts as a leader, visionary, and storyteller kept the "Disney Train" surging ahead even after Disney's death in 1966.
Rating:
Summary: A Tome of Wisdom from the Pioneers in Animation
Review: If you can only afford one book on animation, this is the book to own. It's a wonderful "oversized" high quality hardcover full of illustrations and wisdom that I feel are priceless. If you take just one bit of wisdom from this volume, it will have paid for itself. Every time I open it, it's as if I had one of the Disney masters sitting next to me. The principles discussed are a distillation of wisdom over many years from one of the premiere animation pioneers and will provide an excellent foundation as you explore the wonders of this art. I've paid much more for other books, which didn't even come close to the content in this one. It's really a treasure that you will reference time and time again even at twice the price!
Rating:
Summary: A Tome of Wisdom from the Pioneers in Animation
Review: If you can only afford one book on animation, this is the book to own. It's a wonderful "oversized" high quality hardcover full of illustrations and wisdom that I feel are priceless. If you take just one bit of wisdom from this volume, it will have paid for itself. Every time I open it, it's as if I had one of the Disney masters sitting next to me. The principles discussed are a distillation of wisdom over many years from one of the premiere animation pioneers and will provide an excellent foundation as you explore the wonders of this art. I've paid much more for other books, which didn't even come close to the content in this one. It's really a treasure that you will reference time and time again even at twice the price!
Rating:
Summary: The essential book For ALL animators
Review: Im a computer animator. Even though this book is about traditional animation, it has been invaluable to me. It is without doubt THE book about animation and what to do. Even if your not a fan of Disney animation, this is still the best book there is. They made animation what it is today, and there is no one better to learn from.
Rating:
Summary: Believe the reviews you see here
Review: It truly is an amazing book. Not just interesting, BEAUTIFUL. The book is a collection of art, history and technical information. If you've ever watched a disney film in your life (and chances are, you have), you need this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware The Current Edition...
Review: It's a great book loaded with pertinent information for animators. Still, this edition is a reprint of a COPY of the original, as the negatives for the artwork collected in the original edition were lost. Thus, the current edition has extremely poor color quality.
Rating:
Summary: This is a keeper
Review: Not a professional animator, I bought this book as a young teen when I was into Classic Disney Animation, along with it's companion volume. I lost both of them in a house fire, and so when I saw The Illusion of Life at the Disneyland Gallery I put several other Disneyland items down to buy it. This book is that good!Now that I do hand drawn line animation I have found this book to be very helpful and informative. It may not answer all your questions, but it brings up issues you have never thought of, and these small touches are what made Disney animation king for so many years. If you don't want your work to look like Saturday cartoons for the rest of your life, this is a must have. With both color examples of the layers of animation along with many black and white examples of character movement, this book is for both the professional and Disney fan. More geared toward the professional than the Disney glossy books "The making of..." Illusion will be held dear on your bookcase for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: This is a keeper
Review: Not a professional animator, I bought this book as a young teen when I was into Classic Disney Animation, along with it's companion volume. I lost both of them in a house fire, and so when I saw The Illusion of Life at the Disneyland Gallery I put several other Disneyland items down to buy it. This book is that good! Now that I do hand drawn line animation I have found this book to be very helpful and informative. It may not answer all your questions, but it brings up issues you have never thought of, and these small touches are what made Disney animation king for so many years. If you don't want your work to look like Saturday cartoons for the rest of your life, this is a must have. With both color examples of the layers of animation along with many black and white examples of character movement, this book is for both the professional and Disney fan. More geared toward the professional than the Disney glossy books "The making of..." Illusion will be held dear on your bookcase for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: One of a kind, truly *the* animation "bible"
Review: poopypants is unbelievably clueless. I first read this book when I was in high school, and it was out of print. The temptation to steal the book was overwhelming! About 8 years ago, it came back into print and I immediately bought it. If all you're looking for is some hold-my-hand-and-teach-me-how-to-draft-sequential-drawings-book , check out Tony White's book, or Preston Blair's excellent text, or one in the Juvenile section of the library, but if you want to know how to *breathe life into your animation*, this books is a MUST HAVE. Period. Also check out Richard William's "The Animator's Survival Kit" for a good "sequel" (in a way), and some advanced nuts & bolts stuff. This is still the single best animation book available, and will be the animation "bible" for years to come. I'm at a loss as to why someone wouldn't be able to glean an amazing amount of wisdom from this book - it confounds me.
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