Rating: 
Summary: Pull back the curtain and see what's behind
Review: Disney is often considered to be the premiere house for animation. Yet in the course of creation, there will always be ideas that were rejected, or didn't gel, or just fell apart. Luckily, Disney kept everything - good, bad or unused, and created a bounty for the animation historian. This book allows a peek behind the creative process. We are familiar with what made it to the screen, but Solomon shows us what didn't make it. A combination of a history of Disney successess and failures, and a portfolio of hidden artwork, this book is a trove of Disney information that is usually overlooked. It is interesting, following the release of Fantasia 2000, to look back at actual work prepared for Walt's original idea of re-releasing Fantasia annually with different pieces, creating more than just a film, but an experience. Economics and logistics kept this from happening, and only 60 years later did a new attempt at this vision appear. There is so much more that did not make it, beause of money, lack of story, politics or more, and most of the parts rightfully finally get their day in the sun (some of the work should stay buried, but that's few and far between). A fascinating look at "the rest of the story."
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Information
Review: I was lucky enough to find a copy of this out-of-print book and I am really glad that I did. This book is packed with drawings created by Disney artists that were working on projects that were never put into production. Along with the drawings are the stories of the projects and in most cases, the reason why they were never completed. I was especially interested in the material that was considered for the original Fantasia. I recently saw Fantasia 2000 and during this feature they talked about some ideas that were considered and discarded for Fantasia 2000. I found it particularly interesting to see that some material originally considered for Fantasia was actually used for Fantasia 2000 and other material considered for Fantasia was also considered for Fantasia 2000, but still not used. I recommend this book to anyone (who is lucky enough to find a copy) who is interested in Disney animation and some of the material that might have come from the studio that never made the grade.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Information
Review: I was lucky enough to find a copy of this out-of-print book and I am really glad that I did. This book is packed with drawings created by Disney artists that were working on projects that were never put into production. Along with the drawings are the stories of the projects and in most cases, the reason why they were never completed. I was especially interested in the material that was considered for the original Fantasia. I recently saw Fantasia 2000 and during this feature they talked about some ideas that were considered and discarded for Fantasia 2000. I found it particularly interesting to see that some material originally considered for Fantasia was actually used for Fantasia 2000 and other material considered for Fantasia was also considered for Fantasia 2000, but still not used. I recommend this book to anyone (who is lucky enough to find a copy) who is interested in Disney animation and some of the material that might have come from the studio that never made the grade.
Rating:
Summary: A must for hardcore Disney fans...
Review: If you're like me, everytime you see the newest Disney picture, you can't help but wonder, "What are they working on now?" Well, this book might answer some of that longing (at least you'll know what they're _not_ working on). Although it only spans the years when Walt himself was alive, we are shown enough of the Disney might-have-beens to fill our dreams for a while. To be honest, I didn't read most of the text (so many books; so little time), but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying the book, since more than 2/3 is pictures anyway. The captions are well-written and informative--probably for people like me who don't read the text so that we can get the main points anyway. It's really fascinating to see how ideas are developed and why they get scrapped even though the artwork is so terrific. A chapter on wartime Disney was very entertaining--seeing what Disney did to balance the desire to make a political statement with their particular brand of family entertainment. I recommend this book to anyone interested in art styles and the development of animation or films of any kind.
Rating:
Summary: A must for hardcore Disney fans...
Review: If you're like me, everytime you see the newest Disney picture, you can't help but wonder, "What are they working on now?" Well, this book might answer some of that longing (at least you'll know what they're _not_ working on). Although it only spans the years when Walt himself was alive, we are shown enough of the Disney might-have-beens to fill our dreams for a while. To be honest, I didn't read most of the text (so many books; so little time), but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying the book, since more than 2/3 is pictures anyway. The captions are well-written and informative--probably for people like me who don't read the text so that we can get the main points anyway. It's really fascinating to see how ideas are developed and why they get scrapped even though the artwork is so terrific. A chapter on wartime Disney was very entertaining--seeing what Disney did to balance the desire to make a political statement with their particular brand of family entertainment. I recommend this book to anyone interested in art styles and the development of animation or films of any kind.
Rating:
Summary: This is the stuff that shows just how creative they are!
Review: Over the years, Disney has given us 40 major animated features, but along the way, there are those that we never have seen. The art that always seems to instill ideas, the creations that are considered not creative enough, or those that were cut for various reasons. Here, Charles Solomon has pretty much ventured into the greatest journey of his life: The Disney Archives!!(Imy career in animation hoped to one day lead me to these hallowed halls). Here, he poured over hundreds or thousnads of drawings and much more, finding out everything from animated short ideas, to feature length movies. Solomon unearthed such concepts as "The Emperor's nightingale (showing wonderful pastel and watercolor prints), to shorts from Hans Christian Andersen (some art that was mentioned but not shown was the inspiration for the "Fantasia 2000" segment of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier"). There are even countless Mickey, Goofy and Donald shorts that were not made (such as one with Goofy called "How to Be a Cowboy"). In the realm of feature films, there are two incredible stories. The first centers around an idea Walt Disney had to join with another studio to make a telling of Hans Christien Andersen's life story, with interstitials from animation to live-action and back again. An unknown artist did FANTASTIC(it deserves caps) watercolor conceptuals, bu the project fell apart soon afterwards. The second story focuses ona joint venture between Walt and oil painter Salvador Dali. The numerous concepts were made and a short 8 second film reel was developed before it was shelved. There was even the story of the rooster "Chanticleer," which was probably in pre-production on and off since after World War II up til the time of "The Jungle Book." Tons and tons of artwork were made, but a story consensus could never be reached, and the project was never again to see the light of day. The greatest chapter to me is one that deals with the numerous planned segments that were to follow on the possible success of "Fantasia." However, "Fantasia" never came about (not until 60 years later), and over the years, countless ideas were tried, from baby ballets, to even bringing back the pegasus characters from the "Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony" segment. There's even soem information on the "Clair De Lune" segment that was cut before the final release (it was 100% completed too!). I would hope that Disney woudl rerelease this book. It has shown me a lot in what went in to many ideas for the animators, and it is also an infallable reference to me.
Rating:
Summary: This is the stuff that shows just how creative they are!
Review: Over the years, Disney has given us 40 major animated features, but along the way, there are those that we never have seen. The art that always seems to instill ideas, the creations that are considered not creative enough, or those that were cut for various reasons. Here, Charles Solomon has pretty much ventured into the greatest journey of his life: The Disney Archives!!(Imy career in animation hoped to one day lead me to these hallowed halls). Here, he poured over hundreds or thousnads of drawings and much more, finding out everything from animated short ideas, to feature length movies. Solomon unearthed such concepts as "The Emperor's nightingale (showing wonderful pastel and watercolor prints), to shorts from Hans Christian Andersen (some art that was mentioned but not shown was the inspiration for the "Fantasia 2000" segment of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier"). There are even countless Mickey, Goofy and Donald shorts that were not made (such as one with Goofy called "How to Be a Cowboy"). In the realm of feature films, there are two incredible stories. The first centers around an idea Walt Disney had to join with another studio to make a telling of Hans Christien Andersen's life story, with interstitials from animation to live-action and back again. An unknown artist did FANTASTIC(it deserves caps) watercolor conceptuals, bu the project fell apart soon afterwards. The second story focuses ona joint venture between Walt and oil painter Salvador Dali. The numerous concepts were made and a short 8 second film reel was developed before it was shelved. There was even the story of the rooster "Chanticleer," which was probably in pre-production on and off since after World War II up til the time of "The Jungle Book." Tons and tons of artwork were made, but a story consensus could never be reached, and the project was never again to see the light of day. The greatest chapter to me is one that deals with the numerous planned segments that were to follow on the possible success of "Fantasia." However, "Fantasia" never came about (not until 60 years later), and over the years, countless ideas were tried, from baby ballets, to even bringing back the pegasus characters from the "Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony" segment. There's even soem information on the "Clair De Lune" segment that was cut before the final release (it was 100% completed too!). I would hope that Disney woudl rerelease this book. It has shown me a lot in what went in to many ideas for the animators, and it is also an infallable reference to me.
Rating:
Summary: One of Our TOP TEN Books on the Walt Disney Studios
Review: The preservation of art history is often an under appreciated passion. Fortunately, film critic and animation historian Charles Solomon was "bitten" long ago, and throughout his career has maintained a devotion to appreciating forgotten animation source material. In the long and illustrious career of Walt Disney, many projects never made the final step to the silver screen. Whether diverted due to shifts in popular demand, the intervention of a World War, or the changing priorities of a living studio, several early Disney animation projects were met with a similar fate. Some were shelved until the timing of the project was a better fit with studio production schedules (The Little Mermaid); while others were indefinitely postponed due to unresolved conflicts in visualizing the final product (Salvador Dali's "Destino"). The result was a wealth of animation treasure; all of it directly connected to the hand of the artist. Storyboards, sketches, original drawings, concept art and production backgrounds; most of which were created by artists at the height of their creative ability. Legendary Disney artists of the time included Marc Davis, Mary Blair, Ferdinand Horvath, Kay Nielsen, Mel Shaw, Bill Peet, Sylvia Holland, and Joe Grant. Much of this art has rested silently for the past half century in the animation archives of the Walt Disney Studios. Solomon brings this magnificent art to light, allowing contemporary viewers to appreciate anew the talented men and women who labored at the studio during Disney's golden age of animation.
Rating:
Summary: One of Our TOP TEN Books on the Walt Disney Studios
Review: The preservation of art history is often an under appreciated passion. Fortunately, film critic and animation historian Charles Solomon was "bitten" long ago, and throughout his career has maintained a devotion to appreciating forgotten animation source material. In the long and illustrious career of Walt Disney, many projects never made the final step to the silver screen. Whether diverted due to shifts in popular demand, the intervention of a World War, or the changing priorities of a living studio, several early Disney animation projects were met with a similar fate. Some were shelved until the timing of the project was a better fit with studio production schedules (The Little Mermaid); while others were indefinitely postponed due to unresolved conflicts in visualizing the final product (Salvador Dali's "Destino"). The result was a wealth of animation treasure; all of it directly connected to the hand of the artist. Storyboards, sketches, original drawings, concept art and production backgrounds; most of which were created by artists at the height of their creative ability. Legendary Disney artists of the time included Marc Davis, Mary Blair, Ferdinand Horvath, Kay Nielsen, Mel Shaw, Bill Peet, Sylvia Holland, and Joe Grant. Much of this art has rested silently for the past half century in the animation archives of the Walt Disney Studios. Solomon brings this magnificent art to light, allowing contemporary viewers to appreciate anew the talented men and women who labored at the studio during Disney's golden age of animation.
Rating:
Summary: One of Our TOP TEN Books on the Walt Disney Studios
Review: The preservation of art history is often an under appreciated passion. Fortunately, film critic and animation historian Charles Solomon was "bitten" long ago, and throughout his career has maintained a devotion to appreciating forgotten animation source material. In the long and illustrious career of Walt Disney, many projects never made the final step to the silver screen. Whether diverted due to shifts in popular demand, the intervention of a World War, or the changing priorities of a living studio, several early Disney animation projects were met with a similar fate. Some were shelved until the timing of the project was a better fit with studio production schedules (The Little Mermaid); while others were indefinitely postponed due to unresolved conflicts in visualizing the final product (Salvador Dali's "Destino"). The result was a wealth of animation treasure; all of it directly connected to the hand of the artist. Storyboards, sketches, original drawings, concept art and production backgrounds; most of which were created by artists at the height of their creative ability. Legendary Disney artists of the time included Marc Davis, Mary Blair, Ferdinand Horvath, Kay Nielsen, Mel Shaw, Bill Peet, Sylvia Holland, and Joe Grant. Much of this art has rested silently for the past half century in the animation archives of the Walt Disney Studios. Solomon brings this magnificent art to light, allowing contemporary viewers to appreciate anew the talented men and women who labored at the studio during Disney's golden age of animation.
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