Magic Color Flair: The World of Mary Blair

by John Canemaker, Kristen Komoroske (Foreword), Mary Blair (Illustrations)

Beloved Disney designer Mary Blair has charmed generations with her vibrant, whimsical creations, from stunning art direction for Cinderella and Peter Pan to the wowing and wonderful “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland. Magic Color Flair celebrates this Disney icon, tracing the evolution of her mesmerizing style and showcasing her work in gorgeous, full-color imagery.

Created for the Walt Disney Family Museum’s 2014 Mary Blair exhibit, Magic Color Flair is an authoritative collection of Blair’s life’s work—including the precocious paintings she made as a student at the renowned Chouinard Art Institute; the enchanting concept drawings she created for numerous Disney films; her lovely illustrated Golden Books, which are still treasured today; and the rarely seen but delightful advertisements, clothing designs, and large-scale installations that she devised later in life.

Curated by Academy Award–winning animator John Canemaker and annotated with fascinating information about her artistic process, Magic Color Flair is a bold, lively look into the work of an equally bold and lively creative, whose invaluable influence and keen eye helped shape some of the world’s favorite Disney experiences.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Design

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2014

About the author

John Canemaker (born 1943) is an Academy Award-winning independent animator, animation historian, teacher, lecturer, and author perhaps best known for his many books about the Disney studio, including Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation.In 1980, he began teaching and developing the animation program at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts', Kanbar Institute of Film and Television Department. Since 1988 he has directed the program and is currently a tenured full professor. From 2001-2002 he was Acting Chair of the NYU Undergraduate Film and Television Department. In 2006, his film The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation, a 28-minute animated piece about Canemaker's relationship with his father, won the Academy Award for best animated short. In 2007 the same piece picked up an Emmy award for its graphic and artistic design.


His first book, The Animated Raggedy Ann and Andy, detailing the making of an animated feature based on Johnny Gruelle’s storybook characters, was published in 1977. Eight more books followed: Treasures of Disney Animation Art (1982),Winsor McCay: His Life and Art (1987), Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat (1991), Tex Avery: The MGM Years (1996), Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of Disney Inspirational Sketch Artists (1996), Paper Dreams: The Art and Artists of Disney Storyboards (1999), Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation (2001), The Art and Flair of Mary Blair (2003), and a revised and updated edition of Winsor McCay (2005).

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Blair is probably the single most influential artist in American 1950's-1960's visual culture whose name no one knows. Her concept art for Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan features bright color combinations and a flat, naive, dramatic style that created cultural ripples. Those ripples are still waving back and forth, echoed by artists like Takashi Murakami's superflat style (though his work is uniquely Japanese and probably not a direct response to Blair.) This book is very well researched and I appreciated all the info about her Mexican & South American influences. The part that surprised me the most was the exploration of her dramatic sense of character and mood, since it's easy to view her work as graphic because of its flatness, color theory and wild sense of shape and geometry.

[Elizabeth Finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful journey through the world of Mary Blair and how she shaped the World of Disney. Many of the color plates in this book are from very the recognizable early Disney films "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan". This is a great resource for any art person whether you self-study or are in art school. Her use of unusual color combinations and the breaking of the normal art 'rules' is central to the stunning book. Makes a great gift for someone looking for that unusual item.

[Christine Turner]

ILL -- 09/17/2021 for December

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a companion piece for an art show back in 2014, and although there are occasional references to the exhibit, this volume has more then enough content on its own to warrant a look for anyone interested in illustration and design. Blair's work extended beyond print media, and her career went through several different iterations that continued to challenge her and provided new opportunities for her unique artistic expression. Singular and highly influential.

[Melanie Mcdaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning artwork in this companion to the exhibit at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Since I'm too far away to visit at least I can see what they are showing on the amazing & incomparable Mary Blair's art.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible. The illustrations and the history of Blair's work was fascinating. Her non-Disney work was featured as well - Christmas cards, storybooks, etc. Highly recommended.

[Redgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to tear the prints out and frame them all

[τλιϓλ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

[Amanda Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork as expected. It seemed a bit light on Mary's work on It's a Small World and her murals. Otherwise, great read and a really fantastic set of Mary's work.

[Flossie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but more of a coffee table book than a real read.

[Michael Foley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting bio and a lifetime of art of one of Disney's greatest artists.