What do you think?
Rate this book
Whether it consists of quick sketches on a lunch counter napkin, elaborate paintings in oils or watercolors, or dazzling computer renderings, the unparalleled creative process of Disney artists is lavishly showcased in Design, the third volume of The Walt Disney Animation Studios - The Archive Series. Among the incredible talents featured in this volume are Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvath, Joe Grant, Maurice Noble, Gustaf Tenggren, Tyrus Wong, Kay Nielsen, David Hall, Mel Shaw, Mary Blair, Bianca Majolie, Yale Gracey, Eyvind Earle, Walt Peregoy, Ken Anderson, James Coleman, Jean Gillmore, Rowland Wilson, Glen Keane, Chris Sanders, Andreas Deja, Mike Gabriel, Mike Giaimo, Hans Bacher, Chen Yi Chang, Paul Felix, Aaron Blaise, Ian Gooding, and John Musker. Design represents a rare opportunity to again enjoy a glimpse into the truly spectacular trove of treasures from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 23, 2010
3 people are currently reading
785 people want to read
About the author
Walt Disney Company
37.4k books2,873 followersNote: The decision was made to consolidate all Disney publications under the name Walt Disney Company. This profile is for Walt Disney, the characters he created, and the company he founded. Any questions, please ask in the Librarian's Group.
Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.
Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has been awarded four honorary Academy Awards and has won twenty-two competitive Academy Awards out of fifty-nine nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Hong Kong.
Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) (commonly referred to as Disney) is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, The Walt Disney Company expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theatre, radio, publishing, and online media. In addition, it has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.
The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 11 theme parks around the world. On January 23, 2006, it was announced that Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal was finalized on May 5. On December 31, 2009, Disney Company acquired the Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4.24 billion. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.
--from Wikipedia
Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.
Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has been awarded four honorary Academy Awards and has won twenty-two competitive Academy Awards out of fifty-nine nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Hong Kong.
Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) (commonly referred to as Disney) is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, The Walt Disney Company expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theatre, radio, publishing, and online media. In addition, it has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.
The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 11 theme parks around the world. On January 23, 2006, it was announced that Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal was finalized on May 5. On December 31, 2009, Disney Company acquired the Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4.24 billion. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.
--from Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 20, 2015
Gorgeous.
I found myself stopping and wishing I could take a page out and frame it quite a few times. The Fantasia and Beauty and the Beast sections especially struck me; the latter because it's my favorite and the former because it was just so, so lovely.
It was also really interesting to see the variations of character art side by side—all the different Ursulas!—as well as the wide array of medium used.
A great addition to any Disney collection.
I found myself stopping and wishing I could take a page out and frame it quite a few times. The Fantasia and Beauty and the Beast sections especially struck me; the latter because it's my favorite and the former because it was just so, so lovely.
It was also really interesting to see the variations of character art side by side—all the different Ursulas!—as well as the wide array of medium used.
A great addition to any Disney collection.
July 24, 2015
This book is absolutely stunning. I am so glad that I purchased it! Seeing the different artists view of movies I know so well was interesting. I found myself wanting to see movies in their styles, most specifically any movie Mary Blair did artwork for.
I also want so many of these drawings on my wall! I love all this art and highly recommend to any true Disney fan.
I also want so many of these drawings on my wall! I love all this art and highly recommend to any true Disney fan.
February 10, 2011
this book has so many beautiful concept designs for past and future disney movies, going from mickey himself...all the way to tangled. I have always loved concept art, and this book was like a kid in a candy store for me!
May 27, 2017
The book looks pretty, however the pages doesn't open too wide and there's some images spread on two pages so you predictably lose some of the art in the valley. I hate it when art books have bad binding. I have some gripes with the lay out: some pictures are a little too small for my taste and especially on page 209 there's a piece of Pocahontas standing in front of a huge ship, and sadly the "epicness" of this piece is lost because it has been crammed onto the same page with another Pocahontas concept art (sometimes more isn't necessarily better). However the art here is very varied and completely mind blowing. There's the introduction by John Lasseter and (apart from the text indicating the artist and the production year) there's nothing to read, which means there's more room for the art from which this book definitely benefits. I'm kind of bummed out that there isn't any concept art from Treasure Planet or Atlantis, since those movies had amazing production designs even on Disney standards. Yet there are 4 pages dedicated to Home on the Range... -.- I actually hope that they make a part 2 for this book since I bet there's a lot more art to cover and it's just mind bending to see what could have been...
September 24, 2023
This huge book contains very little text--only an introduction. However, it took me hours to finish because I was taking in every detail. It's filled with concept and design art from Disney animated films and shorts going from roughly the 1930s through to the early 2000s. The spreads are gorgeous, even if I could have used longer features on productions like Dumbo and Tarzan and less on Fantasia. This, of course, is personal preference, and it's probable anyone who reads this will wish there was more from their favorites and less from others. For anyone who has an interest Disney or animation in general, this is great book. It lets the art speak for itself and gives attribution to everything (though I admit I felt bad for whoever's names could not be located) which allows you to appreciate who had which style and how the art changed for different projects and across the decades.
July 15, 2024
The book is ok, filled path many images of concept art in many different media. It covers all the animated films up to 2010 which is a lot, so you don’t get too many images on each film. The more major ones get more attention. The only text is a very short intro so there is not any accompanying descriptions to go with the images.
This is essentially a coffee table book. For those interested in the art and sketches and a more thorough review there have been many books published by Disney. Going back to the 90s there have bee individual books called “The Art of…” for each major animated film that covered in great detail all the artwork. There were also the “Sketchbook Series” for various films that showed all the amazing sketches and drawings. And on and on and on. There are probably a few dozen books already published covering the art of these films.
This is not one of the better ones. While I’m sure it is new and u pique to a whole new audience, it is a very brief overview and there are many books that have much better content. It’s certainly not worth the high cover price so look for a deal on a used copy.
This is essentially a coffee table book. For those interested in the art and sketches and a more thorough review there have been many books published by Disney. Going back to the 90s there have bee individual books called “The Art of…” for each major animated film that covered in great detail all the artwork. There were also the “Sketchbook Series” for various films that showed all the amazing sketches and drawings. And on and on and on. There are probably a few dozen books already published covering the art of these films.
This is not one of the better ones. While I’m sure it is new and u pique to a whole new audience, it is a very brief overview and there are many books that have much better content. It’s certainly not worth the high cover price so look for a deal on a used copy.
February 22, 2017
Like the other Archive Series entries, 'Design' is a huge coffee table book containing a lot of artwork, but a minimum of text. This entry is devoted to character design, concept art and inspirational art, from 'Elmer Elephant' (1936) to 'Tangled' (2010). Thus, this book contains a lot of gorgeous paintings, but unlike 'Story' and 'Layout' not all art has a direct link to the final picture.
A decent piece of the book is devoted to the recent Disney films, but it's the art by Tyrus Wong ('Bambi'), Eyvind Earle ('Sleeping Beauty') and Mary Blair (from 'Three Caballeros' to 'Peter Pan') that remains the most impressive. Unfortunately, the artist of the great artwork for the 1953 short 'Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom' remains unknown. A nice touch is the series of portraits of the artists at the end of the book.
'Design' may not be very insightful, it is a delight to browse.
A decent piece of the book is devoted to the recent Disney films, but it's the art by Tyrus Wong ('Bambi'), Eyvind Earle ('Sleeping Beauty') and Mary Blair (from 'Three Caballeros' to 'Peter Pan') that remains the most impressive. Unfortunately, the artist of the great artwork for the 1953 short 'Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom' remains unknown. A nice touch is the series of portraits of the artists at the end of the book.
'Design' may not be very insightful, it is a delight to browse.
December 6, 2012
(More pictures at parkablogs.com)
Of the three books from The Archive Series, this is my favourite. It covers design or the concept art for animated films.
This 256-page hardcover is filled with beautiful character designs, background paintings and storyboards. There are Mary Blair's paintings, wonderful layouts from Hans Bacher, the Lilo and Stitch drawings from Chris Sanders, pastel colour scripts from Bolt animated films and more. The art here is way more colourful than the previous two volumes on Story and Animation.
There is work dating back to the 1920s up to the latest animated films like The Princess and the Frog, and even Tangled. You will be able to see how the art has evolved with time, and the various Disney artists that have worked there and some are still working there now. There are so many styles to look at, from pencil animated characters to watercolour scenes to oil paintings.
If you have other Disney art books, some pieces of work are actually repeated, but about one fifth of the them are published here for the first time. Even so, this is a wonderful collection to get. And if you have to get only one volume out of The Archive Series, I'll recommend this volume.
This is a beautiful and inspiring collection.
Some of the artists included are Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvath, Joe Grant, Maurice Noble, Gustaf Tenggren, Tyrus Wong, Kay Nielsen, David Hall, Mel Shaw, Mary Blair, Bianca Majolie, Yale Gracey, Eyvind Earle, Walt Peregoy, Ken Anderson, James Coleman, Jean Gillmore, Rowland Wilson, Glen Keane, Chris Sanders, Andreas Deja, Mike Gabriel, Mike Giaimo, Hans Bacher, Chen Yi Chang, Paul Felix, Aaron Blaise, Ian Gooding, and John Musker.
February 4, 2014
The Archive Series is a wonderful selection of four books, focusing on the Animation, Layout and Background, Story and Design of Disney features.
This one, Design, is arguably the most rewarding of the set, if you are only looking to buy one. It consists of a selection of concept artwork for Disney features (including some shorts), running from 1928 up to 2010. Several prominent Disney artists including Eyvind Earle, Mary Blair and Glen Keane are featured. The evolution of the character designs is of course a treat for fans of the films, but the juxtaposition of artistic styles from the various decades is also fascinating to explore.
My only criticism is that, unfortunately, not every film in the 'Disney canon' is included - upon reading the other books in the set, it turns out that all of the films turn up somewhere, but only the most popular are featured in every volume.
The book, like its fellows, is also large and will take up a lot of shelf/floor space, but it is certainly worthwhile if you have a Disney enthusiast in your family! I would highly recommend this if you are a collector of art books.
This one, Design, is arguably the most rewarding of the set, if you are only looking to buy one. It consists of a selection of concept artwork for Disney features (including some shorts), running from 1928 up to 2010. Several prominent Disney artists including Eyvind Earle, Mary Blair and Glen Keane are featured. The evolution of the character designs is of course a treat for fans of the films, but the juxtaposition of artistic styles from the various decades is also fascinating to explore.
My only criticism is that, unfortunately, not every film in the 'Disney canon' is included - upon reading the other books in the set, it turns out that all of the films turn up somewhere, but only the most popular are featured in every volume.
The book, like its fellows, is also large and will take up a lot of shelf/floor space, but it is certainly worthwhile if you have a Disney enthusiast in your family! I would highly recommend this if you are a collector of art books.
December 7, 2011
This book is amazing. I loved looking at all the sketches(I especially love looking at sketches), and the design process.
The only thing that made me a little sad was that I couldn't find any art work for Treasure Planet or Atlantis.
But there was a page for The Emperors New Groove.
And the art work for Tangled was a little disappointing. I was hoping to see some art that wasn't included in the Art of Tangled...but it was still nice. :)
I love looking through this book. It's really inspirational.
The only thing that made me a little sad was that I couldn't find any art work for Treasure Planet or Atlantis.
But there was a page for The Emperors New Groove.
And the art work for Tangled was a little disappointing. I was hoping to see some art that wasn't included in the Art of Tangled...but it was still nice. :)
I love looking through this book. It's really inspirational.
August 4, 2014
Another collection of Disney art straight from the archives. This one focuses on inspirational sketches by people like Mary Blair and Albert Hurter. These are great collections, only it leaves me wondering what else is in the Disney Archives.
August 24, 2016
Would have been nice to see more of the concept art work for the different films in this book. Instead you get one to two pieces for each film. Still, very nice art work.
December 28, 2015
Snyggast i serien (av de jag har) - riktigt, riktigt härlig! Recension dyker förhoppningsvis upp!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews