The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years: The 1940s, Part One

They Drew as They Pleased #2

by Didier Ghez, John Musker (Foreword)

The 1940s ushered in an era of musical experimentation and innovation at the Walt Disney Studios. Artists from all over the world flocked to California to be part of the magic, and their groundbreaking styles influenced such classics as Dumbo and Bambi as well as shaped the masterpieces that followed such as Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. For this volume, author Didier Ghez has unearthed hundreds of enchanting images—from early sketches to polished concepts for iconic features—by five exceptional artists who shaped the style of the Studio's animation during this period of unbridled creativity. With evocative descriptions and excerpts from the artists' journals and autobiographies, this magnificent collection offers a rare look at the visionaries who breathed life into some of the most beloved films of our time.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Coffee Table Books

208 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2016

About the author

Didier Ghez runs the Disney History blog (disneybooks.blogspot.com), the Disney Books Network website (www.didierghez.com), and serves as managing editor of the Walt’s People book series.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so I was able to locate the second in the "They Drew as They Pleased" series. The book follows the same formate as the previous edition - following 5 more artists from this era, detailing their time working at Disney, their lives and the amazing work they produced - much of which would never have seen the light of day if it were not for this series.

As the title states this follows the creative team through the musical years - and by that they mean those projects which involved music as their main source of inspiration - with Fantasia at its centre.

But the book is a lot more than that - we see the events around the work and within the film world impact not only the studio and its creations but also the creative team. These turbulent times have everything from world wars and the loss of international distribution but also union troubles which in the end saw the end of the wild creative days of the 30s and more to the tighter more focus productions most likely to see completion.

There is a lot more to this book than just amazing artwork (and it is amazing) this is the history of the creative people who made these flights of fancies realities.

[Chrissie Whitley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shining the light on concept art, the design process, and career biographies of select Disney artists, Ghez captures the allure and awe-inspiring methods that are the essence of Disney animation. Ghez makes special mention of Retta Scott, Disney's first female animator, in addition to four other featured concept artists: Walt Scott, Kay Nielson, Sylvia Holland, and David Hall.

The accompanying art pages are dynamic—filled with previously unpublished art detailing some of Disney's most famous works as well as abandoned projects. A must for any Disney art/animation aficionado, I will continue my collection with the other volumes in this series.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice addition to my Disney art books. I liked hearing the biographical information about the five artists featured in this volume and I think Ghez did a better job than in the first book balancing those aspects with the specifics of each artist’s time at the Disney studio. The art is of course gorgeous and my favorite part of getting books like these. I do wish that more context were given for situations that affected the entire studio, though. All of these entries mention the Disney strike, for instance, but if I hadn’t already learned about it from other sources then I would have been lost as to what actually happened. That just seems like a shame, especially when there’s already a preface in the book that could have provided at least a brief summary of events.

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection of concept art from some of Disney's classic films, along with (more excitingly), projects that were never realized. Even more amazing is the way Ghez grounds the work in the stories of the men and women who created it. Here we get to read about Kay Nielsen's beautiful but doomed tenure at Disney; Sylvia Holland, Disney's first female story lead; Retta Scott, whose work animating the hunting dogs in Bambi was so "muscular" that her co-workers had trouble believing it had been drawn by a woman; and many others. The reproductions are top-notch, and it's amazing to have a window not only onto the foundations what happened, but onto paths toward what might have been.

[David Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this book had an accompanying CD, but fortunately Amazon Music makes it easy for Prime members to stream most of the classical music pieces that accompany the artwork. It was quite enjoyable to listen to beautiful music while looking at beautiful artwork from the many Fantasia sequel pieces that might have been. Beyond just music adaptation pieces there is also artwork from Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, and more that I have never seen before. Finishing this volume makes me eager to read the next.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not particularly urgent book, with a nice but not earth-shattering collection of nondescript-to-pleasant-to-inspiring images.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s)

[PirateAriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo libro è favoloso. I disegni sono meravigliosi, una collezione veramente dettagliata e stampata con cura. Ma sicuramente le informazioni sono l'aspetto migliore: questo secondo volume della serie "The Drew As They Pleased" è un viaggio tra le vite e l'arte degli artisti meno conosciuti del primo periodo Disney. Ho scoperto tante storie che non conoscevo, veramente un grande arricchimento.

[SassieMolassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved that era of Disney art. And I absolutely loved Fantasia. This book was right up my alley. It was gorgeous.

[Bookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this peek into the lives of some of the most influential artists at Walt Disney Studios in its early days. The art is amazing, but the inner workings of the studio and the union through personal letters and anecdotes is also quite fascinating.

[Lloyd Fassett]

10/29/17 - WSJ Saturday Review, could be an interesting book about design that reflects culture in the 40's. I'd like to find one about the 50's though. I bet this author publishes one for Disnay in the next year or two also. Disney reflects what we want to think we are, not what we are. That in itself is facinating.