Los Archivos de Walt Disney: sus películas de animación 1921–1968 – 40th Anniversary Edition

by Daniel Kothenschulte

Walt Disney, una de las mentes más creativas del siglo XX, creó un universo imaginario único e incomparable. Como muy pocos otros clásicos del cine, su asombrosa colección de dibujos animados revolucionó el modo de narrar historias en la gran pantalla y ha conseguido seducir a generaciones enteras de todos los lugares del mundo hasta el día de hoy.

Este volumen, una de las publicaciones ilustradas más completas que se le han dedicado a Walt Disney, presenta cientos de imágenes así como ensayos de reconocidos expertos sobre Disney y nos lleva al corazón del estudio durante la “edad de oro de la animación”. Repasamos toda la trayectoria de Disney desde los tiempos del cine mudo, pasando por su primer largometraje, Blancanieves y los siete enanitos (1937) y Fantasía (1940), hasta sus últimas obras maestras: Winnie the Pooh y el árbol de la miel (1966) y El libro de la selva (1967).

Tras un exhaustivo trabajo de documentación en el que se ha tenido acceso a las colecciones históricas de The Walt Disney Company, así como a colecciones privadas, el editor Daniel Kothenschulte ha seleccionado algunas de las pinturas de concepto y guiones gráficos más destacados para mostrar cómo lograron cobrar vida estas obras maestras de la animación. Con magistrales y minuciosas ilustraciones sobre celuloide sacadas de escenas de las películas más famosas y imágenes poco conocidas tomadas por los fotógrafos de Disney, el libro ofrece información privilegiada sobre el proceso creativo que se vivía en el estudio.Se dedica un capítulo a cada una de las principales películas de dibujos animados que se hicieron durante la vida de Walt Disney, entre las que se incluyen Pinocho, Fantasía, Dumbo, Bambi, Cenicienta, Peter Pan, La dama y el vagabundo y 101 Dálmatas, sin olvidar joyas menos populares como los cortos experimentales de la serie Silly Symphonies y películas musicales por segmentos subestimadas como Música maestro y Tiempo de melodía.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Film, Coffee Table Books, Media Tie In, Reference

512 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2016

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stupendous. It took me nearly a year to finish this book (I wanted to savor it). This massive Taschen volume details almost every animated film Walt Disney produced from his primitive Laugh-O-Grams shorts produced in Kansas City up through The Jungle Book, the last feature with his direct involvement. With each chapter focusing on a particular project and written by a different noted Disney historian, you get both new insights on the familiar classics and fascinating looks at overlooked stuff (for example, there's an entire chapter on various cowboy- and Western-themed animated shorts which never came to be). My favorites were the chapters on Song of the South, So Dear to My Heart, and Disney's underrated 1940s "package" films (Melody Time, Make Mine Music and Fun & Fancy Free). There's also a ton of fantastic artwork to look at, with special tribute given to concept artists like Gustaf Tenggren and Mary Blair. The only quibble I'd have is that the book is set entirely in a distinct sans-serif font, Avant Garde, which isn't particularly readable for long passages (apparently all of the Taschen "Archives" books are designed this way).

[Thymen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this as a coffee table book to look at the pictures, but I never expected it to be so insightful. Part extensive information about the making-of of many familiar and unfamiliar Disney films, part film analysis, all written with a mix of passion and critical distance. This was the perfect companion piece to my big Disney watching project!

[Karl Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, everything Taschen puts out is fire.

Disney helped shift our culture, from humble origins of survival, to living well, to not just living well, but being entertained.

Books exist to entertain and inform. This is a marriage of the two, informing you of the work behind entertainment.

If that's not enough, it has plenty of drawings to leave you feeling entertained and enlightened.

[Ele Bozzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Disney fan you must read this book! It's made so well! The interviews, the pictures are so interesting!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a classic Disney kid. During my early days, we played with Peter Pan and Tinkerbell dolls (which were what we called them before they became "action figures"). I had an album that contained all of the songs and much of the dialog from One Hundred and One Dalmatians. For Halloween when I was five, I wore a mostly homemade dalmatian costume. I vividly remember seeing Mary Poppins in the theater and fondly recall that my parents used their hard-earned (and somewhat scarce) money on the album that was sold at a table in the lobby. We had 78 RPM records with songs from Cinderella. I had picture storybooks of Lady and the Tramp and The Sword in the Stone. I listened to the records constantly (and know the words to every song). I read those books over and over again. Disney kid.

All of this detail is necessary as a preface to saying that The Walt Disney Film Archives… was clearly a book that should have been right up my alley. And, in fact, it was.

This book outlines the history of Walt Disney's work in animation, starting with his early efforts (Laugh-O-Grams, the Alice comedies, Mickey Mouse, and the Silly Symphonies) before moving on to the feature-length animated movies that he and his team produced starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 and finishing with the movie that was Walt's last personal effort, The Jungle Book, in 1967. Each early historical section — and then each major film — is given its own chapter that provides all of the credits and background stories about how the movie was made and what made it different or special. In many ways, this material parallels what you could probably find in the special bonus sections of the DVDs/Blu-rays, but I would have to say that there were some hidden gems that came as a surprise to me.

I took a very deliberate approach to reading this book: since we own most of the movies in question, I made it a point to read the chapter and then watch the movie and special bonus materials. Surprisingly, I came to realize that, while I was very familiar with all of the movies, there were several that I had actually never watched in their entirety. That made the experience special. What made the experience even more special is that the movies I had watched before and that I did have familiarity with became fresh in my eyes again after I had read their chapters. And some of the movies that I had discounted took on a new luster for me. I now better understand why the animation in Sleeping Beauty is so different from its predecessors. I have a much better appreciation for the resurgence of Disney animation represented by Cinderella. I paid closer attention to Julie Andrews' Academy Award-winning performance in Mary Poppins. I savor more earnestly the cohesion and beauty of the music in The Jungle Book. Even Peter Pan, a movie so completely familiar to me, was seen through fresh eyes. It's all I've been able to talk about for the past few weeks… just ask my friends.

So, why only four stars? Believe it or not, I found myself having to dock the book one star for having no full article about Lady and the Tramp, even though it was Disney's first wide-screen effort. That was quite an omission for me. Otherwise, this has been a thoroughly enjoyable adventure and I recommend this read for any Disney fan, especially one who doesn't have a full appreciation of Disney's early work (and the mysteries of the multiplane camera).

[Erica Hollinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been reading this on and off for the last year.
It was very interesting, great stories and artwork.
The 40s and 50s is my favorite era of Disney projects so this was right up my alley.
Recommend to all Disney fans

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible accomplishment this is!

Easily one of the most engrossing and comprehensive explorations of Disney's history under Walt, featuring contributions from many of animation's most acclaimed historians. The story of the studio, from its inception in the silent world of the roaring twenties to the rapidly-changing times of the swinging sixties, is well told and flows smoothly from chapter to chapter, despite its many authors; a credit to editor Daniel Kothenschulte. Naturally, this being a Taschen volume, the subjects are treated with utmost respect as high art, but the various writers' enthusiasm for the cartoons is also present throughout.

I only wish there was a second volume like this one, to continue the story into the dark age and renaissance periods... A boy can dream!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL book, I was completely mesmerized and enthralled! An absolute must-have for the avid Disney fan.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastically engrossing book about Disney animation. It took some time to get through, I was interspersing it with other things that I was reading, but it was worth it. It was also nice if I wanted a break from the novel I was reading, to have a little Disney animation to check in with. Learned a good amount of things that I didn’t know before reading this. Definitely recommend for big Disney fans.

[Dan Sendker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous art and insightful essays on all of the Disney animated films released in Walt's lifetime. While I understand the lack of essays for lesser-known live-action/hybrid films like "The Reluctant Dragon" and "So Dear to My Heart," I can't for the life of me understand why there's no essay on "Lady and the Tramp." That huge oversight aside, this was a perfect book to read during Disney Studios' centennial year.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t recommend this book highly enough. The book is HUGE and HEAVY. It is so good. The illustrations are huge and beautiful. The text is meaningful and worth reading. I am really thrilled to have found this at the library.

[Giordana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tachen.
Che colorita scoperta!
Immagini random di classici Disney. Improvvisi lanci nella felicità passata.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive book I've seen regarding Disney's "classic" animated library. The illustrations and photos are copious and well presented and the text is engaging and informative. It does not cover the Silly Symphonies or any of the Disney shorts except to mention a few of them in passing. But the Silly Symphonies are well covered in Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman's "Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies" which I also highly recommend.

I was able to watch all the films as I made my way through this volume. It was great fun and gave me a chance to reevaluate some of the films that I hadn't seen for awhile. This book does also not cover any of the Disney live-action films except "Song of the South," "So Dear to My Heart" and "Mary Poppins" which all contain extended animated sections, especially "Song of the South." This book is definitely the penultimate volume on the animated films produced at the Disney Studio during Walt Disney's life-time.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's nothing like a massive Disney history coffee table book to wile away a few pleasant hours. I love the big gorgeous set of film stills that precedes each chapter, and the concept art and photographs generously placed throughout. The essays are wonderful to read, but I wish some had focused more objectively on their actual film instead of putting it down and comparing it so much to previous movies(ahem, whoever wrote the Sword in the Stone chapter). Some more prudent fact-checking was also needed in a couple spots. The descriptions of Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd in the Fun and Fancy Free chapter got mixed up, for instance.

But despite my nitpicking, this book is really nicely done, and I would love to see versions dedicated to the short films and to the live-action classics too.

[Ploly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un compendio di tutto quello che riguarda la carriera animata dell'uomo che ha rivoluzionato l'animazione e il cinema. Questo meraviglioso volumone della Taschen attraversa un lungo e affascinante percorso artistico con saggi su (quasi) tutti i suoi lungometraggi e cortometraggi, arricchendo il tutto con immagini di repertorio e lavori dellə grandi artistə che collaborarono per regalarci alcuni dei film più amati della storia del cinema. Un vero libro d'arte che si focalizza su percorsi di produzione e scelte artistiche parlando in maniera tecnica ma mai pesante. Piccola nota di demerito per l'assenza di un saggio su Lilli e il vagabondo e il poco spazio dedicato a Topolino, ma già così è un volumone di 500 pagine che necessita di tempo e attenzione.

[Matthew Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book for fans of Disney, animation, or art in general. It goes in depth into how the classic animated films were made and the different advancements Walt Disney and the studio made in order to create these movies. At times the book does get rather dense and some of the essays use a lot of film industry jargon that I found a little confusing as I'm not a film student or maker haha. Nothing that bad though.

Overall I loved it but I would only recommend reading to people interested in Disney, animation, or art in general. As a coffee table book it would be a great add to your collection.

[Christoph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prunkvoll aufgemacht, und mit einem Berg spektakulären Bildmaterials. Allerdings finde ich eine Reihe von Urteilen zu freundlich und einige wenige zu hart: Ganz soo vollständig misslungen wie dargestellt ist The Sword in the Stone dann doch nicht... Vor allem aber: Bei aller technischen Brillanz halte ich Song of the South für zutiefst rassisistisch. Die Disneys selbst sehen das nicht anders (Disney+ bietet den Film nicht an), Leonard Maltin schon.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative book about the Disney classics that were made when Walt Disney was still around and I did learn a lot regarding the making of the films that shaped my childhood. It gets very detailed on the process, but there are awestruck images that make this a pleasant reading experience. This is definitely a must-read for Disney fans.

[Michela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly love this book! I loved learning about all of the early animated Disney films and it gave me a new sense of appreciation for the films. I have actually gone and started to watch all the films. I loved seeing the concept art and movie posters. This is a super fun read and has to be one of my favorites I have read this year.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best collection and analysis of films made during Walt’s lifetime. Amazing visuals of sketches, cells, and backgrounds from the Walt Disney Archives and incredible research and commentary from those who helped create them. Highly recommend!

[Galen Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, and provides a lot of valuable insight into the (often unsung) artists who worked on these movies.

[Paul Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome in its thoroughness and images. What a joy to visit each one of these films again.

[Nightary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book design was aesthetically very pleasing but to be honest, it was hard to read because too many big text quotes kept interrupting the reading flow.

[Craig McQuinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

These Taschen books always look so good but leave me empty inside after I've read them. However, it did make me want to revisit all the early Disney animated movies so I guess it did its job.

[Ashley Posey · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG if you are a disney lover. You will love this book

[Arielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 4.5

[Cody Lunsford · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love film history!

[Martijn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Juankixu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really good! ❤️ 🐭

[Tyler Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book looking back at history of the original Disney movies. Kinda repetitive and just skims details instead of really diving into the movies