They Drew As they Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years (The 1940s - Part One) (Disney x Chronicle Books, 2)

The 1940s ushered in an era of Description musical experimentation and innovation at the Walt Disney Studios. Artists from all over the world flocked to California to be part of the Disney magic and their ground-breaking styles influenced character designs and story ideas for such classics as Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, and Bambi. For this volume, author Didier Ghez has unearthed hundreds of enchanting images-- from early sketches that never made it past the drawing board 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 private letters, this magnificent collection offers a rarely-seen look at the creative visionaries who breathed life into some of the most beloved films of our time. Artists included: Walt Scott, Kay Neilsen, Sylvia Holland, Retta Scott, David Hall.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member fundevogel

Ghez has put together a beautiful book which knows just what it wants to do and nails it. He covers the art and careers of five artists (working primarily as concept & story artists) at Disney Animation in the 40's. You couldn't ask for a better assembled art book. The page count is dominated by

beautifully reproduced full color art. The paper is so thick I often checked to see if two were stuck together. The biographies aren't comprensive, but they are well focused, covering how the artists came to Disney, their experience and involvement at Disney and how their time at Disney ended. Sadly their stories often involved layoffs, poor wages and difficulty finding work. A particularly Kay Nielsen's story ended with him dying in poverty. He was a particularly impressive artist.

Ultimately Ghez has put together a lovely book sharing a body of mid century concept art that had been locked away in Disney's archives for decades. Some it is from familiar Disney films, others from projects that never materialized. Either way Ghez celebrates these working artists bringing their work out of the dark and shining a little light on their lives at Disney, both the good and the bad.

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LibraryThing member roadkyl

For fans of Disney, this is a fascinating look behind the curtain at what almost was and where some of their favorite characters were originally conceived. For those interested in movie production it provides a backstage look at concept development through five artist's biography's and work.

LibraryThing member keristars

Five artists and examples of their work at the Disney Studios is featured in this oversize, gorgeous artbook.

Each artist - Walter Scott, Kay Nielsen, Sylvia Holland, Retta Scott, and David Hall - has a brief biography to explain their work at the Studios followed by several full-color reproductions

of work related to major projects. Most biography sections are 10-20 pages long, followed by a similar pagecount of artwork (including sketches, detail work, character designs, and full illustrations), but thanks to her daughter and granddaughter's contributions, Sylvia Holland's section is much more detailed and full, with over 30 pages of biography and artwork each.

The book's title and theme is of the storyboard artists who were involved with musical projects in the early 1940s (and they all worked on Fantasia at some point, in some way), but their contributions to the Studio and examples of their artwork range from the 1930s to the 1950s, and these are all represented.

The focus is decidedly on who the artists were, why they are interesting or worth remembering. The book includes some history of the Disney Studios itself, especially the financial problems and the strikes, but although that history is referenced for context to the artists' work, it is secondary to the artists and the artwork. I liked that the biographies give a window into what it was like to work for the Studios as a fine artist in the storyboard and concept departments, rather than the overarching story of the Studio. Extensive excerpts from Sylvia Holland's letters really helped tell the story without getting into the nitty gritty of the politics and financials of the suits.

Ultimately, the reason this book exists is the artwork. It really is beautiful, created in pencil or pastel or watercolor, a wide range of types and themes including comic character concept sketches from Walt Scott or full-blown art renderings packed with detail from David Hall. There are also several photographs of the artists next to their work, showing the size of the actual pieces and the context of how they were created - rarely one at a time but in succession and communication with other work, much of which never made it into a produced film.

I was so impressed when I first opened this book that I immediately went to Amazon and bought the first in the series, and I have taken both to my museum workplace to share with the artists and art educators I work with. I am fascinated with the art theory behind films, and these books both open a window to the early work, so many of which are masterpieces. My coworkers are just as interested in seeing different examples from skilled artists and how they adapted to Disney's needs.

The next book in the series is supposed to be about the model making department, to compliment this one about the storyboarders. I'm looking forward to getting a copy.

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LibraryThing member abealy

Without the groundbreaking work of Walt Disney Studios throughout the 1940s, animation would be a very different place. With an international stable of talented artists bringing their own cultural references and stylistic strengths, masterpieces like Fantasia, Bambi, Alice in Wonderland and Peter

Pan among others were released into the world. Behind this creative nexus was the brilliant work of Disney's concept artists.

Didier Ghez's They Drew As They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years, is a rich, gorgeous testament to the visionary concept work of five artists with five very different styles and sensibilities. The book includes relatively brief biographies of each of the artists with a rich assortment of their pencil sketches, storyboards, watercolors and oils. The work of Disney's first female animator, Retta Scott sings with comic energy and bravado. Kay Nielsen already a successful painter and illustrator in Europe, came on to work on the Bald Mountain sequence of Fantasia. Sylvia Holland and Walt Scott added to the rich layering that was Fantasia.
Featured last in the book, and my personal favorite, David Hall did not stay long at Disney but his beautiful sketches and paintings of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan are a highlight by any measure.

For anyone at all interested in the history of Walt Disney Studios (which is to say the early history of feature animation!), this book is a must have and a welcome addition to a continuing series.

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LibraryThing member 5hrdrive

I had already purchased Volume One a few months earlier so when I saw this was available I knew that I had to have it. The artwork is exquisite and the stories behind the creations are fascinating. Covers a period of Disney history that any buff will find fascinating. Perfect in every way! Will

definitely continue to acquire these as they become available.

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LibraryThing member sstaheli

As a diehard fan of Disney animation from the Golden Age, this book was a true treat. The Disney company led the industry for decades because of the quality of artists and the resources available to them. This collection of art from that time demonstrates the high level of creativity and execution

by these artists. This is the sort of volume that should be enjoyed over and over again!

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LibraryThing member MarkHufstetler

Exploring the history of American film back in college made me a die-hard fan of "Fantasia" ... not just because it was a little trippy, because the richness of its animation and underlying art was so remarkable. The film was my first exposure to animation as an artistic work, rather than a

commercial one, and even though it was less successful than the "commercial" films, it ended up profoundly impacting the genre and my appreciation of it.

Most people probably think of Fantasia and the other Disney animation of the era as simply being a product of Walt himself, which of course is a tremendous slight to the legacy of the many studio animators who actually created the work, who were responsible for all that richness and art. This book is part of an admirable series intended to redress that slight, by focusing on the lives, careers, and artistic output of some of the animators who were responsible for Fantasia and other great Disney films of the era. Well-researched, handsomely laid out, and beautifully illustrated, the book highlights the careers of five Disney artists, people who none of us have ever heard of before, but whose work we have all seen. Individually, these chapters give long-overdue recognition to some extremely talented artists, and together, they provide a real insight into the creative process behind some of the greater animation ever produced.

Very highly recommended. My only complaint about the volume is that I was so pleased by it, I'll probably find myself needing to buy the remaining books in the series!

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LibraryThing member fiberdzns

This book covers the years of World War II and the Disney strike. Both of these events made these challenging times for the Disney Studio. Without this book, I wouldn't know of much of the animation art from that era. Many of the projects were scrapped due to the economy of the time. Didier Ghez

did an incredible job of finding all of this art and of documenting the artists. Wow, what great art! I will be seeking out the rest of the volumes to the detriment of my wallet.

I highly recommend this book especially for any illustration and animation fans.

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LibraryThing member ashleytylerjohn

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)

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