Between Books – They Drew as Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Golden Age The 1930s

 

I had heard a lot of good things about Didier Ghez’s They Drew as They Pleased series. But I had not pulled the trigger on a copy of this art series due to price and time. But recently the Between Wife purchased me a copy as gift. And if anything has given me joy during this pandemic it appears to be art books.

They Drew as Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Golden Age The 1930s by Ghez introduces readers to four important early Disney story artists. These artists in the Story Department did not animate or put Disney characters directly on cells. Instead they were the artists that modeled the tone, mood, models and even worked out scenes in their early stages before animators were asked to create the story. They were the draftsmen and draftswomen that created the look and story which then would be turned over to the army of animators, inkers, inbetweeners and other artists who worked directly on screen. The book is fairly simple with four main chapters crafted around one artist from the 1930s. Ghez introduces his readers to the four artists; Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvath, Gustaf Tenggren and Bianca Majolie including their educations, pre-Disney careers, Disney highlights and then post-Disney lives. The biographies which run around 10 pages each are then followed by pages and pages of concept art that the artist provided Disney including projects which became films and shorts along with those which were never realized.

Let me be honest, the art is gorgeous. It is presented well and allows one to dive into these story creations. And with the art being the bulk of the pages, it should be and Chronicle Books succeeds. The biography to me were fairly interesting as they showed me some trends among the artists I was not fully familiar with. First, many early Disney artists had European roots and sensibilities, which then had a large impact on his early fairy tale films. Also, while we may thing of animators who stayed on for years, the early story artists appear to have had relativity short careers at the studio. Additionally, I really enjoyed reading about Majolie who had ties to young Walt in Chicago and how she was able to grow into the story artist role as a woman in a very male dominated department.

They Drew as Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Golden Age The 1930s is likely a must for Disney art history fans. The pages are pleasing, but I personally could use a few additional context captions being more word based. And I have read, even written, history in this short biography format. But some may balk at a $30 price tag for this style of book. For one, I really like it as an addition to the Between Books shelf and will likely add more in the future.

Between Books - Star Wars:Vader - Dark Visions

They say everyone is the hero of their own story.  And as I read the back cover of Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions by Dennis Hopeless and a team of artists I thought I was walking into a story that made the villain a hero.  Instead, I found myself immersed into a very different set of tales.

Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions provides five separate short stories, all originally offered as single issues in a series.  The stories, unlike what I thought, do not provide us a unified story with Darth Vader as the hero.  Instead they are all views of the Sith Lord which show us how others view him.  In a world who does not know of the Empire, a youngster views the Dark Lord in action.  An Imperial Officer finds himself awaiting Vader's arrival, an arrival he dreads.  A young X-Wing pilot is faced with Vader in battle.  A nurse on the Death Star develops an infatuation with the armored knight.  And finally, we feel the intensity of being hunted by Vader.

Honesty, one of the most challenging tasks in comics is writing a single issue story.  And Hopeless really succeeds  Yes, the premise of the series works to support the changing tales and views.  The stories truly do not connect other an a character viewing Vader in action.  And some of the stories are stronger than others in my view.  But the collected volume is enjoyable and like the Dark Horse story "Five Days of Sith" demonstrates the true evil of Vader and the impact his actions have on others.  For those who want to dive into the evil that is Darth Vader, Star Wars: Vader- Dark Visions will be an interesting ride,

Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World 2nd Edition

It has been nearly 400 posts since I reviewed The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness.  New Fantasyland has come to life.  Test Track is now more Tron than General Motors.  And Avatar has led to shifts at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  I think it is fair to say that now is a good time for an updated version of Veness' title.

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom by Susan Veness provides a behind the scenes tour of the Walt Disney World Resort.  Veness walks her readers methodically through the four theme parks, land by land, providing background and hidden secrets to the attractions and sights.  Veness' facts help the guest better understand the work that Imagineers have put into the park, and allows them to seem super knowledgeable to their friends and family as they enjoy their Disney day.  Along with her own descriptive text, Veness breaks away from the tour to give her readers "Fascinating Facts" about the parks and "Imagine That!" interludes where Disney's Imagineers and other creatives discuss attractions in their own words.  Each chapter ends with a detailed and descriptive, though balanced and brief, timeline of each park.

I think the first big question really is how does this stack up to the first edition?

So let us just rip off the band-aid and be honest about the first edition!  At this point if you are buying the original as new to you, you are buying a time capsule, a historical tour of the past.  Because the Walt Disney World Resort of 2009 is long gone at this point!  So really, if you want a behind the scenes tour book for today...you need this volume.  The old volume simply captures attractions that are now extinct.  And I found myself surprised how many new attractions there really were as I read through the book.  Even areas I have thought of as static, like Main Street U.S.A. have significantly changed, with meet and greats now offered on the Magic Kingdom's main drag.  In short, a new edition was truly needed and at times it made it feel like a whole new book to me due to the number of changes at the resort.

Now, just because this is a second edition does not mean that all the old stuff has not been updated.  On page 110 of the original volume is a discussion of the bridge between the France and United Kingdom pavilions at Epcot.  The same paragraph can be found on page 138 in the new edition.  In the old edition this paragraph is followed by an "Imagine That!" which is now absent in the updated volume.  But instead in the new version there is a description of a cameraman not being edited out of the Impressions de France film.  The France segment is actually halved in the Second Edition.  But except for the bridge paragraph the content is new.  The Tower of Terror seems to me to be an attraction that should not have changed much since 2009.  However, while the description includes around the same number of pages, there is new Hidden Magic for the reader to look for.  So despite being an updated edition there is still new Hidden Magic for the reader of the old edition.  And I will admit, though I have not read the original in depth for several years (I have used it as a resource several times though) the Second Edition felt fresh to me.   The two editions are roughly the same size, and I can see edits for space where I assume Veness had to shrink content down to allow for new Hidden Magic and new attractions elsewhere. 

Other points I have made in the past stand.  The book is well-written and easy to access.  Veness uses bold text to help the reader scan through content, which is especially helpful when walking through the park and wanting facts on hand.  The book itself is small enough to fit into a backpack.  And I found this edition as enjoyable as the first.

I think if I was to make any suggestions, I would like to see a chapter on Downtown Disney.  But since that is very much in flux in 2015, I can understand why it continues to be excluded.  

The time has come for an update!  The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom by Susan Veness captures the Walt Disney Resort of today, sharing the Hidden Magic in the stories behind beloved Disney attractions.  Some may argue that it steals the Magic.  But for me, Susan Veness has only made the resort more magical by giving background in an easy to digest format.        



Review Copy Provided by Publisher 

Between Books - Star Wars: A New Dawn

Disney has made it clear that with the purchase of LucasFilm we have a whole new Star Wars. The old Expanded Universe now has Legend status. All new books are considered to be canon for LucasFilm storytellers. Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller is on the vanguard of that new canon while also introducing fans to Kanan and Hera, two heroes from Star Wars: Rebels.

Kanan Jarrus has a secret. He is in fact a former Jedi on the run from the Empire after the purge of the Jedi order. He has hidden himself for years wandering the galaxy staying away from the attention of the Empire and their Jedi hunters. Kanan prepares to leave his job hauling explosives to mine the strategically important thorilide, used to stabilize a key component of Imperial warships, and slip yet again into another new life. His plans to slip away are interrupted by the arrival of two newcomers. Count Vidian, an Imperial industrial magnate and advisor to the Emperor, has been sent to improve operations of Gorse the refinery world, and Cyndathe mineral rich world. Vidian’s operations directly impact the lives of the few beings that Kanan cares about. Vidian arrives at the same time as Hera, a attractive Twi’lek seeking information about the Empire’s operations and any dissent that they may cause. Hera and Kanan become unlikely partners as the two attempt to thwart Vidian’s plans for Cynda and the horrible impact on Gorse.

I found Star Wars: A New Dawn an easy read. The biggest struggle is the fact that except for the mentioned but not present Emperor all these characters are new. So I have no relationship with them. I will say that was fine since I wanted to use this Between Book as an introduction to Star Wars: Rebels. But some may find it difficult since they are new faces. For me I do feel more ready for Star Wars: Rebels since I understand the tension in the Kanan/Hera relationship, they both clearly like like each other. However, there is still plenty of tension as Hera is not looking for romance. And I got to watch them grow into a division of labor I expect we will see on the television; Hera gets ideas but Kanan implements them. The book was not my favorite Star Wars book, but I still find it worth the read. The story is small, it’s only life and death for one system! But it is also nice to not have the entire galaxy on the line for once!

I think a big win for Jackson Miller is that when I read I see Kanan as Freddie Prinz Jr. I do not yet picture the animated version but a live action hero. But I hear the voice actor’s voice and even see his face when Kanan talks.

No attachments was a Jedi maxim. Because of this, Jedi make great fugitives. The power of attachments and relationships is a big theme in this book. For Count Vidian a lack of attachments makes him vicious. But for Kanan developing attachments allows him to rechannel the heroic part of his personality. And despite the fact Kanan is a drifter, everyone notices he is a good man even if he does not see it. I look forward to seeing how this personality growth works out on the show since he will be mentoring another. Will he instantly be the good man, or will he start by being a little rough around the edges?

I think if you read Star Wars books, you need to pick up Star Wars: A New Dawn. If you are interested in the animated series, as I am, I would say it is a read you might want to jump into. But for Disney fans not interested in LucasFilm, you can probably pass. Now I am excited about Star Wars and how Disney will continue to roll out and built the new toy. And I would say Star Wars: A New Dawn has me hopeful about some new personalities in a growing universe.

Between Books - The CG Story: Computer Generated Animation and Special Effects

The CG Story: Computer Generated Animation and Special Effects by animation historian Christopher Finch is a comprehensive history of computer generated animation that presents the history of this now common application of computer technology from it's origins to its maturity today.  Finch documents early attempts by computer pioneers to use their computing power to create images.  He then outlines how these early images lead to very early computer animation by pioneers like Ed Catmull which would eventually lead to a dream to create an entire animated feature with computing power.  The author outlines the evolution of that dream within Pixar which eventually lead to the creation of Toy Story.  This is followed by a discussion of computer animated features and how they evolved the art and the growing use of computer generated special effects in live action films.  Finch's words are illustrated by 350 images, primarily showing the results that programmers and artists generated.

The CG Story is a big big book.  It is over-sized, and though I tried, it is not really a book you snuggle to in bed.  The size allows the illustrations to be gorgeously displayed.  There is no squinting for a reader in reviewing and appreciating the images.  My only real complaint of the book is some images are turned on their side, and the size and weight of the book really does not allow a quick orientation change.  But honestly that is a very small complaint.

Finch's text is well researched and has clarity.  Especially in the early portions of the book there are a lot of technical concepts and words that could intimidate a non-specialist if handled incorrectly.  However, I was able to keep pace with the text and never felt like I was missing out on content.  If asked for a history of computer generated animation, that went beyond Pixar, I could see myself recommending this text in a heartbeat.

For me the real star of The CG Story was the discussions of character animation.  And Finch gave me much to think about.  His comparison of Toy Story to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs helped me see Pixar's new film in a new way.  Finch notes how for both the Disney and Pixar animators working on their first full-length project they were pioneers into a unknown world.  And I enjoyed the use of Glen Keane's comparison between Disney (Once upon a time) and Pixar (Wouldn't it be cool if) story approaches.  That small included quote really made me see the two studios in a different way, and I wonder how those approaches will continue to bleed into each other with movies like Brave and Wreck-It-Ralph.  Finch's discussion of animated features includes nearly every important feature including key international releases.  Though Mars Needs Moms did not make the cut.  Of course that is really not a bad thing!

As a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was excited to see the inclusion of special effects.  Though I was shocked to find out that Hellicarriers were not real, I loved a peak into these computer generated specials effects along with an understanding of their costs.  I did not fully grasp the complicated system of computer generated special effects, with most movies contracting to numerous houses and even having competitors work on effects for the same frame.  And I appreciated Finch's discussion between directors who rely heavily on computer generated effects and those that prefer the "weight" of a practical effect. 

The CG Story by Christopher Finch details the evolution of the idea of using computer generated images in theatrical releases.  The text outlines key moments, like the growth of Pixar, in both character animation and live action special effects.  And that history is punctuated by the gorgeous color images used extensively in the book!



Review Copy Provided by Publisher