Between Books - Walt Disney & El Grupo in Latin America

I’m tired! I think Walt Disney may have been tired too!

Walt Disney & El Grupo in Latin America by Theodore Thomas, J.B. Kaufman, and Didier Ghez outlines Walt Disney’s trip to South America in 1941. The book covers the entirety of the nearly 3-month fall expedition, spreading American goodwill as a strategy to win over South American neighbors away from Nazi sympathy. Disney was asked by the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (CIAA) to use his global celebrity to strengthen Western hemisphere ties. The story is told heavily in images with the authors providing narration to the group’s daily doings. The volume does not focus on just Walt Disney but recognizes that El Grupo the 18 Walt Disney employees and family members on the journey, were at times separated into smaller traveling parties or even in the same cities separated to meet with numerous local industries or celebrities. Due to the highly visual nature of the text, it at times feels like a documentary and less than a book.

I’m tired, did I mention that? The goal of the authors is to provide a detailed account of the trip. The trio, therefore, doesn’t provide us a thesis to prove, in fact, the three have other works on El Grupo that have this as a goal. As a reader, you understand this is a very visual book seeking to provide a daily accounting. Hence, I’m tired. It feels like the group, especially Disney, rarely had a chance to rest during this fact-finding and goodwill-building adventure. Even in “downtime” artists like Mary and Lee Blair and Jack Ryman were sketching, painting, and refining ideas for potential future movies Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. Or perhaps, Jack Cutting may visit a local studio to supervise a movie dubbing into Spanish. The book makes it clear that this group of 18 were constantly in motion. And while early in the trip, they may have spent in the reader's mind “weeks” in Rio, it becomes clear to the reader that on later stays the group seemed to only linger a day or two in a location before moving on again.

Design-wise, I was pulled into the book and it often felt like a visual experience and not a book. That is why I feel tired. This isn’t an era of perfect staged pictures. The spontaneous nature of many of the pictures helps one to feel the emotion and action, like a tired Lillian Disney asleep on a train car one can feel the stuffiness within. The closed eyes and the improperly directed glances remind us this is a different time before everyone had a camera and the time to coordinate numerous shots for the perfect social media image.

My only complaint with the design is some pages have maps on the layout that pictures and text sit upon. These maps have notations to locations on the page design. Sadly at times, I read these like image captions and not part of the page design which took me out of the journey for a bit.

Walt Disney & El Grupo in Latin America by Theodore Thomas, J.B. Kaufman, and Didier Ghez is a book for those who want to go deeper into Disney’s trip to South America in a highly visual way. For those who want to see Disney legends like the Blairs and Frank Thomas working, drawing, and immersing themselves into a culture this offering is for you. The authors help me to understand the kinetic and tiring nature of the trip, even without making this an overt goal. I wondered, can El Grupo just kick back and relax? An answer that seems like no as Frank Thomas was teaching himself Spanish even on the long-trip home.


Quick Note: While you can purchase this text on Amazon. I grabbed mine at Stuart Ng books where I was able to pick up an autographed copy. 

 

This post contains affiliate links, which means that Between Disney receives a percentage of sales purchased through links on this site

Between Books - They Drew as They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era The 1950s and 1960s

 

Short Version - They Drew as They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era The 1950s and 1960s by Didier Ghez, as expected is really good. And with the inclusion of the Blairs, Disney readers will likely be familiar with two of his five subjects.

Long Version - They Drew as They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era The 1950s and 1960s by Didier Ghez continues an exploration of the contributions of Disney story artists to animated shorts and features. Ghez provides a short biography followed by numerous pages of concept art for Lee Blair, Mary Blair, Tom Oreh, John Dunn, and Walt Peregoy. Readers can explore the images created for films such as Alice in Wonderland and 101 Dalmatians. These images show an evolution from paper to cell for the movies which gave many of us joy during our childhoods.

The book follows the same format as the other volumes in the series. The biographies introduce readers to the artist, their Disney journey, and their post-Disney careers. This is followed by numerous color images which are visually pleasing. Mary Blair may likely be the most prominent featured artist to date. Sadly, this is the biography that I found the most lacking. Disney fans know a lot of her time after leaving animation between her fine art and Imagineering contributions. I found the Blair entry to be shorter in the post-animation days than other narratives. For me, I found the entry of Tom Oreb to be more interesting due to the combination of an introverted personality, interesting art, and concepts that appeared to be delivered straight to the movie theater with an artist that we generally know less about.

If you are deep into Disney animation history, you likely already have They Drew as They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era The 1950s and 1960s. If you are that person and you don’t have a copy yet, you likely will in the future. This series is just so visually pleasing, it really is a must-read and collect.



This post contains affiliate links, which means that Between Disney receives a percentage of sales purchased through links on this site.

Between Books - More Cute Stories Volume 4: 1964/65 New York World's Fair

I really do feel like the More Cute Stories series of recordings by Rolly Crump really hit a peak with the last volume.   And I am eager for more, especially after a volume that was organized so well around a central theme.   As I started Volume 4, I hoped my enthusiasm would still be high!

More Cute Stories Volume 4: 1964/65 New York World's Fair narrated by Rolly Crump details Crump's experiences with a key moment in Disney history, the 1964 - 1965 World's Fair.  This period of Disney history allowed Walt Disney to test the appetite for an East Coast park and ushered in attraction expansion at Disneyland.  Crump discusses how he was transferred from Disneyland to World's Fair projects.  He details the numerous projects he was part of including it's a small world, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Carousal of Progress and many more.  Along with the details of attraction design he also highlights the people he worked with and the experience of being a West Coaster living in New York.

For me the real joy in this volume is Mary Blair.  Rolly clearly enjoyed working with Blair and as having her as a mentor.  He goes into detail discussing his early impressions of her art.  And he outlines their first meeting.  You get the sense as Rolly talks that he saw Blair as someone who helped foster his design skills.  Crump's enthusiasm for his late friend is clear.  And one cannot admire Blair as he talks about his friend.  And as a Disney fan it is especially exciting as he discusses the private moments like touring New York.  Along with Blair, Crump raves about Bob Gurr who Crump declares to be his friend.  And anyone who has read about the two men can see how they could be fast friends.  And with all of these volumes, admiration for Walt Disney is undeniable. 

Crump does promise discussion of the "wild times" after work.  Yes he does share some stories including one that lead to a 30 year rift!  But one does not get the sense of a party atmosphere beyond typical adults playing on a work trip.  Though I do wonder how a Disney Legend feels about Crump recounting his last day on site at the World's Fair!

More Cute Stories Volume 3 is still my favorite.  But the use of a centralized theme in More Cute Stories Volume 4: 1964/65 World's Fair shares the idea of a topical foundation that makes both volumes a road map that allows the reader to know their place in the story.  And like past volumes, hearing these stories straight from a Disney Legend is exciting and worth the cost (which as Bamboo Forest Publishing often does includes a economical digital version).  For Disney history fans, this title is a fun must have for the audio Between Books collection. 

Review Copy Provided by Bamboo Forest Publishing

Between Books - It's Kind of a Cute Story

It’s Kind of a Cute Story by Rolly Crump as told to Jeff Heimbuch is the sort of book that Disney fans love. Crump details his Disney career starting in animation, being assigned to WED in support of Disneyland, and beyond using his artistic expertise to help others build their dreams using his expertise. As Crump would say, it’s kind of a cute story!

Crump was a self –trained artist who left a job in a ceramics factory to become an inbetweener in 1952 at Disney. It was a leap of faith, with his salary half his ceramics pay. As an animator he worked on films such as 101 Dalmatians for which he animated the spots, lots and lots of spots. In 1959, Crump was tapped to join WED Enterprises as a designer. Amongst his early projects was the initial development of a haunted house attraction with Yale Gracey which would later become The Haunted Mansion years later. Another early contribution was design work on The Enchanted Tiki Room, including the preshow Tikis. Crump, like all Imagineers, was pulled off his assignments to contribute to the 1964 New York World Fair. His contributions included collaborating with Mary Blair in the design of it’s a small world for which Crump oversaw the construction of the “toys” used by the dolls. He would later oversee the installation of the attraction at Disneyland. In 1967, Crump would become the Supervising Art Director at Disneyland, helping to shape the park experience for guests. Crump would go on to help reconstruct the magic on the East Coast within the Magic Kingdom Park. He would leave Disney employment and lead his own design firm for projects such as Circus World, Knott’s Bear-y Tales at Knott’s Berry Farm, and an ocean center for famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. Crump would return to Imagineering to assist with the design of EPCOT overseeing the Land pavilion and unused concepts for The Wonders of Life pavilion. These are just a few of the projects in Crump’s distinguished design career documented in this memoir.

Crump’s design work shines throughout the book. There are numerous color photos throughout the book that highlight Crump’s style. The non-Disney work helps demonstrate how Crump’s personal style emerges in attractions such as it’s a small world and The Enchanted Tiki Room. By seeing something of Crump’s design outside of a Disney context actually makes Crump’s touches more transparent. Crump’s fingerprints become clearer and key pieces have an owner and are no longer crafted by anonymous artists. Additionally, the non-Disney pieces show Crump’s whimsical side. These include a poster series that sarcastically pitch narcotics, a series that Walt Disney saw. As Crump noted, Walt Disney saw Crump’s sense of humor as crazy around the edges. And the reader is able through Crump’s art to see how Disney came to this opinion.

The second star of the text is the Disney personalities. First and foremost is Walt Disney. Crump admired Disney and his leadership abilities. Crump largely worked for WED because of Walt’s vision and he originally left Disney employment due to the loss of that leadership. The next standout personality is Dick Irvine. Crump discusses his personality conflicts with the head of WED in-depth. Crump’s assessments are honestly one sided, a fact that Crump acknowledges. It becomes clear that while Disney celebrated the crazy around the edges Imagineer, others like Irvine did not know how to manage him. The third personality that rises to the top is John Hench, whom Crump depicts as a strong willed, opinionated and giving mentor. Crump clearly worries that his depiction of run-ins with Hench could negatively color the reader’s opinion of this Imagineering legend and he takes special care to fully discuss their complex relationship.

The book overall is easy to read, and Crump is a sympathetic figure. The reader truly comes to enjoy Crump and his personality. I was surprised to find that the text is oversized, almost appearing to be a thick tabloid style magazine instead of a typically sized book. With the book being oversized and colorful, suiting Crump’s personality, the hardcover version would be a handsome addition to any Between Books library. The softcover is a good value for the price, especially when compared to other similar memoirs. Honestly, the best value may be the Kindle version which like another Bamboo Forest offering From Dreamer to Dreamfinder, is priced as a steal.

It’s Kind of a Cute Story is a Between Books library essential! There may be a large number of Disney themed books, but not many that provide a firsthand account of working with Walt Disney, John Hench, Mary Blair, Marc Davis and others. And of course, Crump is a legend in his own right and I deeply enjoyed reading his accounts working for Disney and other clients. It’s Kind of a Cute Story by Rolly Crump as told to Jeff Heimbuch is an informative and personal story of an Imagineering giant that any Disney fan will enjoy.


Review Copy Provided by Bamboo Forest Publishing

Walt's Windows - Walt & El Grupo

1941 was not a pleasant year for Walt Disney.  World War II had closed European markets to Disney films leading to significant lose of revenue.  And the family-like dynamic of the Walt Disney Studio changed as the animators went on strike and unionized.  The Walt Disney Studio truly became a business.  These events were very stressful for Walt Disney.  Luckily for him, he was asked to complete a good will tour of South America on behalf of the United States Department of State to support the Good Neighbor policy, showing the U.S.’s Latin American neighbors that the United States was a friendly regional ally in the face of a global war.  Walt Disney agreed to go on this South American adventure; leading a group of 18 animators, writers, composers and wife Lillian Disney.  Disney agreed to use the trip to gather story material for future Disney films, films which the U.S. government would underwrite guaranteeing that Disney could keep key staff employed while not facing a financial loss for the projects. The films inspired by this trip included Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros.   

The documentary Walt & El Grupo tells the story of Walt Disney’s South American adventure.  The story is told through film taken by members of El Grupo and those they interacted with, letters sent by the travelers to family members, and interviews with colleagues.  The film shows not only the Disney team experience, but also interviews South American citizens who spent time with the Disney party.  Walt & El Grupo gives us a window into a difficult period for the Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney and a world enflamed by global war. 

Legends

·        The documentary includes portions of interviews with legendary Imagineers such as Harriet Burns and Blaine Gibson who worked with members of El Grupo and their reminiscences are delights as they recount the events of 1941. 

·        There are a number of Disney legends who were part of El Grupo that will catch the attention of Disney fans.  For example the art work of Mary Blair is well known to even to the youngest of Disney fans thanks to it’s a small world.  However the documentary’s profile of Blair provides us a glimpse of Blair the artist, woman and dynamic force.  Likewise, Herb Ryman is well known to many for drawing the original Disneyland concept map and this documentary lets fans see Ryman over a decade before Disney’s theme park project. 

The World is Watching

·        Thanks to the interviews with those that met Disney and his band we get a glimpse of how Disney impacted the peoples he visited, leaving lasting memories that many individuals and even groups cherish to this day.  It is really enlightening to see how the visit to South America impacted the children of those Disney met, some of those interviewed were not even born at the time of Disney’s visit.  You are given the impression that compared to other celebrities the fact that Disney attempted to meet individuals and learn about foreign cultures is respected to this day. 

·        The documentary also shows us also how cultures outside of North America view Walt Disney today.  And like some Americans you may interact with it is still often the myths of Walt Disney and not the realities of the man that continue to spread throughout culture. 

Laughter

·        This was a very difficult time in the life of Walt Disney, yet much of the film taken for this trip is a happy, smiling, laughing Walt Disney.  We see a picture of a man who loved life and loved to explore the new.  As he learns a new dance, you see the joy in his eyes as he learns something completely new.

·        Additionally, part of the Disney’s frustration during this time was the loss of a sense of family at the studio.  When he returned the strike would be settled by the atmosphere would never be the same again.  Yet in the film recorded in this trip it becomes clear that Disney and his associates did have a close relationship, and the letters sent to family members make it clear that many in the group did not wish to return to a very different Walt Disney Studios.  The fun of making animated movies was dying for Walt Disney and his staff. 

Walt & El Grupo takes us back to 1941, before Walt Disney built theme parks and had not even made a live action movie.  It also shows a transition in both Disney’s company as the studio became less of a club and more of a company.  And it shows a transition in Disney’s preferences as he began to lose interest in animated features due to that changing environment.  The documentary has a delightful soundtrack, a good balance between original black and white film clips and color segments recorded years after.  And the documentary has a star, Walt Disney himself!  Personally, I do not find it as engaging as Waking Sleeping Beauty, but it is well worth the watch for a die hard Disney fan.