The Disney Book Thread

[ichabod]

Since this thread has been bumped I guess this is the ideal place to advertise this.

If anyone wants the bargain of the year head to Amazon.co.uk right now, where they're selling Robert Tieman's Disney Treasures for the insane price of only £6.99

Don't just think think that it's just UK people that can take advantage of this. If you're in the US and you've always wanted this, even with the shipping cost to the US it only works out as about $20 which is still only about half as much as the Amazon US price, so you'll still be laughing all the way to the bank.
And since books don't have region coding you don't have to worry about that either

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Disney-Treasure ... 586&sr=8-3

[totallyminnie86]

Great idea for a thread. At some point I'll have to go over everyone's lists and check out some of the titles I haven't read through yet! Most recently, I've been browsing through Disney Lost and Found. It highlights a couple of really interesting abandoned projects from a couple years ago... in particular of interest to me was a film called "My peoples" (which I'm curious to know if anyone else has had a look at this book, and if anyone knows anything about that production... hm, perhaps a new thread?)

[ichabod]

Most recently, I've been browsing through Disney Lost and Found. It highlights a couple of really interesting abandoned projects from a couple years ago... in particular of interest to me was a film called "My peoples" (which I'm curious to know if anyone else has had a look at this book, and if anyone knows anything about that production... hm, perhaps a new thread?)

Disney Lost and Found is a book that I've had my eye on since it first popped up on Amazon, unfortunately it's one of only many and I haven't got it yet (and doubt I will for a while).

But yes this book is one I definitely am interested in, simply because of the art from "My Peoples" and "Wild Life".

I actally remember well when both of these films were still in production and announced as upcoming films.

Due to the fact I had an Disney OCD in round about 2002/2003 I saved files of webpages and I know somewhere I do have some info somewhere on both these films. I'll see if I can dig them out.

[blackcauldron85]

I've always been interested in "the Disney that never was", and I've been especially interested in My Peoples for years...

Halfway through this video has some footage from A Few Good Ghosts (aka My Peoples, aka Angel and Her No Good Sister, aka Elgin's People)
http://www.projectfirefly.com/3Danimationreel.html


Here are some other links that I have saved for My Peoples and Wild Life:

http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00000280.html

http://www.2719hyperion.com/2008/06/dis ... found.html

http://www.countingdown.com/movies/3240 ... id=3263601

http://boards.disneysites.com/archive/i ... 19911.html

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%2 ... er%22&aq=f

http://web.archive.org/web/200202130049 ... /News.html

http://web.archive.org/web/200310010708 ... /News.html

http://web.archive.org/web/200202160850 ... s0801.html

http://forum.bcdb.com/forum/Disney_Chan ... ain_P8216/

http://www.dollymania.net/archive072003.html

http://www.google.com/search?complete=1 ... earch&aq=f

http://www.thezreview.co.uk/comingsoon/ ... people.htm

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/floyd_nor ... art-i.aspx

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/floyd_nor ... art-2.aspx

http://web.archive.org/web/200312121803 ... imated.php

http://web.archive.org/web/200302030331 ... eoples.htm

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/3706

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/6305

http://web.archive.org/web/200302030331 ... eoples.htm

http://forumdcp.aceboard.fr/280850-5600-50129-0-.htm

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,464213,00.html

http://disneyvideo.altervista.org/forum ... topic=8216

http://web.archive.org/web/200302172058 ... dLife.html


Here's a UD thread that might give you more info:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/vie ... 823#394823

[Gurgi30]

I'm mainly interested in Disney's Theme Park books so that's where the focus of my collection is. However, I do have others and there are some that I'm actively pursuing. With that in mind, I have the following:

The Disney That Never Was by Charles Solomon
Disney A to Z (Third Edition) by Dave Smith
The Art of Disney by Christopher Finch
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin (3rd and 4th Editions)
Mickey and the Gang: Classic Stories in Verse
Walt Disney by Bob Thomas
The Art of the Lion King

The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at Its Peak
Around the World With Disney
Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show
Imagineering Legends and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park
The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom
The Imagineering Field Guide to EPCOT
The Imagineering Field Guide to Animal Kingdom
The Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland (Pre-Ordered)

If anybody knows of any really good theme park books I'm missing please let me know.

[BrandonH]

Gurgi, I would recommend The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies by the same author as the Disney Mountains book (Surrell). It covers the attraction in every incarnation, and it is a nice supplement to the DVD extras. I'm sure the Pirates of the Caribbean book is nice, too, but I haven't had a chance to read that one yet.

[Gurgi30]

Thanks Brandon. I'll look for it.

[ichabod]

Well BC saved me the bother of having to dig up anything about My Peoples. Such a shame the project was shelved since it certainly had one the most unique looking sets fof characters designs ever! I'm gonna have to get my hands on that book.

What I would love (insert ichabod dream sequence here) is if the released My peoples (and some other failed projects) as a story book using the concept art as pictures. Similar to the way they released story books of Cindy and Alice using Mary Blair's art. They could cobble together the story of My Peoples (or at least the last complete version of what it would have been) and use the concept art as illustrations.

[blackcauldron85]

What I would love (insert ichabod dream sequence here) is if the released My peoples (and some other failed projects) as a story book using the concept art as pictures. They could cobble together the story of My Peoples (or at least the last complete version of what it would have been) and use the concept art as illustrations.

I would absolutely love that. Disney did a similar thing with "Gremlins", making a book of an unreleased production.

[akhenaten]

WHATEVER REMAINS OF MY PEOPLES IS VISIBLE IN MEET THE ROBINSONS. IN THE ROBINSONS LAB OF REJECTS :d

[ichabod]

I would absolutely love that. Disney did a similar thing with "Gremlins", making a book of an unreleased production.

Not really. Roald Dahl wrote the initial story before it was even shown to Disney. The book was published before the film was eventually canned.

[blackcauldron85]

Not really. Roald Dahl wrote the initial story before it was even shown to Disney. The book was published before the film was eventually canned.

But the idea of having artwork from an unproduced Disney film in a book is similar...? Because didn't Disney artists illustrate the book?

[ichabod]

Not really. Roald Dahl wrote the initial story before it was even shown to Disney. The book was published before the film was eventually canned.

But the idea of having artwork from an unproduced Disney film in a book is similar...? Because didn't Disney artists illustrate the book?

Well sort of. The book was illustrated with images matching the designs of how they would have turned out in the Disney film. Off the top of my head I think Bill Justice did the artwork. But the artwork was (to the best of memory) done specifically to illustrate the book. And wasn't simply pieced together from concept art I don't believe.

And since we're in the Disney book thread. I'll take this chance to recommend the book. Not only is the artwork beautiful but the story is so morose. It would have made a very interesting Disney film because it's not exactly laugh a minute.

I'll see if I can dig it out (from wherever it's hiding, which I don't know) and see if I can clear up whether the art was created specifically for it.

[blackcauldron85]

Ohhh, okay. Learn something new every day! Thanks!

[ichabod]

Well I found it. It wasn't as hidden as I thought. According to Leonard Maltin's foreword. The drawings were done by Bill Justice as I thought, the paintings were done by Al Dempster. Most (I sincerely hope) will know these are both big names in Disney animation history.

The illustrations were done for the book although they do retain a very concept ary look to them. Justice's drawing are with charcoal and very loose and simple but extremely charming. Dempster's painting are quite odd. The human figures and background are all painted very realistically but the Gremlins are very cartoony almost like animation cels. I assume this perhaps has something to do with the fact that for a brief time the film was going to be live action with animated Gremlins.

Either way it's a lovely book.

[Elladorine]

I sort of stopped picking them up after DVD's became a big thing (couldn't afford to keep up with both, lol). I've lost most of my of my old Disney books however, including some of the big fancy art books. I need to re-inventory what I have left.

I know I no longer have the Disney Character Encyclopedia, and I used to have 2 different editions. I should really look into picking up another copy.

[Gurgi30]

The Imagineering Guide to Disneyland arrived yesterday and while I haven't had a chance to read it I did get to look at it. If you liked the other books in the series you'll certainly like this one as well. Everything is laid out the same as the other books but of course the history is on the park that started it all. There are a lot of interesting pieces of information that make the ride lines more enjoyable. At a price just short of $10 this is a great buy for anyone that has an interest in Disneyland or why the Imagineers did things the way they did.

[Calamity 23]

1) I've been looking for a through reference book on Disney shorts - would the Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters by John Grant be a good choice?

Oh and the only Disney books I think I have are:
- Walt Disney Parade: Fun Favorites, Great Moments in Fiction, Adventures in Fact, and Fantasy on Parade (I loved those as a kid)
- some comic books from long ago (Uncle Scrooge comics were my favorite for some reason)
- a picture book of the 1939 Ugly Duckling (*aww*)
- an original Fantasia program
- Disney's Beauty and the Beast: A Celebration of the Broadway Musical (not one of my favorite stage shows, I must admit)

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Yes, it would.

[myr_heille]

So... which are the bestest ultimate books to have? I found an old review from 2005 on the main site and I added The Disney Treasures and Maltin's The Disney Films to my list, but apart from those ones? I want books on everything, from Walt himself to the history of the company to the movies or the parks. I'd love it if you took the time to explain why each book is awesome instead of just the lists that this topic mostly has. Thanks a lot!

And I'll start by saying that The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at its Peak was a real treat. It's full of information and beautiful images (old posters, pictures, concept arts, etc.). However it really made me want to go back to Disney World A LOT, so, you're warned.