Mary Blair's Unique Flair

Mary Blair's Unique Flair
Author: Amy Novesky
Publisher: Disney Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-08-13
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781484757208

Even as a child, Mary Blair loved color, and all she wanted to do was to make art. But becoming an artist wasn't easy. Her parents worked hard to provide her paper and paints, and Mary worked hard to enter contests and earn a spot at a school for the arts. She even had to work hard to find her place at the Walt Disney Studios. But Walt was easily impressed by Mary. When she joined his trip to South America, Mary had never seen such color. She collected that color and used it in her concept art for Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, and even the It's a Small World attraction at Disneyland. This beautifully illustrated picture book shares Mary's story, in all its inspiring flair.

The Art and Flair of Mary Blair (Updated Edition)

The Art and Flair of Mary Blair (Updated Edition)
Author: John Canemaker
Publisher: Disney Editions
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014-05-20
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9781423127444

For more than a dozen years, a soft spoken, unassuming woman dominated design at The Walt Disney Studios with a joyful creativity and exuberant color palette that stamped the look of many classic Disney animated features, including Cinderella and Peter Pan. Favorite theme park attractions, most notably the "It's A Small World" boat ride, originally created for the 1964 New York World's Fair, were also among her designs. Now the story behind one of Walt's favorite artists is celebrated in this delightful volume of whimsical art and insightful commentary. In her prime, Mary Blair was an amazingly prolific American artist who enlivened and influenced the not-so-small worlds of film, print, theme parks, architectural decor, and advertising. Her art represented and communicated pure pleasure to the viewer. Mary Blair's personal flair was at one with the imagery that flowed effortlessly and continually from her brush for more than half a century. Walt Disney loved her art and championed it at the Studio. The two shared many sensibilities, including a childlike fondness for playfulness in imagery.

Magic Color Flair

Magic Color Flair
Author: John Canemaker
Publisher: Weldon Owen
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014-05-06
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9781616287931

Vibrant, splendidly hued, and charming beyond compare, the work of Disney designer and illustrator Mary Blair is more than just acclaimed—it is adored. She has charmed generations with her whimsical creations, from stunning art direction for Cinderella and Peter Pan to the wowing and wonderful “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland. Magic Color Flair celebrates this Disney icon, tracing the evolution of her mesmerizing style and showcasing her work in gorgeous, full-color imagery. Curated by award winning animation director and designer, John Canemaker, the Magic Color Flair is an authoritative celebration of Blair’s life work. From her precocious paintings she made while studying at the renowned Chouinard Art Institute, to her concept drawings for Disney films, to her treasured Golden Books, delightful advertisements and large-scale installations. With annotations about her artistic process, Magic Color Flair gives readers an inside look to her bold and lively artistic process that yielded such loveable, and memorable work. While at art school, Blair developed a dynamic style that emphasized drama and emotion. Her gift for visual storytelling caught the eye of Walt Disney himself, who loved her bold graphics, sophisticated whimsicality, and eye-catching use of color and who became a lifelong friend and champion of her work. This book accompanies the Walt Disney Family Museum’s 2014 Mary Blair exhibit of the same title.

Pocket Full of Colors

Pocket Full of Colors
Author: Amy Guglielmo
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2017-08-29
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1481461311

From her imaginative childhood to her career as an illustrator, designer, and animator for Walt Disney Studios, Mary Blair wouldn't play by the rules. At a time when studios wanted to hire men and think in black and white, Mary painted the world in color. Full color.

Walt Disney's Cinderella (Re-Issue)

Walt Disney's Cinderella (Re-Issue)
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Publisher: Disney Electronic Content
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2015-01-27
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1484712641

"This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about love." Cinderella's story has been told over and over, but never has it been touched by the kind of magic created by the contributors of this book. Mary Blair painted the original pictures for Walt Disney's incomparable animated film, and here her elegant art is gathered together as a picture book. Cynthia Rylant's stories about hardscrabble lives have won not only awards and honors, but hearts. Who better to take a young girl from the darkness of her garret room to the light and brilliance of a ballroom? Together these two great artists have created something quite astonishing: a Cinderella that is breathtaking, heartrending, and joyous, both for those who are coming to the tale for the very first time, and for those who think they know it well.

Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland

Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland
Author: Jon Scieszka
Publisher: Disney Electronic Content
Total Pages: 58
Release: 2016-04-12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1484742826

The fantastical tale of a young girl chasing her White Rabbit has delighted children since Lewis Carroll wrote it generations ago. Here his Wonderland shines anew viewed through the looking glasses of two incomparable artists. Mary Blair's vibrant art helped shape the look of Walt Disney's classic animated film. Her illustrations capture the essence of such memorable characters as the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter with stunning immediacy. Jon Scieszka's captivating text celebrates all that is curious—and all that is nonsensical—about the world that holds Alice spellbound, from a deliciously absurd tea party to the spectacle of a kingdom of playing cards. Brimming with wit and wonder, this sparkling retelling will enchant readers from the moment Alice falls down the rabbit hole, whether or not they've made the journey before.

Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World

Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World
Author: Vashti Harrison
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 99
Release: 2018-11-06
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0316417602

The instant New York Times bestseller! From the author of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History comes the highly anticipated follow-up, a beautifully illustrated collectible detailing the lives of women creators around the world. Featuring the true stories of 35 women creators, ranging from writers to inventors, artists to scientists, Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World inspires as it educates. Readers will meet trailblazing women like Mary Blair, an American modernist painter who had a major influence on how color was used in early animated films, actor/inventor Hedy Lamarr, environmental activist Wangari Maathai, architect Zaha Hadid, filmmaker Maya Deren, and physicist Chien-Shiung Wu. Some names are known, some are not, but all of the women had a lasting effect on the fields they worked in. The charming, information-filled full-color spreads show the Dreamers as both accessible and aspirational so readers know they, too, can grow up to do something amazing.

The Noble Approach

The Noble Approach
Author: Tod Polson
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2013-08-13
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1452127387

This extraordinary volume examines the life and animation philosophy of Maurice Noble, the noted American animation background artist and layout designer whose contributions to the industry span more than 60 years and include such cartoon classics as Duck Dodgers in the 24 ½th Century, What's Opera, Doc?, and The Road Runner Show. Revered throughout the animation world, his work serves as a foundation and reference point for the current generation of animators, story artists, and designers. Written by Noble's longtime friend and colleague Tod Polson and based on the draft manuscript Noble worked on in the years before his death, this illuminating book passes on his approach to animation design from concept to final frame, illustrated with sketches and stunning original artwork spanning the full breadth of his career.

The Queens of Animation

The Queens of Animation
Author: Nathalia Holt
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2019-10-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 0316439169

From the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, the untold, "richly detailed" story of the women of Walt Disney Studios, who shaped the iconic films that have enthralled generations (Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures). From Snow White to Moana, from Pinocchio to Frozen, the animated films of Walt Disney Studios have moved and entertained millions. But few fans know that behind these groundbreaking features was an incredibly influential group of women who fought for respect in an often ruthless male-dominated industry and who have slipped under the radar for decades. In The Queens of Animation, bestselling author Nathalia Holt tells their dramatic stories for the first time, showing how these women infiltrated the boys' club of Disney's story and animation departments and used early technologies to create the rich artwork and unforgettable narratives that have become part of the American canon. As the influence of Walt Disney Studios grew -- and while battling sexism, domestic abuse, and workplace intimidation -- these women also fought to transform the way female characters are depicted to young audiences. With gripping storytelling, and based on extensive interviews and exclusive access to archival and personal documents, The Queens of Animation reveals the vital contributions these women made to Disney's Golden Age and their continued impact on animated filmmaking, culminating in the record-shattering Frozen, Disney's first female-directed full-length feature film. A Best Book of 2019: Library Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and Financial Times