New Disney Book: Once Upon a Dream by Charles Solomon

Over the past few years, we've seen some great books come from D23, the Walt Disney Family Museum and Disney Publishing Worldwide. I just received a review copy of Once Upon a Dream: From Perrault's Sleeping Beauty to Disney's Maleficent by Charles Solomon.

Solomon is a biggie in Disney history circles and has written quite a few titles on animation history and Disney animated films.

I'm only about half-way through the book and it's already quite spectacular. The book is large and Solomon takes advantage of the larger format to present art across both pages for some breathtaking shots.

A full review will be coming to Mice Chat and Communicore Weekly, soon!

The Art of Disney Frozen by Charles Solomon

I just finished The Art of Frozen (Chronicle Books) by Charles Solomon. It truly was a gorgeous book that shed a lot of light onto the creation of Disney Frozen. If you're a fan of the film, then you need to pick up a copy of the book. A full review is coming to Communicore Weekly and Mice Chat.

Other books by Charles Solomon:

• Enchanted Drawings, The History of Animation by Charles Solomon
• The Art of Toy Story 3 by Charles Solomon
• Tale as Old as Time: The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beauty by Charles Solomon
• The Disney That Never Was: The Stories and Art of Five Decades of Unproduced Animation by Charles Solomon

Book Review: Enchanted Drawings, The History of Animation by Charles Solomon

Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animationby Charles Solomon. 1994, 356 pp.

Charles Solomon is a well-known name in animation history and criticism circles. He has authored articles for Rolling Stone, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, the New York Times and many other publications. He is also the author of several other well-known Disney and animation-related titles, including: Disney Lost and Found: Exploring the Hidden Artwork from Never-Produced Animation and Tale As Old As Time: The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beast.

Enchanted Drawings is a beautiful and well-written tome on animation. And I do mean tome, as the book clocks in at over 350 pages. I would hazard to guess that is could be used in a college course on animation, yet it is clearly written for the layperson. My only contrary comment is that it stops at 1994 and there have been a lot of changes in the past 15 years.

Solomon begins in the late 1600s with Athanasius Kircher and his text on the magic lantern. He details all of the key players over the next few centuries leading up to Winsor McCay and Dinosaur Gertie: Dominique Seraphim, John Henry Pepper, Etienne Gaspard Robert de Liege, Joseph Plateau, Emile Reynaud ,Eadweard Muybridge and so many more. The research and connections that Solomon makes are quite impressive.

The next major section details the Silent Era films created mostly in New York and Los Angeles. A lot of the more famous early studios are examined with references to any surviving prints. The machinations of Raoul  Barre and John Randolph Bray prove that the competition has always been titular. We are introduced to Paul Terry, Disney, Max and Dave Fleischer and Walter Lantz. You will see their names throughout the rest of the book.

The Table of Contents

Viewing the Table of Contents is fairly enlightening:

• Precursors and Experiments
• The Silent Era, 1914-1928
• The Disney Era, 1928-1941
• The Studio Cartoon, 1929-1941
• Animation Goes to War, 1941-1945
• The Home Front: Animation, 1941-1945
• Wabbit Twacks in the Sands of Time, 1946-1960
• Disney: The Silver Age, 1946-1960
• UPA and the Graphic Revolution, 1943-1959
• On the Small Screen: The Television Years
• The Captains and the Kings Depart, 1960-1994

Solomon is a true animation historian; like his contemporary, Michael Barrier, he was interviewing and researching animation when it was still considered fodder for children. Leading us along a path, Solomon lays out the history of animation in an easy to understand and narrative-like format. You will be surprised by the abundance of animated films, artists and studios. Solomon also offers many stills, images and photographs that facilitate the histories being told.

Sample pages with illustrations.

As a reference title, this book is unparalleled for discussing the studios, their output and, to a lesser degree, their effect on popular culture. You will find yourself reaching for this book to check for artists, the birth and death of studios and the litany of films. Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation is a great addition to your library. Especially in a time when many of these animated shorts from the first-half of the 20th century can be found online.

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The More Things change, The More They Stay the Same

Charles Solomon, author and animation historian, has written an amazing tome about the history of animation. His 1994 book, Enchanted Drawings, is a must read for anyone interested in animation. In addition to covering Disney-related works, Solomon covers all of the familiar Warner Brothers, MGM and UPA cartoons. It is also one of the best resources for learning about the earliest inklings of animation (pun intended).

During World War II, as part of the overall war effort, many studios were recruited by the War Activities Committee of the Treasury Department. With many foreign markets frozen and many artists sent to war (or working for military animation units), the Hollywood and New York Studios found themselves strapped for cash, salable product and artists. In most cases, many of the studios would have  folded (and some did) during the war.

The following quote about the different studios during the Second World War was rather intriguing, especially since it sounds so similar to what we see today. Solomon discusses how the government of the time responded to the production costs of The New Spirit, a film about the patriotic duty to pay income taxes. Seems like nothing ever changes, does it?

However, the Treasury Department had to requests a special allocation from Congress  to pay the $80,000 bill for the film ($40,000 in production costs, and an equal amount for 1,000 Technicolor prints). The request arrived as Republicans were looking for examples of Democratic overspending. Congressmen denounced the $80,000 expenditure as an outrageous boondoggle, and the subsequent debate unleashed a storm of unfavorable publicity. Disney received letters accusing him of profiteering.

These charges were completely unfounded. Disney had donated his services, and the $40,000 figure was about $7,000 below his annual production costs. In addition, the studio lost at least $40,000 more in film rentals when theater owners showed "The New Spirit" (which they got free) instead of a Disney cartoon they would have paid for.

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Book Review: The Art of Toy Story 3 by Charles Solomon

The Art of Toy Story 3 by Charles Solomon. 176 pp. 2010.

Charles Solomon, an internationally respected animation historian and critic, has crafted a fantastic look at the creation of the final installment of the Toy Story trilogy. Solomon has authored several Disney-related titles and has contributed to numerous articles about animation. We have covered several of his titles at Imaginerding:

• Tale As Old As Time: The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beast
• The Disney That Never Was
• Enchanted Drawings: the History of Animation

Charles Solomon is well-positioned to write a book about the creation of an animated film from Disney. He is one of the few authors/critics that has been allowed access to the Animation Research Library at Disney and his intimate knowledge of animation carries this book to higher levels.

The Table of Contents and Totoro!

The Art of Toy Story 3 is a beautiful book. Every time I read a book in the Art of... Series published by Chronicle Books, I wish that similar books had been published about all of the classic Disney films. The books in the series are beautiful and provide absolutely stunning artwork. In most cases, it is hard to distinguish whether the art or the included text is more important--both offer amazing insights into the creation of the films. This book does more than just provide artwork from Toy Story 3; it also provides a look at how the other films were created. In many cases, there are fantastic side-by-side images. Solomon was able to interview many of the artists from the previous Pixar films to discuss how the art and story have evolved.

A gorgeous full-color spread.

Early story board for the opening of Toy Story 3.

In the age where technological prowess is often trumped over the art of the films, it is a joy to see that the roots of such a technologically advanced art form still start with a pencil and paper. Solomon brings his view of traditional animation and applies it to the creative forces behind this computer-animated blockbuster.

Early concept art for the characters.

Throughout the book, Solomon brings to life the struggle that the artists had when dealing with bringing well-loved and well-known characters back to the screen. The Toy Story toys are characters that we have known for the past seventeen years. Even though technology has grown, the artists still needed to make sure that the toys looked and acted the way we have come to expect them to.

The differences that ten years make!

When creating a believable story, the artists of an animated feature have so many more details that need to be discussed that are completely in the hands of the animators and support staff. Besides dialog and character design, you have the opportunity to create new worlds. Especially new worlds that fit seamlessly inside the Toy Story universe. There is a lot of discussion in the book about lighting, colors and the emotional responses of color; there was quite a bit of red during the dump scenes and lots of yellows, blues and greens in Bonnie's room.

What a difference between night and day!

Look! Totoro!

The Art of Toy Story 3 is just as enchanting as the film and adds so much more depth and detail to the characters and the stories behind the film. The anecdotes that Solomon presents about the filmmakers are wonderful and will be cherished by researchers and enthusiasts for years to come.

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Lefou, I'm Afraid I've Been Thinking...

Tale as Old as Time: The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beastby Charles Solomon. 2010

Charles Solomon is a well-respected author and animation historian. The Disney That Never Was and Disney Lost and Found are two of his more recent Disney-related titles. Each one takes the reader on an amazing trip into the Animation Research Library (also known as The Morgue) to ferret out animation that never made it into production. Charles was approached by Don Hahn about writing a thoughtful and accurate portrayal of what it was like to produce Beauty and the Beast.

Charles succeeded and produced a beautiful look at a film that changed both the animation and the animators that created it forever.

With a film as wildly successful as Beauty and the Beast, you would think that there wasn't much left to write about. Charles does a fantastic job of interviewing the animators and digging up storyboards, sketches and artwork that relate the story of creating the film. Living in a post-Beauty world, it is hard to imagine the effect this film had. Tale as Old as Time does a fantastic job of bringing that story to life.

Charles looks at the beginnings of this particular fairy tale and follows it all the way to Disney's production on Broadway. The most touching parts of the work deal with the artists and their struggle to capture a story that would resonate on film. You gain a unique insight as to how a group of animators and producers came together to actualize such a moving and resonating film. One of the most telling aspects is when Howard Ashman and Alan Mencken are brought in to revitalize the project. It really is true that Ashman and Mencken gave the film its soul.

This book is an amazing companion to the Blu-ray release of the film. The documentary Beyond Beauty, that is featured on the second disc, follows a similar path as the book. They complement each other and provide hours of cognizance for the Disney enthusiast and Beauty and the Beast fan. Where the documentary diverges is the ability to see early animated cartoons and to see the passion that the production crew had. The book offers magnificent reproductions of the artwork and Charles' amazing research and writing skills.

The artwork does steal the show yet not to the chagrin of the author. Beauty and the Beast is as compelling today as it was in 1991 and Tale as Old as Time reinforces the love that is held for the film. Production sketches, animated cels and background artwork fill every page. Some of the artwork provided is breathtaking.

Tale as Old as Time is perfect for the animation and Beast fan. And Belle fan. Heck, it's a great read for everyone who has seen the film.

Book Review: The Disney That Never Was

The Disney That Never Was: The Stories and Art of Five Decades of Unproduced Animation by Charles Solomon. 1995, 214 pp.

Charles Solomon is a well-known name in animation history and criticism circles. H e has authored articles for Rolling Stone, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, the New York Times and many other publications. He is also the author of two other well-known Disney and animation-related titles: Disney Lost and Found: Exploring the Hidden Artwork from Never-Produced Animation and Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation.

The Disney That Never Was takes us into the Animation Archives to see and read about unproduced shorts and feature films. Solomon has collected sketches, storyboards, concept art and the stories behind the artwork. As stated in the title, we follow the history of unproduced films throughout the studio's long and storied past. Solomon divides the book by genre as opposed to strict chronological order. The groupings are logical when looking at the artwork: Mickey, Donald and Goofy; fairy tales; wartime films; Fantasia and its successors; and miscellaneous films.

Reynard from Chanticleer by Marc Davis

I enjoyed this book and found it wistful and exciting. Solomon explains that the unproduced animation and artwork could have been shelved for any number of reasons: perhaps the story wasn't strong enough; there weren't enough artists to complete the pictures; the characters might not have had the appeal; or it never made it past an initial meeting. The Disney Studio has always well-documented their meetings and has preserved almost all stages of artwork from the animated films. In particular, the Disney artists have always found it inspirational--and helpful--to study the original animation from Snow White and other classic films. When you read this title, you can only imagine how different the animation landscape might look if some of these films had been produced. Some cases make you wonder why the animation was halted.

Goofy from How to Be a Commando, artist unknown.

The Disney That Never Was is a reference tool that you will enjoy studying and reading for many years to come. Solomon is able to provide a fantastic look at how the animation process works and how the studio functioned during the animation heyday of the 1930's and 1940's. In some instances, ideas were shelved and used much later or were the inspiration for other projects. The sections on Chanticleer, Don Quixote and Hiawatha were eye opening about the process--animation-wise and politically--that the animation takes on its circuitous path to the big screen or as it is derailed.

Snake-villain from Hootsie the Owl, artist unknown.

Bottom Line: If you are a fan of Disney animation, then you need to own this book! Charles Solomon has raided the Animation Archives, interviewed animators and researched the stories to bring us some of the most exciting information about Disney animated films that were never produced. Although we only gain glimpses of some films--almost like a tease--there is not another resource that tells this many stories about the films we never saw or heard about until this book.