News, announcements and information about Disney

It's the first official Disney publication ever (I think) to mention the word "penis," and on top of that, also the first to describe in rather vivid detail how someone could musically fart the first few bars of the "Star Spangled Banner."

And rather than get upset that a Disney sanctioned tome has material like this in it, we should all be thankful the company seems to finally be turning a much more insightful eye on itself via the rest of this new book.

Promotional art © Disney
Click to Buy

To quote the inner jacket flap about the moniker "Nine Old Men" - "When Walt Disney gave his core group of animators this appellation, he wasn't referring to their advanced years - their median age was actually forty. He was instead making a joking reference to Franklin Roosevelt's description of his Supreme Court as "nine old men, all too aged to recognize a new idea."

The blurb continues: "Nothing could be further than the truth, in this case, as the nine unique personalities portrayed in John Canemaker's comprehensive history explored, expanded and influenced character animation and moviemaking over the next fifty years, consistently raising the bar by which the art form continues to be judged."

Promotional art © Disney

For once the hype is justified - as this truly is a wide ranging look at the creative core of the Disney animation factory. It also concisely educates the reader as to how the cogs in this machine (the animators) all worked together to produce such unique movies - with many considering Disney's character animation of that period to be the platinum standard to which the rest of the industry still aspires to.

The book is (as you can imagine) divided by sections on each of the nine. In case you're not familiar with the names, (and many are not) they are Les Clark, Wolfgang Reitherman, Eric Larson, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnson, John Lounsbery and Marc Davis. After an introduction explaining how Snow White was a catalyst for the company as well as each of them, Canemaker goes ahead chapter by chapter and discusses each man's strengths, weaknesses, and how they interacted with each other. He does this all while wrapping this information up with quick, yet very intimate biographies on each of the subjects.

Promotional art © Disney

The best way to describe this book is as an informational tapestry, with the main fabric of the story embellished with continuing updates on other creative and personal influences for each subject woven in all through the nine main accounts. It was an admirable goal for such a sprawling work, and it is accomplished almost flawlessly. (Even the source notes at the end of the book impart all sorts of extra information.) All of this, of course, is lavishly illustrated with artwork from the Disney archives, much of it never before seen until this publication.

What you'll really appreciate about Canemaker's methodical approach here is how thoughtfully layered his writing is. He is literally assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle of information for you - to which he then weaves in some of the stories of the other major talents at the studio, such as the very sad Freddy Moore saga. (Moore, who redesigned and then animated Mickey in Fantasia, eventually lost a protracted battle with the bottle.)

Canemaker unearths some remarkable new information on these people never before seen anywhere, even in many unofficial accounts of the period that have been published in the past. His writing is fluid and very engaging - much more of a storytelling experience than a lecture. It is a richly printed and deeply insightful presentation, not just another coffee table art book.

Promotional art © Disney

For example, I'd heard from other Disney sources about how Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson rather ruthlessly played the corporate political game, but never with the candor and details presented here. And yes, that "penis" word (along with the musical farting) pops up in the Milt Kahl chapter in describing a very interesting personality. But along with this kind of material (and yes, in a way it can be seen as fresh "dirt") you also get remarkable insights to Eric Larson and John Lounsbery, two rather quiet souls who sort of missed all the hoopla some of the others managed to get later on as they became public relations ambassadors for the company.

Recently, at the Motion Picture Academy salute to Walt Disney for the 100th birthday (which put all the official Disney events to shame) I was delighted to see a film clip Walt Disney and ABC made for a sponsor, Derby Foods, which was presented by Leonard Maltin. This remarkable piece of celluloid showed us another side of Walt Disney, one that many people who knew and worked with him were familiar with, but pretty much remained hidden from the public. It helped to illuminate Disney's remarkable drive and personality, and allowed the viewer to understand even more about what made the man tick.

What makes this new book also so remarkable, besides the historical sweep it offers, is that this is truly an honest look, warts and all, at the animation process and the people behind it at the Disney Studios. Canemaker deserves kudos for boldly navigating the public relations waters with this project, all in the cause of finally enlightening the public to the key personalities and their relationships behind the scenes that made the Disney animation style such a standard bearer.

To see something of this earthy caliber, published by Disney Editions no less, is stunning considering how tightly the company has controlled its history to the public. Yes, Disney product can be "for the kids." And as Walt himself was proud of saying, also "for the kids in us all."  What I appreciated at the Academy event with the Derby clip, and also in this new book, is that the Disney creative process can now also be discussed intelligently and honestly by the company for adults too.

Promotional art © Disney

Now if you ask me, if the publicity people at Disney publishing were really smart, they'd let the press find out all about the "farting" and the use of the word "penis" in this official "Disney" book. You have to admit that it certainly got your attention today didn't it?

Just think of how many people would actually discover this terrific work and purchase it once the publicity maelstrom would hit. With the ever dwindling sales numbers of historical art books nowadays, anything would be a great help.

Any of you want to e-mail some of the gossip hounds about those, oh so... "controversial" items to let them know?  ;)

Al Lutz may be e-mailed at al@mouseplanet.com - Keep in mind the volume of e-mail he receives may not allow for a personal response.

Promotional art © Disney