Jim Hill : "Walt Disney's Cinderella" is a picture-perfect picture book

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Jim Hill

"Walt Disney's Cinderella" is a picture-perfect picture book

Jim Hill reviews this new hardcover from Disney Press. Which features a spectacular selection of Mary Blair's concept art for Walt Disney Productions' 1950 release

This is probably going to seem like a very weird request. But -- if you could -- I'd really like it if you guys could buy up a bunch of copies of "Walt Disney's Cinderella" (Disney Press, August 2007)

"And why should we do that?," you ask. Well, for starters, because "Walt Disney's Cinderella" is a pretty spectacular picture book. One that Disney animation fans are sure to treasure. Given that all of the artwork that appears in this 64-page hardcover was actually done by Disney Legend Mary Blair.

Oh, sure. The book's text (Which was written by Newbury Medalist Cynthia Rylant) has its charms. But the real draw here (no pun intended) is the illustrations.

You see, these are the really-for-real concept paintings that Blair created back in the 1940s for "Cinderella." Which then helped nail the look of this 1950 Walt Disney Productions release.

And what's startling about so many of these images (Which -- FYI -- were culled out of WDAS's Animation Research Library collection) ...

... is how closely the artists and animators who worked on this feature length cartoon were then able to replicate Mary's unique take on this tale.

Not just Blair's one-of-a-kind color palate. But also her elegant sense of staging. Which really helped Disney's animated "Cinderella" seem that much more romantic and magical.

Looking at all of these colorful, beautifully composed but (let's be honest here, folks) flat images, you get a sense of how truly talented the folks who worked at the Mouse Factory really were back then.

That they could take this very stylized material and then create a fully dimensional film that has been delighting moviegoers for almost six decades now.

"But you still haven't answered my original question," you say. "Why should JHM readers buy up a bunch of copies of 'Walt Disney's Cinderella' ?"

Well, if this picture book sells well, Disney Press has plans to produce some follow-up titles. In fact, they've already signed Jon Scieszka to provide the text for a picture book that DP hopes to release in the Fall of 2008. One that would then be illustrated with a lot of the concept art that Mary Blair created for Disney's 1953 release, "Peter Pan."

And then -- in 2009 -- Disney Press already has tentative plans to release a third book in this series. One that would feature Blair's concept art for the studio's 1951 release, "Alice in Wonderland."

But -- again -- that's only gonna happen if "Walt Disney's Cinderella" sells really well ...

So if you're a Disney animation fan and would like to see those two other Mary Blair picture books actually make it out onto store shelves, you really should pick up a copy (or two, or three) of this picture-perfect picture book.

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