As you might expect, this is a gorgeous book filled with sketches, painting, and sumptuous art from early Disney films and shorts. For Disney historians an super fans, this is a unique look into the artists that created the look of Disney. While I'm not a huge Disney fan, I do love seeing behind the scenes and process on the way to finished works. Recommended. ( )

This is the third volume of an extended series of gorgeous, coffee-table format books exploring the history of the Disney animation studs, with a focus on the artists themselves. I was fortunate enough to receive the second volume in this series about a year ago, and it was one of my favorite recent acquisitions. This volume is definitely a worthy successor to the second.

The books in the series follow a similar format, with separate chapters focusing on individual animators ... in this case six men whose names were unfamiliar to me, but whose work strongly evinced the charming and poignant Disney studio character of the era. I'm a fan of that period of animation, and I recognized some of the characters and drawings, but nowhere near all of them, since the book shows in-progress drawings to illustrate the creative process, and includes images that never made it onto a Disney cel. Enlightening stuff to a film historian, and thoroughly engrossing to a fan of classic Disney animation.

The volume itself is well-researched, beautifully laid out, and well printed. Page composition is lovely, allowing the art to shine without interference from the text, but keeping the words handy. I really can't find much of anything to criticize about this handsome and fascinating book. The artwork is a treat to experience, and narrative gives it an added depth and context that for me, was extremely rewarding.

Very highly recommended. ( )

This is another gorgeous entry in the They Drew As They Pleased series, this time looking at the Character Modeling Department at the Disney Studios, which officially existed from 1938-1942, though the artists may have been with the company before or after that span.

As with the other volumes, Didier Ghez presents an introduction to the artists' group at the studio and what their general focus was, followed by brief biographies of a half dozen artists and examples of their work. From what I understand, the Character Modeling Department was tasked primarily with inventing characters and creating artistic inspiration that would be distilled into animation-friendly drawings. This is in contrast with the Story Department concept artists profiled in volume 2 of the series (1940s - Part One), who worked with a lot of mood pieces, background art, and more general character inspiration. I felt like the introduction to what exactly the Modeling Department was supposed to do was a little confusing, and like I was missing some vital background information on the politics and organizational structure of the Disney Studios, which is not something I felt when reading the other volumes, and feels a bit strange because I'm not unfamiliar with the topic. I think, though, this is at least partly because the department itself wasn't entirely set on a single task, as is demonstrated in the biographies for how the artists were hired in. That the lack of clear purpose is historical and not a lack in Ghez's writing is supported by the artwork included. It is primarily character studies, with occasional further concept art to develop the characters.

I was a little disappointed that there are only a couple photos of the maquette sculptures that were created, even though one artist's profile specifically calls him out as being a sculptor, and the maquettes were something of an invention by the group. I was also disappointed that none of the women in the department were featured, even though there were at least two explicitly named and included in the men's profiles, but that could be explained by space constraints and their relatively shorter time or smaller repository of work in the archives. Three or four of the artists were very close friends, they even shared a house together for a while, and it was nice to read about each of them, but that does take space away from Fini and Sheila.

I love this series for the quality of the books, for the interesting look at how artists' unique skills and styles fit into an animation studio's needs, and also for the wonderful artwork. In fact, I forgot that I won the book through Early Reviewers and bought my own copy when I happened to be reminded of it. Despite I would have liked to see a more expanded look at the Character Modeling Department artists and role, this third volume continues to be excellent, and I hope that Ghez will continue with a fourth volume that picks up after the mass layoff that ended most of these artists' careers at the Studio. ( )

During the golden age of animation, the creative hotbed that was the Walt Disney studio developed methodologies and promoted creative innovation like no other studio of its time. The results speak for themselves. Through the 1940s one masterpiece after another was brought into a world that demanded entertainment and expected to be enchanted. The Disney studio delivered consistent innovation and story magic. Behind the scenes, individuals blended into department brain trusts that worked tirelessly to deliver stories that were like no other seen at that time.

Didier Ghez’s They Drew As They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Late Golden Age is an enchanting document of the most important studio in animation history up to that time. In the third volume of his continuing series, The 1940s - Part Two, Ghez profiles six artist who worked in the Story Research and Character Model Department. The brilliant Ecuadorian artist, Eduardo Sola Franco, put his soul into work on Don Quixote, a feature the was ahead of it's time and would never see the light of day.

Johnny Walbridge used humor to good effect, creating model sheets for Dumbo, Pinocchio and other early Disney classics. The brilliant character designer Jack Miller put life into his designs for Pinocchio, Dumbo, Saludos Amigos and just about all the characters that ended up in Peter Pan. Campbell Grant worked on The Wind in the Willows and added wonderful sequences to Fantasia, including Night on Bald Mountain. James Bodero's work is completely brilliant! His Toad character sketches from Wind in the Willows are hysterical. Bodero's pages of drawings for the Centaur sequence in Fantasia are wonderful to see. His work is incredibly inspiring! Finally Martin Provensen, among other projects, created a sequence of compelling sketches for the Peter and the Wolf sequence of Make Mine Music from 1949.

All of these artists arrived at Disney with their individual genius, some lasted longer and were more successful than others, but they all contributed to some of the most successful and artistic animated films that have ever been brought to the big screen. This wonderful volume helps to make sure that history is remembered. ( )

A big, heavy coffee table book of the personalities and sketches of many of the illustrators and story people who worked at Disney studios during the 30's to mid 40's. Ghez has the biographies and art work for most of the artists who worked on Fantasia, plus Mr. Toad, Make Mine Music and Dumbo. As this is also a look at the inner workings of the Disney studio at the time, you have a lot of office politics and rivalry included, such as the diary entry of an illustrator who gleefully noted when members of the art department he didn't like were laid off.
What you'd hope to find here, finished illustrations from Disney films in full color, is almost entirely lacking. These are mostly black and white early sketches showing facial expressions. But the individuals responsible for this or that favorite classic character are given credit, and that's rare. This is the third in a series, and would be a nice gift for the Disney fan. ( )