The Art of Mickey Mouse: Artists Interpret The World's Favorite Mouse (Disney Miniature Series) [Hardcover]

Craig Yoe (Author), Janet Yoe-Morra (Author)

Book Description

Series: Disney Miniature Series

When Mickey Mouse was introduced to the worl d in 1928 in his first animated appearance, he was to have a profound effect on the international collective consciousne ss. This collection testifies to his appeal across time, age and place. '

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Great and Powerful Mickey is perhaps the only shared muse of artists Charles Schulz, Andy Warhol, Maurice Sendak, Keith Haring, R. Crumb, and pop star Michael Jackson. This whimsical, often surprising collection of 100 full-color images reflects the diverse styles of world-renowned artists, illustrators, animators, sculptors, cartoonists, and designers--united in theme by the world's favorite rodent. John Updike explains in the introduction, "It's all in the ears. When Mickey Mouse was born, in 1928, the world of early cartoon animation was filled with two-legged zoomorphic humanoids, whose strange half-black faces were distinguished one from another chiefly by the ears." He goes on to point out that Mickey Mouse's ears--in defiance of three-dimensional space--are always shown as two perfectly round circles, no matter the angle at which he holds his head, and discloses that if it weren't for Disney's wife Lillian, Mickey might have been named Mortimer. Whether you're an art lover or Mickey Mouse fan, this compilation is sure to fascinate you. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Combine the creative fantasies of artists from around the world with an American institution like Mickey Mouse, add a thoughtful introduction by premier novelist John Updike, and how can you go wrong? You can't, provided you do a superb job of editing the results. And that is just what the editors have done in this collection of artist's interpretations of the cartoon character that Updike calls "America as it feels to itself--plucky, put-on, inventive, resilient, good-natured, game." Paintings, watercolors, collages, drawings, photographs, sculpture, tapestry--the media used vary as much as the representations of Mickey. Artists include Andy Warhol, Charles Schultz, Maurice Sendak, R. Crumb, Peter Max, and William Steig. A drawing of Mickey by longtime fan Michael Jackson is also featured. Recommended for popular culture collections.
- Janice Zlendich, California State Univ. Lib . , Fullerton
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Disney Editions (November 3, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786861886
• ISBN-13: 978-0786861880
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,368,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Vice magazine calls Craig Yoe the "Indiana Jones of comics historians." Publishers Weekly says he's the "archivist of the ridiculous and sublime" and calls his work "brilliant." The Onion calls him "the celebrated designer." The Library Journal, "a comics guru." BoingBoing hails him "a fine cartoonist and a comic book historian of the first water." Yoe was Creative Director/Vice President/General Manager of Jim Henson's Muppets, and a Creative Director at Nickelodeon and Disney. Craig has won an Eisner Award and the Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooray for Mickey, December 24, 2011

By 

Tiffany Dingrado (Olney, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Mickey Mouse: Artists Interpret The World's Favorite Mouse (Paperback)

This is a delightful little tome that every artist and wanna be artist would enjoy. Only about the size of a small paperback, but the book is chucky jam full of wonderful art. Mickey, that ever loving mouse as portrayed by the world's best artists. My favorite is Andy Warhol's painting. I like Mark Newgarden's drawing of Mickey on line paper and I also like Ben Verkaaik's oil on wood of Mickey. Heck I like 'em all. I'm a huge Mickey and Disney fan and if that description fits you, you'll enjoy this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Look at How Others See Mickey, May 27, 2011

By 

George H. Taylor Jr. - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Mickey Mouse: Artists Interpret The World's Favorite Mouse (Disney Miniature Series) (Hardcover)

For this review, I am discussing the 1991 edition. The 1995 edition seems to be more readily available on the second-hand market and is much less expensive.

Craig Yoe has been a toy designer, VP for the Jim Henson Studio, animator and studio owner. He was part of the creative team that created The Muppet-Vision 3D attraction. Janet Morra-Yoe is a photographer, sculptor and fashion designer. The book originated from the Yoes when they thought about Mickey's popularity in pop culture. They took their adoration of Walt's mouse and began asking world-famous artists to contribute unique interpretations of Mickey.

Author John Updike provides the seven-page introduction to the book. Mr. Updike discusses his love of Mickey and shares his thoughts on the Mouse's enduring popularity. The introduction provides the only academic reference in the text--the artwork is really what is important.

It is obvious to the casual observer that the first edition, published in 1991, is really centered on contemporary pop artists. A lot of the artwork contains colors that reflect the times; it is obvious that popular tastes change over the years, especially dealing with pop artists. Much of the artwork is representative of the artists during the late 1980's and early 1990's. What is obvious to me, is that the artists in question have a deep and abiding love for Mickey Mouse and his affect on culture. They have created some amazing pieces of art that showcase our favorite mouse. Yes, some of the art might seem dated, but they still honor Mickey.

Beyond discussing my favorite pieces, there isn't much else to say about the work. About 25% of the art is astounding and looks good over 15 years later. The rest are political, extremely 80's or just strange. Artistic expression abounds! A few of the artists included: Andy Warhol, William Steig, Charles Schultz, Maurice Sendak, R. Crumb (Rolly Crumb) and Peter Max. Over 100 pieces of art are presented.

Bottom Line: This is a fun book, but offers little for the theme park or animation fan. If you are a hard-core Mickey fan, a fan of 1991 artwork or the artists featured, then you must have this book. If you can find a cheap copy of the book, I could almost see buying a few copies and framing some of the pieces. There are several editions available, make sure you order the large format one.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars il fascino di un topo, September 30, 2002

By 

sergio da palermo (Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Mickey Mouse: Artists Interpret The World's Favorite Mouse (Disney Miniature Series) (Hardcover)

un libro straordinario, che mostra l'immortale fascino del personaggio disneyano che dai cartoon ha invaso - come icona globale - il mondo intero. ironia, sarcasmo, un pizzico di delirio nelle opere riprodotte, che rivisitano luoghi altri della Cultura, dalla politica (Ronald Reagan) alla pittura (van Gogh) alla psicoanalisi (Sigmund Freud), in un caleidoscopio poliedrico ed irresistibile.