The Art of Tangled [Hardcover]

Jeff Kurtti (Author), John Lasseter (Preface), Nathan Greno (Foreword), Byron Howard (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2010 | Series: Tangled

A lighthearted twist on Rapunzel, the beloved fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm, Tangled brims with thrilling adventure, a distinctive cast of characters, a daring heroine, and, of course, seventy feet of golden hair. Featuring the stunning concept art behind the newest Disney masterpiece, The Art of Tangled also includes a preface by John Lasseter, a foreword by Directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, and interviews with the artists, animators, and production team—including Art Director David Goetz—that shed light on the history and artistry of this landmark film.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeff Kurtti is one of the leading authorities on The Walt Disney Company and its history, the author of more than 20 books, a writer-director of award-winning documentaries, and a respected public speaker, host, and panel moderator. A Seattle, Washington native, Kurtti has worked for Walt Disney Imagineering, the theme park design division of The Walt Disney Company, and then for the Corporate Special Projects department of Disney. Since 1995 he has enjoyed a career as an author, writer, and consultant in the motion picture, theatre, and themed-entertainment industries.

John Lasseter is a two-time Academy Award-winning director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Byron Howard, co-director of Tangled, joined the Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1994 and has served as an animator, character designer, and supervising animator for such classic films as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. He directed Bolt with Chris Williams and later served as an executive producer on the acclaimed 2009 short Super Rhino.

Nathan Greno, co-director of Tangled, joined the Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1996. He served over a decade in the Story Department, and was story supervisor on the film Bolt. Greno wrote and directed the acclaimed 2009 short Super Rhino.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (November 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811875555
• ISBN-13: 978-0811875554
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 11.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Cinematography
  • #42 in Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Graphic Design
  • #60 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Movies

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical, November 13, 2010

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Art of Tangled (Hardcover)

Length:: 0:38 Mins

This is a very beautiful book for Disney's 50th feature film, Tangled, which is also the first 3D computer-animated fairy tale for them.

The 160-page hardcover is filled with the very distinctive Disney style art, featuring character designs, environment and storyboards.

I love the beautiful character sketches and there are lots of them. Some of the character artists are Jin Kim, Claire Keane, Bill Schwab who drew really expressive characters. But much of them are drawn by legendary animator Glen Keane, and they really stand out with their lively action poses. It's fun to see the many expressions and tricks Rapunzel can do with her 70-feet hair. Other than Rapunzel, there are sketches for Flynn Rider (prince), Pascal (chameleon), Maximus (horse) and other characters like the bad guys.

As for the environment art, you'll get to see the familiar Disney towns and castles as interpreted by artists today. The design inspiration comes from previous Disney films like Cinderella, Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty. Some of the paintings from those films are also included. It's about translating what used to be 2D into 3D and you can read all about the challenges from the artists' interviews.

The change in medium for creating Tangled makes it feel like a totally fresh Disney fairy tale, yet it also feels like the older ones at the same time. It continues Disney's legacy in animation in a fine way.

This book is a treat to artists, animators and art lovers. A lot of great artists contributed to the art and unfortunately I can't name them all so you'll have to get the book to check out their work.

-

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best "Art Of" books., November 10, 2010

By 

J. Ferguson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Tangled (Hardcover)

This is simply one of the best "art of" books I've read. Though smaller than the typical coffee table Disney books (i.e. Pocahontas...Tarzan) it packs a ton of sketches, drawings, paintings and inspirational art within its covers, and one can't help but be transported into this magical world when looking through it. If you're a fan of Glen Keane (Head animator of Beast, Mermaid, Tarzan, etc.) you'll really enjoy the large amount of his drawings that are displayed. It was also nice to see some of Glen's daughter, Claire's work within these pages. There are many other amazing drawings and paintings as well which include work by Lisa Keene and David Goetz, as well as the wonderfully talented Andy Gaskill and Jin Kim.

But even if you don't know any of these names and just want to know a little bit more about how this film was made, you won't be disappointed. The art, in and of itself is simply spectacular and you'll get basically a portfolio representing many different styles and viewpoints. I was often disappointed in the earlier Disney "art of" books because I simply wanted to see more - more drawings and more paintings. But this book exceeded my expectations and really packs it in.

The writing is very good as well. I enjoyed hearing about Glen Keane's desires in making a "Sincere Fairy Tale" which was carried forward by directors Howard and Greno. There's also a very good chapter on the design and style of the film which shows the inspiration of Pinocchio and Cinderella right next to the Tangled Designs. Photos of Disney Land Architecture and how it inspired the film were also fun to look at.

The book is well made and is a very good quality, similar to the previous Disney books in binding and paper stock. The printing is terrific and the full color art seems to have been captured beautifully. Anyway, if you're a fan of Disney, or simply curious about the making of this film, I really think you'll like this book. Having collected these things since I was a kid, this has got to be one of my favorites. The animation drawings, the architecture, and the paintings are all tremendous. The space in the book is well utilized and there isn't a lot of filler screenshots like some earlier works. Hope you enjoy.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love Glen Keane, you'll love this book!, November 17, 2010

By 

P. Louie (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Tangled (Hardcover)

As artbooks go, this offering was a great compilation of production stills, storyboard work, layouts and most importantly Glen Keane sketches. The book is separated into the history, the characters, the layout designs and story.

I love how most of the book gives each section a lot of emphasis on the pre-production work, the renderings, the character drawings and models. There wasn't as much 3D stills even though this movie is technically the first Disney fairy tale in that format. However, what makes this book such a nice addition to my artbook set is that it focused more on the pre-production hand drawn/painted artwork that is the hallmark of many Disney animated movies.