Disney Dons Dogtags: The Best of Disney Military Insignia from World War II (Recollectible series) [Hardcover]

Walton Rawls (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558594019 | ISBN-13: 978-1558594012 | Publication Date: September 1992 | Edition: 1

Swamped with requests from the military for permission to use their famous cartoon characters in unit insignia and for nose art on fighter planes, the Disney studio set up a special group to design badges and emblems for all branches of service - American and Allied (Lord Mountbatten was one of the first to write in). Part of the studio's extensive contribution to the war effort (which included countless training films), was some 1200 delightful insignia, the best of which have been selected for this volume. It is a tribute to Disney's expertise in characterization that some of the studio's famous figures were immediately suitable for military service. Donald Duck appeared on more than 100 designs (his uncontrollable temper fit him for such roles) but the sweet and lovable Mickey Mouse was less often called upon. Where no character quite fit an assignment the studio happily created a new one, as in the case of insignia for the flying Tigers and the Seabees. This book may interest not only veterans and military buffs but also Disney art enthusiasts and collectors.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Pr; 1 edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558594019
• ISBN-13: 978-1558594012
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victory, September 1, 2005

By 

microjoe - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Disney Dons Dogtags: The Best of Disney Military Insignia from World War II (Recollectible series) (Hardcover)

One of the most personal, meaningful efforts ever produced by the Walt Disney Studios was not an animated movie for the masses, a big box office live action adventure, or even a theme park. It was the work they provided for the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of World War II. The studio animators under Walt's direction provided free of charge the design of over 1,000 original artistic logos for the armed forces. These were used on individual planes, tanks, and ships for their crews. They also helped design unit insignias for organized armoured units, air wings and squadrons, infantry units and others. These requests were sometimes funneled through the official military channels, but more often came in a letter sent from overseas signed by a bunch of American young men. Most often the boys would send in a rough sketch of what they had in mind, or asked to use a certain animated character they favored. Other times they let the studio come up with whatever they wanted, and the artists often created new characters on the spot. No request was too big or too small, the animators completed every job. These designs were incredible and inspiring works of art, not something dashed off in a hurry.

This effort began when early one morning a fews days after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the phone rang at Walt Disney's house. The Studio called to tell him that 700 army troops had set up camp at the Walt Disney studio campus, in order to protect the nearby airfield. The long war hurt the Disney company many way, including the loss of key staff to the armed forces, reduction in commercial output and attendance, and cuts in overseas theatrical releases of their films. Despite these issues that could have caused resentment of the wars interference in Disney growth and success, the company dove in to do their part to support the war effort.

Whether it was in producing great war time comedy animated shorts such as "Der Fuhreres Face" to keep up the public morale; or educational films to teach soldiers how to operate a certain weapon or avoid disease; or deeply researched theory films like "Victory Through Airpower"; or animated shorts that promoted war bonds... the studio worked overtime to do their part. The logos and unit insignia are a big part of that effort.

The beautiful color photos reproduce the actual designs in page after page of color photos. A wonderful book for the Disneyphile, OR for those that are just interested in high quality unit design artwork from planes, etc. from WWII.

Also see the book "Donald Duck Joins Up: The Walt Disney Studio During World War II (Studies in Cinema)" to get a more complete picture of all the other combined efforts of the studio during the war, including the logos in this book. In order to see the logos themselves, the book on this page features more of them than any other book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disney Dons Dogtags showcases some of the best insignia art, January 29, 2002

By 

Les Jackson (toonsatwar.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disney Dons Dogtags: The Best of Disney Military Insignia from World War II (Recollectible series) (Hardcover)

A great book filled with dozens of pictures. Disney designed over 1,100 insignia during the war. This book pictures some of the best. Check out toonsatwar.com for more info on the Disney Studio's involvement in World War Two.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but leaves some to be desired.., September 19, 2009

By 

D.C. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disney Dons Dogtags: The Best of Disney Military Insignia from World War II (Recollectible series) (Hardcover)

When I got this book new YEARS ago, I guess I was expecting a lot more. I had seen the vast resources of the Disney vaults, and I felt that this, while it has some nice items, was just skimming the surface of the wonderful treasures therein. Also, the overly-artsy layout of the book seems to attempt to hide the meager content with glitsy and jazzy designs on nearly every page. It actually has had me wishfully waiting for a sequel to this, to cover all the untold leftovers that haven't been shown.
I would have been happy with a very simple book design, even with repetetive basic tables displaying the art and stories behind it, and let the art itself tell the story and show its own grandeur, rather than an over-fluffed layout leaving me thirsty for more.
I will give it a 3 star "ok-to-good" rating because what is in there is quite good, but overall the book itself falls short of delivering a comprehensive promise of any kind.