Disney Recipes: From Animation to Inspiration [Hardcover]

Ira L. Meyer (Author), Marcello Garofalo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

From short movies to full-length feature films, characters from the great Disney movies are often seen sipping soups, consuming cakes, or sampling any number of gastronomic delights. One hundred and one delectable recipes, based on favorite food scenes from the films and created by award-winning American chef Ira Meyer, are collected in this colorfully illustrated cookbook. Savor Snow White's Gooseberry Pie, Ariel's Bouillabaisse, or spaghetti and meatballs from Lady and the Tramp. Disney Recipes is a treat for the entire family, with easy-to-follow instructions that include tips for how to involve kids in the preparation. Sprinkled throughout with original artwork and beautiful stills from the movies, this is one tasty treat.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Disney's beloved animated characters move into the kitchen with this gathering of recipes inspired by scenes in classic Disney movies. Targeted to appeal to families, the book features everything from condiments (Princess Aurora's Berried Honey Butter) to main dishes (Esmeralda's Turkey Picatta) to drinks and desserts (Heroes' Herculade and Fauna's Birthday Cake), accompanied by sketches of Disney characters, movie stills and tidbits about the dish's relevance to the silver screen. Dishes like "Creamy Carrot Soup" from Robin Hood and "Warm Mushroom Salad" from Alice in Wonderland use readily available ingredients, are easily assembled, and contain side notes on variations and "What Children Can Do" to take part. The recipes walk the line between adventurous and kid-friendly: kids who hate spinach might eat it when it's deep-fried and sprinkled with "pixie dust" (a mix of lemon and orange zest and gold leaf), but probably no amount of "But the Cheshire Cat loved it" pleadings will convince youngsters to devour the Marinated Fish Salad, which features salmon and sole "cooked" in lime juice. This is a colorful cookbook designed for Disney buffs rather than foodies, and should have kids reaching for the ingredients to help out-or else for the remote control and a video of The Little Mermaid.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Disney Editions (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786854162
• ISBN-13: 978-0786854165
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a great idea!, September 19, 2003

By 

peebstuff (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disney Recipes: From Animation to Inspiration (Hardcover)

Since I am a zero star cook myself I don't feel qualified to rate ANY cookbook 5 stars. But, like practically everybody else on the planet, I'm charmed by anything Disney and this book fits right in with the overall beguilement we all feel toward Mickey and his buds. And the idea is so clever you can't help being snookered in yet again. The full color layout rocks, the nostalgia is cool and the recipes, mostly, are easy enough even for a fumble-fingered cook like me. Although it's not aimed at kids they too will love thumbing through its pages. The price is certainly right and I bought five copies to put under various Christmas trees, all for the adult "kids" in my life. Mr. Meyer and Mr. Garofalo are to be congratulated. Is Volume II in the works?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good going Ira Meyer!, February 10, 2006

By 

TerryT (OK, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Disney Recipes: From Animation to Inspiration (Hardcover)

Compared with Disney's Mickey Mouse Cookbook, this one is just as good, more "grown-up," and worth checking out because it's so updated--it contains new movies not made in time for the other book, and many rarer Disney cartoons as well. The beginning has a section dedicated to recounting the history of food as featured in Disney animation. The rest of the book is then divided into categories of (mostly wonderful-looking) recipes inspired by Disney characters and movies. Each recipe is assigned to a particular character (it often makes perfect sense because the character is somehow directly connected with the type of food, and other less obvious matches manage to make sense anyway because the recipe is symbolically linked with the character.) A couple of them are given to entire movies as well. The recipes also contain a quote from the movie (frequently food-related), shots and sketches from the production, and notes on serving suggestions, variations, details, and what kids can do to help prepare each dish. For those that include alcohol, it's always suggested that it be replaced with apple juice or something more kid-friendly. "Serving suggestion" images of what the final dish will supposedly look like are not provided for every one, however.

The book presents some good-looking desserts, vegetarian and vegan choices, exotic ones you'd need to go out of your way for, and breakfasts--even features a recipe for pet treats--Kanine Krunchies, as seen in "101 Dalmatians." Some of the recipes have photos of the finished product and some don't. Three beverages comprise the final chapter, including Herculade, the soft drink of heroes. There are no Pixar entries, but there IS a Ratatouille based upon "Fun and Fancy Free!" ;) It's a pretty thick book; I couldn't list every awesome-sounding recipe without going overboard!

One feature of the book I especially liked was the provision of nutrition facts for the recipes--though many of them are astronomical in the measurements. For instance, I find it very hard to believe that the Oliver & Company dry-roasted chicken contains 616 grams of saturated fat in a single serving. Unless the serving is sized for a T-Rex or they intend to kill the people who eat it, I really get the impression that a good number of these charts must be inaccurate. On that note, a few extremely tasty-looking recipe ideas like Si and Am's Thai appetizers or Mushu's egg rolls and juk have high numbers too (and, of course, things like King Midas's hamburger). But on the other hand, there are some delicious-looking recipes which, even if you use the ingredients exactly as printed, are very good indeed on the nutrition factor. Baloo's Jungle Ambrosia Salad of various fruits and Cinderella's Herb and Egg White Soup fit this category.

There are some recipes you just can't miss if you're doing a Disney cookbook, such as your own take on Lady and the Tramp's spaghetti. This book also includes such appropriate ones as the Walrus and the Carpenter's oyster salad, Kuzco's (even though this should be labeled as Kronk's) spinach puffs, and Widow Tweed (of "The Fox and the Hound")'s cheddar soup with herbed crisps. The Cheshire Cat's marinated fish salad is attractively bright in color and looks a potential good choice for even a general non-seafood-fan (such as me).
Honestly? The only one thing in the book that looks truly unappetizing to me is the "Treasure Planet" Astral Soup. The photo of the bowl shown is terrifying to me; in the soup I can see tentacles, shells, large claws, and entire bodies of sea creatures lying there with eyes glaring up at me. Same with Willie the Whale's Pappardelle with Shrimp.

So overall, a good score for this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Cookbook for Kids, February 25, 2004

By 

"fcb_cb" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disney Recipes: From Animation to Inspiration (Hardcover)

This is probably one of the better children's cookbooks there is, for several reasons. 1. All of the recipes are based on Disney movies and/or characters that most children know, although some are from movies I've never seen, and less recognizable characters that I've never even heard of, and I've been a Disney fanatic for years. 2. All the recipes are realativly easy, although some have foods that picky eaters wouldn't want to eat. The book is laid out in a good format. It has appetizers first, then soups, then entrees, etc. It also has beautiful pictures and pencil sketches of the characters, as well as quotes, mostly having to do with food. There is also at least one recipe from each movie up through Mulan, which is fairly recent. There is also several pages of safety tips, "from the characters." Overall this is a very good cookbook for children who want to help prepare meals with there parents.