Customer Reviews

Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book exceeded all expectations, and that means quite something if you've been looking forward to it for almost 2,5 years. It is filled to the top with pre-production artwork and designs. There is not so much text, but what's there is useful and informative. It's as much about the creative process as about pure practical knowledge and cinematic rules, the latter ones which often seems to be absent in graphic books like this one, but not here!

Wow! I want to gaze in awe at every page of this beautiful yet practical book, which is filled with art. Dozens of backgrounds from "Bambi" show the stunning skill and style of those artists like you've never seen it before. Another section illustrates many creative ways to imagine a bird, from concept pieces from "Fantasia 2000." Other pages show thumbnails and composition notes from the early stages of "Lilo & Stitch." There's also a whole chapter on composition that combines a how-to manual with frames of Disney's "Brother Bear."

I could go on forever, but suffice it to say that this book is an absolute must-buy. Anyone who wants to study the best artists in the animation business, or just loves to look at imaginative watercolors and stunning uses of color, will find it truly inspirational. Yes, it's nearly all Disney, but don't let that mislead you. This book is not published by the Disney company, and has no promotional feel.

For more art from "Cinderella" check out Walt Disney's Cinderella. For a nice academic companion try To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios.

I knew Dreamworlds had a good chance to be good, but I never realized it would be that good! I was afraid it might be a book purely aimed at professional artists. It isn't. If you are interested in the history of the Disney Studio during the last 20 years, if you love concept art, and if you want to discover concept paintings from quite a few of the discarded projects Hans worked on at Disney just before he left, like My People, Wild Life or Fraidy Cat, get this book now. This is a "must-have" and a "must-read" (there is also beautiful art from Beauty and the Beast, Mulan,...). More interesting artwork in this book that in quite a few "art-ofs" released by Disney recently.

Length:: 0:27 Mins

This book is an invaluable resource for any production designer. It talks about how to go about setting the style and look for animation.

This is a very practical book. While it talks on the production design process, it provides tons of examples from Disney's archive to support design concepts. There are many useful lessons, such as film analysis, visual development and research, camera rules, composition, staging and others.

There are also dedicated chapters to films where Hans Bacher talks specifically on how production design was done.

I bought this book primarily for the art but I've realised that there's more to all the art displayed. Many of the storyboards, while lacking details are visually strong because of the composition.

Every example included in the book serves to emphasis design concepts. The clear and simple explanation provides another perspective into looking at storyboards, into understanding what the scene means and how it contributes to the story.

This book is well worth the money, actually not just to production designers, but for every artist. The lessons taught are universal and can be applied in different fields if it's related to art.

Let me end with a quote from Andrea Deja, the Supervising Animator of Walt Disney Studios:

When it comes to color, composition and design, Hans is in a class by himself. Look through the pages of Dream Worlds and be inspired by Han's high standards and his art. It is a feast for the eyes.



Here's the list of chapters:

* Film Analysis
* Beauty and the Beast
* Visual Development and Research
* Aladdin
* Inspiration
* Camera Rules
* The Lion King
* Composition
* Hercules
* Staging and Formats
* Mulan
* Rhythm and Style Variety
* Lilo and Stitch
* Value and Color
* Brother Bear
* Unfinished Disney Projects
* Own Projects
* The Masters -- Bambi

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

What a wonderful opportunity the publishers have squandered here. The author is clearly very informed and his own art work, outstanding. The illustrations are essentially wonderful too. So what's wrong? Lack of courage on the part of the publishers. A work of this magnitude needs to be reproduced at a size to fit its contents. The illustrations are very often way too small - little bigger than postage stamps at times - and even the full-pagers would have benefitted from a larger page to fill. The text is also far too brief - almost anecdotal and saying far less than it could. This book cries out for pages that are 2 - 3 times larger and the text demands a book of twice the length. It was extremely frustrating to peer at art work that so deserves to be reproduced at a good size on quality paper. Would I recommend it? Of course. Much of the art work has not to my knowledge been published elsewhere. Just make sure you have a magnifying glass to hand!

This is probably my favorite Focal Press title. Most of the titles I have from this publisher are paperback, but this one is hardback with a glossy dustjacket. I am particularly interested in environments for animation and design and this title was perfect. The book is chock-full of images. I loved looking at all the different styles and examples, and the amount of text and placement was appropriate. The chapters are as follows:
1. Film Analysis
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. Visual Development and Research
4. Aladdin
5. Inspiration
6. Camera Rules
7. The Lion King
8. Composition
9. Hercules
10. Staging and Formats
11. Mulan
12. Rhythm and Style Variety
13. Lilo and Stitch
14. Value and Color
15. Brother Bear
16. Unfinished Disney Projects
17. Own Projects
18. The Masters-Bambi
This is a very useful title for animation design work. Highly recommended.

Laden with rich artwork from Paramount, Disney, and other well-known studios, Dream Worlds provides an inside view into the world of production design for animation.

The author is legendary in the field and provides a wealth of knowledge from experience. Although the book reads somewhat like an autobiography, the tools, tips, and resources are invaluable.

Everything in it is golden. The information is superb. Definitely a must have for production artist interested in animation field.
I can see this book become the most sought book in animation field.
Filled with nothing but legendary works of arts.
Definitely a must have.

Now i have praised everything that i need to praise about the content, let's deal with the bad.

Everything will be perfect if only the publishers know the difference between a bad paper and a good paper.
For a hard cover book, i do not expect such poor quality of papers to be used.

It is a bit insulting to see maestro works such as Eyvind Earle's and many others to be presented in a low quality paper. The book is as guilty as Leonardo Da Vinci's glorified failure of his "Last Supper", if you know what i mean.

Everything is great but the presentation and the medium used ruin the supposedly a glorious victory.

Thanks you Hans Bacher for putting together his notes and thoughts from most of his experiences as an artist. As another artist it was really inciteful and refreshing to hear again what he had to say. Oh and the artwork is amazing. The fun he had doing all these pieces really shows.
Highly recommend this book. It's just as helpful and easy to read as the Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams.

Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation is a beautiful resource for artistic inspiration, noit just in animation, but with color choice and graphic design in general. Getting a chance to peek into the design process of some wonderful Disney animated films is a treat, but have the tour guided by an actual Disney artist, Hans Bacher, really makes it come alive. It's been one of my go-to books when brainstorming artwork for gig posters lately. Highly recommended for anyone interested in graphic design, animation and comic book art.