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The ILLUSION OF LIFE: DISNEY ANIMATION
 
 
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The ILLUSION OF LIFE: DISNEY ANIMATION [Hardcover]

Ollie Johnston (Author), Frank Thomas (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)

List Price: $60.00
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Book Description

October 5, 1995 1 and up

An out-of-print collector's item since 1986, the definitive account of the development of Disney animation explains what made Disney's style unique and features original sketches and drawings revealing the origins of Mickey and the rest. National ad/promo.


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Frequently Bought Together

The ILLUSION OF LIFE: DISNEY ANIMATION + The Animator's Survival Kit, Expanded Edition: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators + Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series)
Price For All Three: $86.17

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Thomas and Johnston, two of Disney's original animators, here give the inside scoop on how the studio created the works that have charmed the world. "The text is ambitious," said LJ's reviewer (LJ 12/15/81). The "authors simultaneously give a history of Disney animation and explain the processes involved in clear, nontechnical terms." Along with the splendid text are dozens of color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations. A "magnificent volume" that remains "essential for film collections and a feast for the most casual peruser."
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  • Hardcover: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Disney Editions; Rev Sub edition (October 5, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0786860707
  • ISBN-13: 978-0786860708
  • Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.5 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
81 of 85 people found the following review helpful
The Animators Bible January 28, 2000
Format:Hardcover
Equivalent to a Holy relic, this masterpiece of a book has inspired me, not only to appreciate Disney's work, but also the animators and animation in general. If you are considering entering the animation field, in particular working for Disney, then by all means purchase this book and read it thouroughly. 2 of the Old Nine Men, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, wrote this book sometime in the early eighties. I read this in the early nineties. I was such a good read it amazed. Not only what they were writing about, but how good the writing was. It was humerous, witty, profound and informative in such a way that is easy to retain the knowledge which I found immediately applicable. By far the one book that has stood the test of time beyond all of Disney's "The Art of (Insert Movie Here)" books. Thomas and Johnston give step by step process of how Disney complete a picture from the inception of the first idea to the finalized product on Sunset Boulevard at the El Capitan. I cannot comment on this book enough and cannot reccomend this book highly enough. Five stars is the max, but I can say, of all the books I have read, no other book has inspired me more in my readings, and no other book I treasure more than this one. I say, the earlier edition of this book may have better prints and color, but its not the pictures that matter completely (however nice they are), its what the animators pass on to another animator. Inspiration for motivation and creativity.
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55 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Beware The Current Edition... November 16, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
It's a great book loaded with pertinent information for animators. Still, this edition is a reprint of a COPY of the original, as the negatives for the artwork collected in the original edition were lost. Thus, the current edition has extremely poor color quality.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have, for several years, been a member of various computer animation lists, and that's where I'm coming from with this review. This is the one book which has consistently come up on those lists when dealing with general issues (the Principles of Animation, etc), simply because it is the best. It is not the best tutorial book, since it is not written as a tutorial: it is a history of Disney. If you want a tutorial on computer animation, go elsewhere. But that will probably NOT be as much help to you as reading this book, because after reading this, you will be inspired. I think this is why people are so religeously fervent when speaking about it - not because they found it useful for the large number of techniques and tips which are slipped in throughout (though very many of them are out of date or not applicable in the computer animation world), but because the book inspires. I thought it was expensive, but after I bought it and read it the first time, I realised it was cheap at the price. It is gorgeously produced, and filled with colour pics and examples of what it talks about. Worth buying if you are into animation, or if you are interested in the history of Disney.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best
This is just the bigger and better animation book I`ve ever seen, really a MUST HAVE for every animator. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Andre
Awesome book
Great book. The book came in excellent condition and was on time. It was very affordable. WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME WRITE MORE THAN THIS!??!??!?!
Published 5 months ago by Robert Jay Brown Jr.
No Animator Should Go Without! Absolutely Brilliant!
Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston were two of the greatest character animators to walk the Earth. They were two of Disney's Nine Old Men, and helped to developed the "principles of... Read more
Published 9 months ago by J. Hathaway
Simply Amazing
I was incredibly pleased with this product. Being an international purchase, I didn't expect it to arrive for quite some time, however it came several weeks earlier than I had... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Rebecca
Great service and product description.
I bought this book second hand from this seller and I am very happy with my purchase. Book was in condition as described and arrived on time. Read more
Published 12 months ago by mazzy
An interesting, but biased overview of Disney history, with some...
Frank and Ollie's acclaimed book "The Illusion of Life" was one of the books that truly got me hooked on doing animation, thanks in part to it's excellent chapter on The Twelve... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Prinzenick
Required Reading for Lovers of Animation
This book, like the Walt Stanchfield Drawn to Life series, is like a bible for the art of animation -- You can just open it up and practically any page you land on will have... Read more
Published 14 months ago by C. Beaver
Great!
Its a very nice book, good for collectors. Especially good for people who want to be animators!! Has alot of good information I recommend buying!!
Published 15 months ago by Abby
The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation book that I ordered is in excellent condition! I was very nicely surprised! The price was really good for this book. Read more
Published 16 months ago by battr
Brilliant
The art of Disney is incredible. Inside this book you will find vibrant color cells, story board art, sketches and so much more. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Gail A. Preset
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Man always has had a compelling urge to make representations of the things he sees in the world around him. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
story department, secondary action, grand duke, brave little tailor, story sketch man, inspirational sketches, supervising animator, clear staging, exposure sheet, personality animation, young animators, one animator, layout men, layout man, multiplane camera, story reel, experimental animation, background painter, entertainment potential
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Snow White, The Rescuers, Fred Moore, Robin Hood, Prince John, Wilfred Jackson, The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Ken Anderson, New York, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Marc Davis, Ward Kimball, Sleeping Beauty, Les Clark, Bill Peet, Milt Kahl, Ham Luske, Bill Tytla, Ben Sharpsteen, Sir Hiss, Donald Duck, Dave Hand, Norm Ferguson
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