The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation (Hardcover)

by Ollie Johnston (Author), Frank Thomas (Author) "Man always has had a compelling urge to make representations of the things he sees in the world around him..." (more)
Key Phrases: story department, secondary action, grand duke, Snow White, The Rescuers, Fred Moore (more...)

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 Description
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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Disney Editions; Rev Sub edition (October 5, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786860707
• ISBN-13: 978-0786860708
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,647 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Animators Bible, January 28, 2000

By	rareoopdvds (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beware The Current Edition..., November 16, 1999

By A Customer

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.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They say it's the first book to buy on animation. I agree., July 28, 2000

By	Dewi Morgan (London, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.