Paper Dreams: The Art And Artists Of Disney Storyboards (Hardcover)

by John Canemaker (Author) "Story artist Chris Williams stands tall and gangly before two large corkboards on which ninety-six of his sketches are neatly pinned..." (more)
Key Phrases: story conference notes, story department, story crew, Snow White, Walt Disney, Ted Sears (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Canemaker's second volume on Disney animation (his first was Before the Animation Begins, LJ 11/15/96) covers new territory. Focusing on the birth and progression of the storyboard method, the noted animator/historian explores both the history and the personalities of the Disney storyboard department. He takes readers from the early Disney days (when Walt created the storyboard to add depth and substance to the animated shorts the early studio produced) to today (when ever-changing teams of story specialists gather material and prepare sequence drawings before artists flesh out those Disney masterpieces). Along the way, Canemaker reveals the human effort required to bring an animated film to life and throws in juicy tidbits garnered from his interviews with animation pioneers. Lavish illustrations accompany the text. Recommended for larger public libraries and essential for collections in film and animation history.AKelli N. Perkins, Herrick P.L., Holland, MI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Its a technique that first helped bring Mickey Mouse to life, and todays greatest movie makers, from Martin Scorcese to Tim Burton, couldnt make a film without it. The storyboard started as a series of sketches, fastened to a cork board with pushpins, that helped a director conceptualize a films narrative and visual flow.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Disney Editions; 2nd edition (October 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786863072
• ISBN-13: 978-0786863075
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 10.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,733 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful insight into the creative process, April 17, 2000

By	Garrett O'Donoghue (Ireland) - See all my reviews

Too often in animation titles, the storyboard element is relegated to a minor footnote. This book presents a wonderful insight to the creative process of animation film making. Many animators and students collect resource material from feature films, and storyboard examples are rare and treasured items. As a storyboarder myself, I was in awe of the beauty and clarity of these works, many I was seeing for the first time. However, anybody with an interest in art or animation will enjoy this book. It is an amazing and definitive collection.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, January 29, 2000

By A Customer

I have most of the 'Art of' books and, though this is a little more pricey than the others, it is worth every cent. It is refreshingly reassuring to finally have a Disney art book NOT written by a Disney staffer, but by a film academic. It was great to read about the men who worked alongside Walt and knew him for all his faults as well rather than the godhead he has become to the company. This book, while showing page after page of behind-the-scenes miniature masterpieces that went into making the classic early features, also describes the not-so-happy endings that such chemistry produced among Disney and his storymen sometimes. It also covers the latter-day storyboard masters like Chris Sanders and the Brizzi twins. I have ambitions of being a Disney storyboard artist someday and this book is perfect inspiration. More than worth it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the "Art Of" Books by FAR, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

This book shows off the (oddly enough) unsung heros of the Disney Animation Department, the Story Artists. Like his previous book on Disney Inspirational artists, John Canemaker piles on the rarely seen outside of Disney pre-production sketches that form the basis of all to follow. GREAT reproductions--and great to see the subject and the studio treated not only with great respect, but a healthy amount of constructive criticism, too. Beautiful job. I'm waiting for a companion volume featuring unedited complete storyboards for ALL the features(!).