The Art of Walt Disney tells the remarkable story of Walt Disney and the company he built based entirely upon the creations of his extraordinary imagination, from Mickey Mouse to animated feature films to the Disney theme parks. It covers Disney's early career, all of the animated features from Snow White onwards, the Pixar films, live action films, the theme parks, and Broadway shows. The text is based on hundreds of interviews with Disney staff members past and present, and art for the book was carefully selected in consultation with the artists and animators who create the movies and the Imagineers who design the parks. Close to 700 illustrations range from concept art to film stills and views of the theme-park attractions. This revised and expanded edition will cover all the major projects since the 1995 hardcover edition, including Toy Story II; Fantasia 2000; Lilo and Stitch; Monster's, Inc.; Finding Nemo (highest grossing animated film in history); the Broadway productions; the latest theme park developments, including brand new parks such as Tokyo DisneySea and Hong Kong Disneyland; and the latest in rides and entertainment. Also included will be a special section explaining to readers in words and images how an animated film is created or a new ride developed. The publication of this book coincides with two important anniversaries for Disney in 2005: the 75th anniversary of the creation of Mickey Mouse and the 50th anniversary of the first Disney theme park, Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Author Biography

Christopher Finch was born on the island of Guernsey and studied painting at Chelsea Art School in London. In the mid-sixties he began writing criticism, becoming a contributing editor to Art & Artists and British Vogue. During that period, he wrote extensively about American and British contemporary art, especially pop art. In 1967, he joined the curatorial staff of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. In 1969 he resumed his freelance writing career in New York, where he remained until 1990 when he moved to Los Angeles. He is a regular contributor to Architectural Digest and is the author of more than twenty books, including The Art of the Lion King (Hyperion, 1994), Jim Henson: The Works (Random House, 1993), Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Watercolors (Abbeville, 1988 and 1991), and Norman Rockwell's America (Abrams, 1975).