Ghez speaks to us about the sixth and final volume of the landmark series, which ventures into the modern era while also harkening back to the beginning.
In 2015, historian Didier Ghez authored They Drew As They Pleased Volume 1: The Hidden Art Of Disney’s Golden Age, focusing on the studio’s first decade in the 1930s. It began an ambitious project to document the history of Disney animation by focusing on concept art and concept artists.
Through extensive research through the Disney Archives, and personal connections he made with animators and their families, Ghez uncovered a trove of previously unpublished artwork, history, and anecdotes which give an unprecedented view into how the films, characters, storylines, and unique Disney look and feel came to be.
The sixth and final entry is now being published, titled They Drew As They Pleased: The Hidden Art Of Disney’s New Golden Age. It focuses on the 1990s through 2010, when Walt Disney Animation Studios experienced a dramatic creative shift as advancements in digital technology gave rise to computer-generated animation and produced blockbuster hits like The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, The Lion King, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, and Frozen. This volume highlights artists Joe Grant, Hans Bacher, Mike Gabriel, and Michael Giaimo, whose collective talents exemplify Disney’s storied past and visionary leap forward into the New Golden Age.
Didier Ghez tells us more about his adventure and the last chapter of this extraordinary project.
[…]
