The Illusion of Life

Disney Animation

Table of Contents:
              Preface               Acknowledgments 1.           An Art Form is Born: 13 2.           The Early Days 1923–1933: 29 3.          The Principles of Animation: 47 4.          Discovery 1934–1936: 71 5.          Cartoon Comes of Age: 93 6.          Appeal and Dynamics: 119 7.          Hyperion: The Explosion: 141 8.          Burbank and The Nine Old Men: 159 9.           Our Procedures: 185 10.         How to Get It on the Screen: 243 11.         The Disney Sounds: 285 12.         The Follow-up Functions: 303 13.         The Uses of Live Action in Drawing Humans and Animals: 319 14.         Story: 367 15.         Character Development: 393 16.         Animating Expressions and Dialogue: 441 17.         Acting and Emotions: 473 18.         Other Types of Animation—and the Future: 509             Notes             Appendices             Index

About the Author :
Two of Walt Disney's famous "Nine Old Men," Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston met as students at Stanford University and joined the Disney studio within a year of each other in the mid-1930s. In 1978, they retired from Walt Disney Productions and began work on this book. In that same year, they received the "Pioneer in Film" award from the University of Southern California chapter of Delta Kappa Alpha National Honorary Cinema Fraternity and further honors from the American Film Institute at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. As Frank and Ollie wrote first-hand about their Disney animation volume The Illusion of Life, “We hope that some readers will be stimulated to carry on these traditions and elevate this art form to an ever-higher level.”

Review :
One of “5 must-read books on animation design Flip through these to understand the history and principles of animation . . . The authors of this book, Frank and Ollie, created animated masterpieces like ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, ‘Bambi’, and ‘Pinocchio’. This book looks at the way the duo played a role in turning the Walt Disney Studios into a powerhouse and highest standard in animation. By using simple language and avoiding jargon, the book looks at the 12 rules of animation the duo created, where an emphasis on characters being realistic, while having their own essence is explained.” —Tini Sara Anien, Deccan Herald, 2022   One of “My Seven ‘Desert Island’ Animation Reference Books . . . Everything that could have already been said about this book has been said. Suffice to say, if you can own just one book about Disney animation, this is it. The development of the studio’s approach to character animation has never been more clearly documented.” —Amid Amidi, Cartoon Brew, 2013   One of the “Three books that mean a lot to me.” —Rob LaDuca, Disney animation guru, Variety, 2008   “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.’ —Library Journal, Reed Business Information, Inc., 1996