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The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation Hardcover – Illustrated, October 19, 1995

by Ollie Johnston (Author), Frank Thomas (Author)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 2,012 ratings
See all formats and editions
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The most complete book on the subject ever written, this is the fascinating inside story by two long-term Disney animators of the gradual perfecting of a relatively young and particularly American art from, which no other move studio has ever been able to equal.




The authors, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, worked with Walt Disney himself as well as other leading figures in a half-century of Disney films. They personally animated leading characters in most of the famous films and have decades of close association with the others who helped perfect this extremely difficult and time-consuming art form. Not to be mistaken for just a "how-to-do-it," this voluminously illustrated volume (like the classic Disney films themselves) is intended for everyone to enjoy.




Besides relating the painstaking trial-and-error development of Disney's character animation technology, this book irresistibly charms us with almost an overabundance of the original historic drawings used in creating some of the best-loved characters in American culture: Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Snow White and Bambi (among many, many others) as well as early sketches used in developing memorable sequences from classic features such as Fantasia and Pinocchio.




With the full cooperation of Walt Disney Productions and free access to the studio's priceless archives, the authors took unparalleled advantage of their intimate long-term experience with animated films to choose the precise drawings to illustrate their points from among hundreds of thousands of pieces of artwork carefully stored away.




The book answers everybody's question about how the amazingly lifelike effects of Disney character animation were achieved, including charming stories of the ways that many favorite animated figures got their unique personalities. From the perspective of two men who had an important role in shaping the art of animation, and within the context of the history of animation and the growth of the Disney studio, this is the definitive volume on the work and achievement of one of America's best-known and most widely loved cultural institutions. Nostalgia and film buffs, students of popular culture, and that very broad audience who warmly responds to the Disney "illusion of life" will find this book compelling reading (and looking!).




Searching for that perfect gift for the animation fan in your life? Explore more behind-the-scenes stories from Disney Editions:

  • The Art of Mulan: A Disney Editions Classic
  • Walt Disney's Ultimate Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks
  • One Day at Disney: Meet the People Who Make the Magic Across the Globe
  • The Walt Disney Studios: A Lot to Remember
  • From All of Us to All of You: The Disney Christmas Card
  • Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney's Animation
  • Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons, Revised Special Edition
  • Disney Villains: Delightfully Evil - The Creation, The Inspiration, The Fascination
  • The Art and Flair of Mary Blair: An Appreciation, Updated Edition.
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    10 - 14 years
  2. Print length
    576 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    5 - 9
  5. Dimensions
    10.66 x 1.4 x 11.39 inches
  6. Publisher
    Disney Editions
  7. Publication date
    October 19, 1995
  8. ISBN-10
    0786860707
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0786860708
  10. See all details
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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.

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.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Disney Editions; Subsequent edition (October 19, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786860707
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786860708
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 14 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.66 x 1.4 x 11.39 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 2,012 ratings

About the authors

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Previous page
  1. Ollie Johnston

    Ollie Johnston

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Oliver Martin "Ollie" Johnston, Jr. (October 31, 1912 – April 14, 2008) was an American motion picture animator. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, and the last surviving at the time of his death from natural causes. He was recognized by The Walt Disney Company with its Disney Legend Award in 1989. His work was recognized with the National Medal of Arts in 2005.

    He was an animator at Walt Disney Studios from 1935 to 1978, and became a directing animator beginning with Pinocchio, released in 1940. He contributed to most Disney animated features, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia and Bambi. His last full work for Disney came with The Rescuers, in which he was caricatured as one of the film's characters, the cat Rufus. The very last film he worked on was The Fox and the Hound.

    Johnston co-authored, with Frank Thomas, the reference book Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, which contained the 12 basic principles of animation. This book helped preserve the knowledge of the techniques that were developed at the studio. The partnership of Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston is fondly presented in the documentary Frank and Ollie, produced by Thomas' son Theodore, who in 2012 also produced another documentary, Growing up with Nine Old Men, included in the Diamond edition of the Peter Pan DVD.

    Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Janke at English Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Frank Thomas

    Frank Thomas

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
2,012 global ratings
A must have if you love Animation and Disney History : )
5 Stars
A must have if you love Animation and Disney History : )
I consider this the Bible of Disney animation for animators and it truly is. There is so much beautiful artwork, info, and even some guides for animating.It is not a how-to book but More to read and inform yourself about these amazing animators.Book came in wonderful conditions and I had no problems. Definitely a very heavy book. The cover is beautiful and so is the detailing of the hardcover.Overall happy with purchase ❤️
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Top reviews from the United States

JC Davenport
5.0 out of 5 stars Disney Magic
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
Wow what a whopper of a book. I really enjoyed “The Magic Behind the Voices” a who’s who of animated character vocals – and this book on Disney animation seemed like a great follow up. It was. It was for me also surprisingly BIG, and at well over 500 pages a big effort to actually read.

I read this for the history with no intention of becoming an animator. However my doodles have improved a lot since I've been reading this.

I didn’t grow up with Disney movies. When I was a kid in the 70’s Disney was in kind of a slump with their animated films. I even remember reading something somewhere about how they would never get back the old magic. But I was still affected by Disney. I was in their “Record Club” for a short while. We also somehow had little plastic Disney character figures to play with (Kids - this was before Wal-Mart and China and the Internet) I still got to see Disney Illustrations everywhere and imagine the movies that were so famous in our culture.

Then later when Disney got it’s magic back (after this book was written) I went out on a date with a girl to see Beauty and the Beast. And then got married to that girl and we lived happily ever after. And we had kids that grew up with Disney on video. So I got to see what I missed. Thank you Disney you have made my life a dream come true! Ok it wasn’t all you.

Anyway about the book . . . It’s great history. Walt Disney doesn’t actually invent anything . . . but his workers do and he creates a whole new industry and world looking for magic . . . that “golden moment” that takes an audience to another place and leaves them feeling good. The book is extremely well written, wonderfully illustrated . . . but will cost you part of your life to read word for word.

I think the lessons learned in animating are good lessons for life. Look for what is inspirational and moving. Creative teamwork can bring results no one imagined. Keep moving, and keep people engaged. Make something beautiful that people feel a part of. The character and the story are the driving and meaningful factors.

So I feel happy and sad. Sad because maybe deep down I thought there was some real magic in Disney. Happy though, that the magic they were going for was after all, life. And life is pretty special.
41 people found this helpful
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Jennifer P
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Nice
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2024
Verified Purchase
Purchased for my son's birthday present. Lovely large book, quality made. He was happy. Win win.
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Aline
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have if you love Animation and Disney History : )
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
I consider this the Bible of Disney animation for animators and it truly is. There is so much beautiful artwork, info, and even some guides for animating.
It is not a how-to book but More to read and inform yourself about these amazing animators.

Book came in wonderful conditions and I had no problems. Definitely a very heavy book. The cover is beautiful and so is the detailing of the hardcover.

Overall happy with purchase ❤️
Customer image
Aline
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have if you love Animation and Disney History : )
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2023
I consider this the Bible of Disney animation for animators and it truly is. There is so much beautiful artwork, info, and even some guides for animating.
It is not a how-to book but More to read and inform yourself about these amazing animators.

Book came in wonderful conditions and I had no problems. Definitely a very heavy book. The cover is beautiful and so is the detailing of the hardcover.

Overall happy with purchase ❤️
Images in this review
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4 people found this helpful
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K. Rothko
5.0 out of 5 stars Twitterpated.....totally!
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2009
Verified Purchase
I first saw Disney's Pinnochio as a six year old, and it changed my life. It lead to a life-long love of art, animation, ecology, whales, and the sea.
As I grew older I was to learn that Pinnochio, along with Bambi, is regarded as among the very best, if not THE best of Disney animation. I have both these films on DVD, and any law abiding animation fan shouldn't be without them.
Nor should any animation nut be without this book. This is a most comprehensive, colourfully illustrated document of the why's and wherefore's of Disney animation.
While it goes into considerable detail, it is strictly speaking not a manual as such.
It is more designed as an insight into the mysteries of animation for the lay person, with more than enough to inspire and inform any potential animator. It covers the various aspects of the animation process, and the history of Disney animation. It is accompanied by ooddles, and oodles of full page colour photos, reproductions of animation sequences of famous Disney characters, diagrams, sections on each of the main Disney animators, and hilarious caricatures that animators did of each other.
This book is simply a "must have" for any Disney animation fan, or any animation fan period.
I am thrilled to have this book. It arrived in record time too, and well packaged.
Do yourself a favour, and get this. You'e GOT TO HAVE IT!

You won't be disappointed.
7 people found this helpful
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Bad Raptor
5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive work chronicling how Disney's classic 2d animated films were made.
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
I had an earlier version of this book (originally called "Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life") that mysteriously disappeared from my garage where I had temporarily stored it. I remembered poring over it and studying it and marveled at the creativity and craftsmanship of the Disney animators. For years, I went without replacing it, until I looked it up on Amazon and ordered it and now it's part of my library once more - along with other Disney artwork books, as well as books of the great American illustrators and designers. I had the pleasure of meeting a few of the Nine Old Men before they passed away and only wish I had this volume under my arm at the time, so they could have autographed it.

If your child shows any aptitude at drawing or illustration or longs to get into animation as a career, I would highly recommend this book to study and refer to time and time again. As an erstwhile illustrator and someone who made a successful career as a graphic designer and marketing professional, it's critical that even if your child longs to be a computer graphics wizard or Pixar-worthy artist, that they learn to master basic drawing skills, so they can bring relatively flat interesting 2d characters to very believable and dynamic full 3d life. This book may light a fire under them and give them the inspiration they need or are looking for.
2 people found this helpful
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MaryAnn McLean
5.0 out of 5 stars Birthday Gift for Grandaughter
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
My granddaughter just loved this book. Hopes one day to be either an animator or an architect.
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Top reviews from other countries

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R. Seaward
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
It arrived as described by the seller. I am well pleased. Though I have not finished reading it yet, it is, thus far, a very educational resource.
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Carla
5.0 out of 5 stars Es un EXCELENTE libro
Reviewed in Mexico on October 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
El contenido y el diseño editorial es precioso :^)
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Nicolle Kerman
5.0 out of 5 stars bem pesado
Reviewed in Brazil on January 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
ele é muito bem feito, a qualidade do livro é excelente, é bem pesado pq tem muitas páginas, a impressão das imagens é muito boa, valeu cada centavo
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Nicolle Kerman
5.0 out of 5 stars bem pesado
Reviewed in Brazil on January 5, 2023
ele é muito bem feito, a qualidade do livro é excelente, é bem pesado pq tem muitas páginas, a impressão das imagens é muito boa, valeu cada centavo
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3 people found this helpful
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Janon
5.0 out of 5 stars Bien maquetado y buenos materiales.
Reviewed in Spain on February 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
He comprado el de tapa dura. Libro más grande de lo esperado, bien maquetado y con buenos materiales. En perfecto estado. Para mí cumple con lo esperado, a pesar de que lo consideraba caro antes de recibirlo. Encantado y sorprendido a partes iguales.
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Music lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous book (not as shown in photos though)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
What a gorgeous book! Beautifully illustrated (as you would expect), high quality and so much content. The perfect gift for fans of Disney and students of animation. One small note - the product images show a signed copy of a different edition of the book. (I’m glad I guessed that might not be the case or I might have been disappointed! No idea why they can’t include the correct images, but wanted to give a wee warning)
3 people found this helpful
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