To coincide with major movie releases, Disney, Pixar, and Marvel release “Art Of” books showcasing some of the concept art, background, and artistic inspiration that brought their films to life. this post reviews my top 10 favorite art books. I’ll admit it: I’m a fan of these books, as they either show things that happen in the blink of an eye in the movies, or serve to give me a greater appreciation of how much effort went into researching and iterating on the movie (s. there are There’s a lot more to these movies than meets the eye, and the books force me to slow down and think about what I’ve seen, which makes my later viewings more enjoyable.
You are reading: Disney the art of books
I have several of these books, but a couple of weeks ago I was hanging out off the page at disney california adventure, treating it like my barnes & local; noble, perusing some of the books I don’t have to figure out what to order for half the price on amazon (just like the local b&n is my “internet showroom”). I know this isn’t the normal Disney Parks content shown here, but like I said, I previewed the books on DCA! 😉
There are some “art of” books for older movies, but I haven’t been able to locate them, so this list covers the newer series of “art of” coffee table books I have or have checked out from the library. …
10. the art of cars: there is probably some irony in the fact that one of my least favorite pixar movies is on the list, but the one i consider to be the best pixar movie (wall-e) is not, but I think there is more significant substance in this book. sketches of the various cars are present, but what’s really interesting is the evolution (so to speak) of the radiator springs through the visualization process. some of the drawings here (from the signs to the interiors of the buildings) feel like blueprints, in a way, for car land, which I thought was cool. this is a must for die-hard car (or earth car) fans, but it’s probably just an interesting one-time read for everyone else.
9. the art of up: I think this title is more interesting because of the writing that describes the process of creating the film, from the research trips into the jungle to production, art direction styles and more . There are also many beautiful drawings here, many of which seem atypical of a Pixar “art by” book. This is not a bad thing, as it feels like a cross between a Disney animation and a Pixar book. I would have liked to see more about environments, but it’s a great book nonetheless.
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8. the art of being brave: this is not my favorite pixar movie (that honor goes to cars 2 😉), but one thing i loved about the movie was the setting in scotland. it was completely beautiful, and I felt like at some points it conveyed the movie. This book is highly rated because of that, as it features the castle, the highlands, the standing stones, and the witch’s hut, each in their own sections. pencil sketches are pretty cool too. my only complaint? we need moar bears!
7. The Art of Toy Story 3: This book made this list in large part because it delves into the world of Toy Story. Many of Andy’s room depictions of characters and paintings could equally apply to any of the Toy Story movies, movies to which I have a strong emotional attachment. There’s also a lot of text from the filmmakers that goes “behind the scenes” in these movies, which I really appreciated. I don’t think the art in this book is particularly exceptional or as movie-insighting as the art found in other titles, but this book resonates with me for some reason, and I love flipping through it.
6. the art of breaking ralph: if you wanted to play true hero duty or sugar rush, this could be your number 1. each has long chapters in the book, including many details, from vehicle design to backgrounds and characters, that were easy to miss on film. there is some background on the games here and how the real life games influenced and were spoofed by the movie. this is one that probably won’t appeal to all audiences. however, if you like the games or game worlds from the movie, you’ll love it for sure.
5. the art of the princess and the frog: I feel like this movie wouldn’t be so underrated if more people read this book. Much like the New Orleans Plaza at Disneyland, the setting here is (mostly) romantic New Orleans. Environmental art is especially impressive here, showcasing the bayou, the French Quarter, and other locations. the character design is also great, but I would have loved to see more of the costume influence. in fact, that’s a general complaint, as there seems to be a lot of real-world inspiration here, but not much text is devoted to the details. still, an essential thanks to that beautiful and romantic art. oh, and if tiana’s place is ever added to one of the parks, i really hope they use the signs in this book to “advertise” the restaurant. so elegant.
4. the art of frozen: this could be a controversial version, but this book scores very high for me because it shows so much of the world’s inspiration real. for frozen food found on the team’s research trip to norway. Now, I’m not saying it makes me think a frozen boat ride fits into epcot (it doesn’t), but it gave me a greater appreciation for the world found in frozen and made me even more intrigued by Norwegian culture. some of the ambient art is shots that are quick and easy to lose on film, which is unfortunate as the book shows how wonderfully detailed they are. This book made Arendelle feel like a real place, lived on location (outside of residence), and made me want to visit it. (now I’m looking forward to tokyo disneysea port!)
3. the art of tangled: I love a lot of these books for their ambient and background art, but this book is the rare one where the character designs are the most interesting element (in my opinion). I wouldn’t say this is because the characters from other movies are missing, but Rapunzel is almost two characters in one: the person and the hair. This book really highlights the hard work that went into that hair, but even beyond it, it really showcases what Disney legend Glen Keane did to give the characters… well, character. Oh, and of course, those stunning fairytale settings and their inspirations (including Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disneyland!) are represented, and they’re just as beautiful as expected.
2. the art of big hero 6 – maybe I’m biased because of the Japanese influence here, but I thought that more than any other book, this one really added to my appreciation of the movie. Although I love Japanese culture, I don’t know much about anime, so reading and looking at the designs here helped me develop a better understanding of how Japanese art influenced the film. Big Hero 6 almost feels like a love letter to the styles and cultures that inspired its animators, and this is quite evident in the book. In addition to the influence of anime, it shows how Japan as a place influenced San Fransokyo. the book is also great for further exploring this great city and seeing its nods to san francisco and tokyo.
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1. the art of ratatouille: this is one of my favorite pixar movies (along with wall-e and upside down), and a lot of that is due to the beautiful settings. Like all of Pixar’s “art of” books, this is a kind of roadmap for the path from idea to research (in this case, a trip to France), from conceptualization to actual renderings. The concept art for the characters is great, but the star of the show here is the background drawings of France and (surprisingly) the food. I never thought a book that included rat models and food representations would be so captivating, but here we are.
One book that is conspicuously absent is Art from the Inside Out. I really wanted a book that would allow me to delve into Riley’s mind, hoping to find background art (and definitely a good portion of bing bong), but too much space is devoted to very simplistic and abstract character art. It’s still enjoyable for fans of the film, especially those interested in the evolution of the main emotions, but it’s definitely not as meaty as other titles. (Also, none of the wonderful “art of” books make the list…it’s probably just personal preference, but those titles didn’t do much for me when I flipped through them.)
honorable mention goes to the art of john carter. this book sold out practically the instant the movie flopped (as soon as it was released) and now commands ridiculous prices. our local library used to have it in indy, and i really loved it. It’s not worth $100 unless you’re insanely rich and use $100 bills to light up your cigars, but if you can find a copy for less, it will make you appreciate this underrated movie a little more. (no, this is not sarcasm, I actually like the movie).
This brings up another good point: If you don’t want to or can’t spend the money filling your bookshelf with these, see if your local library has them, as many do. while these are excellent and relatively inexpensive coffee table books (in fact, our real estate agent advised us to get the frozen one out when we were trying to sell our house), if all you want is to learn about the movie influences or develop a greater appreciation, picking up a copy from the library is great.
All in all, I can’t say I’ve ever read a bad book on the “art of”. the teams that created them really know what they’re doing, and while the titles above are my top 10, if there’s a particular movie you really love, chances are you’ll love the corresponding “art of” book.
If you like books about the Disney theme parks, check out my post on Disney Parks Library, which covers (some of) my growing Disney library. Be warned, once you start collecting these books, it’s hard to stop…even when you run out of shelf space!
your thoughts
Do you have a favorite “art of” book? what do you like about these books? do you feel they give you a greater appreciation of movies? Share your thoughts or any questions you have in the comments below!
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