Argumento
The Disney That Never Was: The Stories and Art from Five Decades of Unproduced Animation is a celebration of drawings from uncompleted films that were "simply too beautiful to leave in their folders." Some of the ideas and projects were abandoned for obvious reasons--a lack of time, money, or resources--but certainly not for lack of ingenuity. Charles Solomon, internationally respected critic and historian of animation, has gleaned the best of these unused animation drawings, storyboards, gags, and concept art, all of which make their first public appearances in this book. From Mickey, Donald, and Goofy sketches to Hans Christian Andersen roughs to wartime propaganda films to early versions of Fantasia, this book allows a delightful inside glimpse into the world of Disney.
Disney has mined its film archives for a series of lavish but nonessential celebrations of past cinematic efforts and current releases. This title differs from those. Well researched by animation scholar Solomon, it documents dozens of film projects that were abandoned in various stages of completion. They range from shorts featuring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, to wartime propaganda films, to follow-ups to Fantasia that were jettisoned after that feature's initial critical and box-office failure. Particularly intriguing are such ambitious undertakings as a biographical film about Hans Christian Andersen featuring both live action and animation and an unlikely collaboration with Salvador Dali. Nearly every project discussed is accompanied by concept art, animation drawings, and other illustrations. The text is padded somewhat with familiar background on Disney, with anecdotes of life at the studio--from the freewheeling early days to its recent artistic and commercial resurgence--and with descriptions of the animation process, but Solomon's informed research makes even these vivid. This is both a substantive contribution to animation scholarship and an entertaining look at what might have been.