On November 1st, Xlibris will release Walt’s People – Talking Disney with the Artists who Knew Him – Volume 1, the first in a series of books that aims to re-animate the field of Disney research. The Walt’s People book series, edited by Didier Ghez, is a collection of the best interviews ever conducted with Disney artists. Contributors to the series include noted Disney historians Robin Allan, Paul F. Anderson, Michael Barrier, J.B. Kaufman, Jim Korkis, Mike Lyons, John Province, Thorkil Rasmussen, Arn Saba and Klaus Strzyz. These key Disney experts, by accepting to contribute to the project, are giving readers access to the source materials they used for their works. Many of these materials are being published for the first time in their entirety, and the series is also uncovering new or quasi-unknown material virtually every day: a forgotten interview with Woolie Reitherman, lost tapes of talks with Paul Murry, rare conversations with Al Hubbard, Floyd Gottfredson and many others that will be released in the upcoming volumes of the series. For more details on how to buy Volume 1 and its contents, read on here:

THE WALT’S PEOPLE BOOK SERIES:

“Each book will have as broad a focus as possible, discussing Disney animation, Disney theme parks and Disney comic-book history with interviews of the best artists in each of those fields, be they from the early ’20s or from the early 21st century. The Walt’s People interviews, however, all have some things in common: they have never or have rarely been seen before, and they try to explore their subject matter as thoroughly as can be achieved. We aim to present mostly never-seen-before material, but will also include very old interviews that appeared in long-forgotten venues and in-depth pieces that have only been released on the web, so that they achieve a more permanent form.

And now, just a glimpse at what’s ahead…

Walt’s People – Volume 1 features in-depth interviews with artists Rudy Ising, Dave Hand, Bill Tytla, Ken Anderson, Jack Hannah, John Hench, Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Harper Goff and Joyce Carlson. They discuss, among many other subjects, the Disney Studio before Mickey Mouse, the challenges in making Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the making of Destino with Dali, the process that led to the production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the frustrations and joys of Marc Davis and Milt Kahl, and the creation of the theme-park attraction It’s a Small World. This volume contains hundreds of new stories about the Studio and its artists and should delight even the most serious historians and enthusiasts.

Walt’s People is a notable new source of historical treasures and should give new energy to the world of Disney research!

How to buy Walt’s People – Volume 1: Starting on November 1st, 2004, the book will be available for sale on Xlibris.com, Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com and more than 200 other online stores. We encourage you to pick it up at Xlibris.com as the shared of the retail price paid to the authors will be higher, which should allow them to release a second volume in the series sooner”.

For more information about the Walt’s People book series, send an email to: dghez@hotmail.com.

Source – Walt’s People press release. Animated News is in no way connected to the release of Walt’s People, but has read the manuscript for the first volume and can certainly recommend it as an extensively informative and worthy addition to the Disney fan’s library.