Think of your favorite moments and characters in Disney films from the 1930's through the 1970's - moments of frenetic comic craziness or tender romantic poignancy, enacted by compelling heroes and heroines, playful animals, and dastardly villians - and chances are most were animated by on of the "Nine Old Men."
When Walt Disney gave his core group of animators this appellation, he wasn't referring to their advanced years - their median age was actually forty. He was instead making a joking reference to Franklin Roosevelt's description of his Supreme Court as "nine old men, all too aged to recognize a new idea." Nothing could have been further from the truth, in this case, as the nine unique personalities portrayed in John Canemaker's comprehensive history explored, expanded, and influenced character animation and moviemaking over the course of fifty years, consistently raising the bar by which the art form continues to be judged.
Through the span of their careers, these nine highly skilled men, with widely differing artistic gifts, viewpoints, personalities, and degrees of ambition and competitiveness, exhibited a loyalty to one another and their employer unparalleled in most professions. 'Walt Disney's Nine Old Men' explores their individual relationships with Walt and with each other, their artistic breakthroughs and failures, the rivalries, and studio politics. This candid narrative of their lives and contributions to a very special form of cinema illustrates why the work of the Nine Old Men will continue to be a significant, essential source for study and inspiration to animation and art lover for years to come.
"John Canemaker is, surely, the single-most prominent writer of animation books in the world . . . Several books already in his oeuvre would be capstones to any career, but this one, WALT DISNEY'S NINE OLD MEN, might stand as his greatest."
http://www.animation-books.com/books.htm
John Canemaker's WALT DISNEY'S NINE OLD MEN is an engaging and inspiring read from start to finish, and it is one of the few animation books that deserves a spot on the bookshelf of all animation artists, historians and cartoon aficionados."
http://www.animationblast.com/view/canemaker
"John Canemaker at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art 2 Feb 02."
http://laughingplace.com/news-pid505380-505380.asp
"An Interview with John Canemaker and a Look at WALT DISNEY'S NINE OLD MEN & THE ART OF ANIMATION" by Rhett Wickham. 7 May 02.
http://laughingplace.com/news-pid210010-210010.asp
Available in stores and online.
Distributed by Disney Editions www.disneyeditions.com
Also look for it at www.amazon.com.
www.johncanemaker.com © John Canemaker 2001, 2003. All Rights Reserved.