Whos Who?

Mary Blair (1911-78, USA)

Concept Artist Profile
Robin Saker CAA Y1
Blogger: www.sakerandco.blogspot.co.uk

Mary Blair (1911-78, USA)

An imaginative colourist and designer, Blair helped
introduce a modernist style to Walt Disney [1901-66,
USA] and his studio, and for nearly 30 years, he
touted her inspirational work for his films and theme
parks alike. Animator Marc Davis [1913-2000, USA],
who put Blairs exciting use of colour on a par with
Henri Matisse [1869-1954, France], recalled, She
brought modern art to Walt in a way that no one else
did. He was so excited about her work.
Walt played a significant role in Blairs creative
growth. His overall vision of the world and values
(optimism, humour, love of tradition, families, and an
avid interest in technology) were interpreted and
complimented by her creative contributions. He
continually championed her in his male-dominated
studio giving her free rein to explore concepts,
colours, characters, and designs that were definitely
out of the Disney Studios mainstream animation
style.

Blairs striking use of colour and stylized graphics

greatly influenced many Disney post-war productions,
including Alice in Wonderland [1951], Song of the
South [1946], Make Mine Music [1946], Melody Time
[1948], So Dear to My Heart [1949], The Adventures
of Ichabod and Mr. Toad [1949], Cinderella [1950],
and Peter Pan [1953].
35 years after her death, interest in Blair and her
enchanting artworks continues to grow. Her early fine
art watercolours and classic Disney film production
concept paintings are popular with collectors.
Contemporary artists still find inspiration in her
independent spirit, and her ability to survive in
traditionally male-dominated fields, her technical
virtuosity, bottomless creative ingenuity, and
powerful visual storytelling.
Magic, Colour, Flair: The World of Mary Blair [2014]
Walt Disney Family Museum, San Francisco

Background: Walt Disney Animation Studios

Originally founded as Disney Bros. Cartoon Studio in
1923, the studio was exclusively dedicated to
producing short films until it expanded into feature
production in 1934.
For much of its existence, the studio was recognized
as the premiere American animation studio; it
developed many of the techniques, concepts, and
principles that became standard practices of
traditional animation. The studio also pioneered the
art of storyboarding, which is now a standard
technique used in both animated and live-action
filmmaking.
The studio's catalogue of animated features is among
Disney's most notable assets, with the stars of its
animated shorts Mickey Mouse [1928], Donald Duck
[1924], Goofy [1932], and Pluto [1930] becoming
recognizable figures in popular culture.
Alice in Wonderland [1951]
Dir.: Geronimi-Jackson-Luske

Concept Art: Cinderella (1950)

Dir. Geronimi-Jackson-Luske

Concept Art: Cinderella (1950)

Dir. Geronimi-Jackson-Luske

Concept Art: Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Dir. Geronimi-Jackson-Luske

Concept Art: Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Dir. Geronimi-Jackson-Luske

In Context: 1950s Western Animation

Cartoon Modern: Style & Design in
Fifties Animation (2006) Amid Amidi
Bridging the years between the golden age of
1940s theatrical animation and the pop cartoon
television shows of the 1960s, the 1950s were
one of the most pivotal decades in animation
history. Often overlooked, this period heralded
the advent in animation as in so many other
disciplines of an entirely new visual
vocabulary.
Drawing upon modern design and the
contemporary styles of the time, animation
artists challenged and transformed the
traditional lifelike cartoon forms that had
defined animation up to that time. Adopting a
sophisticated and stylized graphic language,
the animators of the 1950s would overhaul
every aspect of the animated cartoon.

In Context: UPA Animation Studio

United Productions of America (UPA) was an American
animation studio active from the 1940s until the
1970s. Beginning with industrial and WWII training
films, UPA eventually produced theatrical shorts for
Columbia Pictures, notably the Mr. Magoo [1949]
series.
UPA Pictures' legacy in the history of animation has
largely been overshadowed by the commercial
success and availability of the cartoon libraries of
Warner Bros. and Disney. Nonetheless, UPA had a
significant impact on animation style, content, and
technique, and its innovations were recognized and
adopted by the other major animation studios and
independent filmmakers all over the world. UPA
pioneered the technique of limited animation.
Although this style of animation came to be widely
used in the 1960s-70s as a cost-cutting measure, it
was originally intended as a stylistic alternative to the
growing trend (particularly at Disney) of recreating
cinematic realism in animated films.

Its a Small World (1964-66)

New York Worlds Fair (196465)

Disneyland, Anaheim, California (1966)

Its a Small World (1964-66)

Sing along to the classic anthem of world
peace during a musical boat tour hosted by
the children of the world. Climb aboard a
cosy boat and set sail along the Seven
Seaways canal for an approx. 15-min.
journey.
Amid a vibrant, multi-coloured backdrop
exquisitely crafted out of papier-mch,
glitter and fabric, behold a cast of almost
300 traditionally dressed dimple darlings
from nearly every corner of the globe sing a
simple song in their native language about
universal harmony and dance. Travel to all 7
continents and, by journeys end, see for
yourself that it truly is a small world after
all.

From the snow-capped Swiss Alps to the

golden Serengeti, the children of the world
are ready to make your acquaintance.
During your tour, experience a rainbow of
diverse cultures from such far-off locales
as the Polar Regions, the British Isles,
Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the
Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America,
the South Pacific and the United States.
Before returning home, the children
reunite for a grand finale, reminding us of
our common bonds of friendship, laughter
and happiness and by seeing the world
through the eyes of a child, we are all
basically the same.

Its a Small World (1964-66)

Walt Disney selected Mary Blair as an art
director and Alice Davis as the costumer to
bring Its a Small World to life.
With her distinctive use of colour, geometric
shapes and a simple, child-like art style, Mary
Blair was known for her visual aesthetic felt in
every aspect, in every nation, of Its a Small
World. As you glide through the many scenes,
coloured paper in bold hues vividly create
collages of some of the worlds most beloved
countries, giving you the impression of sailing
through a classic childrens book.

Dont miss the attraction's kinetic faade,

complete with spinning flowers, whirligigs and
icons of famous world landmarks. The highlight
is the animated 30-ft.-tall clock tower. Watch as
every 15 mins. the clock tower opens up to
display a multinational parade of 24 animated
figures. Once the procession ends, 2 toy jesters
appear and herald the current time.
It's a Small World was created for the 1964-65
New York World's Fair in honour of UNICEF.
Personally overseen by Disney, the attraction
was a huge hit for 2 seasons at the fair and was
eventually shipped back to Disneyland, where
it reopened in 1966.
disneyland.disney.go.com
Disneyland; Anaheim [Los Angeles], California

Concept Art: Its a Small World (1964-66)

Concept Art: Its a Small World (1964-66)

Background: Walt Disney Architecture

Building a Dream: The Art of Disney
Architecture (1996) Beth Dunlop
From fairy-tale castles to extraordinary buildings
designed by the worlds most distinguished architects,
The Walt Disney Company has set new standards for the
imaginative use of popular imagery in architecture. The
companys enormously influential architectural
philosophy, first expressed more then 50 years ago at
Disneyland, draws on characters and settings from the
worlds most compelling legends and stories, especially
Disneys own remarkable animated films. The result, says
author Dunlop, is architecture with a plot, a new
approach to designing buildings.
In the early 1950s, Walt Disney turned from the two
dimensions of film to the three dimensions of architecture
as a medium to express his vision. Working with
animators and architects, he created such familiar icons
for the Disney theme parks as the castles, Main Street,
and the lands that comprise the Magic Kingdoms.

Disneys Contemporary Resort (1971)

Retreat to this ultra-modern Disney Resort
hotel and discover award-winning dining,
white-sand beaches, spectacular views and
dazzling pools. Whether youre staying in the
iconic A-frame Contemporary tower or the
nearby Garden Wing, you can walk to Magic
Kingdom Main gate or catch the Resort
Monorail as it breezes through the tower.
Inside, a 90-foot-tall mural by Disney Legend
Mary Blair responsible for the distinct look
and feel of the Its a Small World attraction
celebrates the Grand Canyon and the
American Southwest.
disneyworld.disney.go.com
Walt Disney World; Lake Buena Vista
[Orlando], Florida

Disneys Contemporary Resort (1971)

My Thoughts on Mary Blair

Agreeable child-like, harmonious, colourful and progressive outlook from her
concept art both for film and architecture. Really enjoying observing print
screen-like texture, exploring reductive shapes in context of post-war
1950s-60s graphic design, but artists is still able to capture needed colours
for particular situations e.g. Cinderellas carriage at nighttime.
Probably influenced more by graphic and reductive-style concept art from
artists such as Blair, rather than traditional concept art trends of Turnerstyle paint-washing and realism e.g. primary use of polygon lasso tool in
PS when developing three final paintings of Despina for Calvinos Invisible
Cities project.
Quite interested in colliding two quite opposite concepts clashing blocky
shapes and relatively bright colours with sense of foggy and rusty seaportfactory environment.

Bibliography
Books:
Amidi, A. (2006) Cartoon Modern: Style & Design in Fifties Animation. San
Francisco: Chronicle
Dunlop, B. (1996) Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture. New
York: Abrams
Websites:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/its-a-small-world/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/contemporary-resort/
http://www.waltdisney.org/mary-blair
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPA_(animation_studio)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Animation_Studios