Books &Mary Blair 26 Jun 2007 08:22 am
Retta Scott & Cinderella II
– Here are the remainder of the selections from Retta Scott’s illustrated version of Disney’s Cinderella.
I’m actually curious to know how Western Publishing proceeded with the illustrated Disney books. Apparently a large number of Disney artists contributed to the books – at least in the 40′s & 50′s. Bill Justice, Dick Kelsey, Mary Blair, et al. Then, of course, there are the Golden Books that didn’t have a Disney connection by Disney artists. The Poky Little Puppy by Gustaf Tenggren is, of course, the most famous of these.
(Retta Scott working on Pastoral seq. from Fantasia.
From The Art of Walt Disney by Finch.)
I believe these original illustrations are still on exhibition at the Disneyland Gallery along with others gems from the Little Golden Book series illustrated by Disney artists.
There’s also a new Cinderella book available which uses preproduction art by Mary Blair. This one is NOT a Little Golden Book but comes from Disney Publishing.
Here’s the link to yesterday’s Part I posting, and
some of the remaining illustrations in this book follow:
8 
9
(Click on any image to enlarge.)
on 26 Jun 2007 at 11:09 am 1.Bill Robinson said …
So in comparing this new batch of illustrations to my Italian version, I noticed that the Italian version stole a few images from the Retta Scott version. (The stepsisters trying on the shoe, the stepmother on the stairs, and the final image of the horse and carriage.) Though in my version there is no fancy border on that last image and there are little orange flowers on the tree in the center. How odd that they would actually paint a new detail like that. Nevermind that Retta Scott’s version of Cinderella looks completely different than the more traditional one featured in the rest of the book…
on 26 Jun 2007 at 9:40 pm 2.Alan Cook said …
Hi there,
Thanks much for posting the Retta Scott work – pretty fabulous and I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.
Also, thanks much for linking me – I’m not sure if I’ve already thanked you but either way, thanks much.
Keep on posting!
on 29 Jun 2007 at 1:40 pm 3.David Nethery said …
That photograph of Retta Scott from the Christopher Finch book always intrigued me when I was a young wannabe animator. I used to wonder why there weren’t more female animators at Disney and whatever happened to Retta Scott?
Somewhere in my “archives” (aka piles of boxes) I have a letter from Dave Smith of the Disney Archives dated c. 1981. I had written to the Disney Studios seeking information about Retta Scott . Dave Smith wrote back and gave me a rundown of her career at Disney and mentioned that Ollie Johnston kept in touch with Retta and Ollie had told Dave that Retta had recently animated on a feature film being made in San Francisco called “The Plague Dogs”. I think this may have been the last animated project she worked on, at least the last one with a screen credit . Her bio. on the Disney Legends site also mentions that she was animating television commercials for The Luckey-Zamora Picture Moving Company in San Francisco Bay area around that same time , so she may have continued working in animation after “The Plague Dogs” wrapped up. The Luckey-Zamora Picture Moving Company was founded by Bud Luckey and eventually merged with what became Colossal Pictures in S.F. and Mr. Luckey moved on to a little upstart animation studio called Pixar. By the way, “The Plague Dogs” is also the first screen credit as an animator for Brad Bird . (he had previously worked as an animator on “The Fox & The Hound” but did not receive screen credit for it )
on 29 Jun 2007 at 1:56 pm 4.David Nethery said …
Oops. I was mistaken in my last comment. Brad Bird’s first screen credit was on “Animalympics” in 1980. “The Plague Dogs” wasn’t released until 1982.
on 30 Jun 2007 at 6:58 pm 5.theresa said …
Hiya Michael, thanks for mentioning that new Cinderella book with Mary Blair illustrations. Putting that on my wish list straight away. And you are right, there is a Little Golden Book exhibit at Disneyland right now. I’ve been to look at it twice already.
on 15 Nov 2007 at 8:05 am 6.sandra said …
Hi! Thanks for sharing with us this wonderfull pictures of one of my favourite stories.
I’ll come back for more!
A big Hug from portugal!
on 27 Apr 2008 at 8:21 pm 7.emily said …
My fav was #8
on 09 Jul 2008 at 11:00 pm 8.michael said …
Thanks for this. I had the big Golden Book as a child and these illustrations were my introduction to Cinderella. I was totally dissappointed when, at 10 or 11, I discovered Disney’s “proper” Cinderella had brown hair. This wicked stepmother still scares the crap out of me.
on 22 Aug 2008 at 10:31 pm 9.Ann said …
Wow! After reading Disney’s version of Cinderella to my 3 year old daugther at bedtime tonight, I began to remember the Cinderella I knew as a child. I started seaching ebay and some other places and found out that the book was The Big Golden Book Cinderella that you are all discussing here. I loved the pictures in this book soo much and I can’t believe how much of it I clearly remembered after all of these years! This Cinderella was the most beautiful version of her I have ever come across…..exactly how a 3 year old would expect a Princess to look.
on 03 Oct 2010 at 10:51 pm 10.Ingrid said …
Hi! I still have this book, “The Big Golden Book Cinderella”. My mother gave it to me when I was a child, it was hers first; we have kept it as a treasure for all these years. It is an amazing book with great illustrations, I love it!
on 02 Jan 2011 at 5:20 am 11.Gayle Ramey said …
Thanks so much for publishing these pictures. I also have one of the original Big Golden Books. Retta was my aunt and I have several of her books.
on 03 Oct 2012 at 4:14 am 12.Dann Scott Marceau said …
We cherish our signed Cinderella book. Retta was my great-aunt so the last post must of been from my grandmothers (Mary) sister (Bessies) daughter Gayle,who is my mother Elaines cousin.
The internet has made the world smaller.
Dann Scott Marceau
on 23 Jun 2013 at 5:55 pm 13.Cathi said …
I love this book; this is the Cinderella of my childhood. I wish the Disney film version looked like this book!!!!
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