Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1262492
63 S U M M E R Q 2 I S S U E B O O K R E V I E W t h r o u g h H o l t 's c l e a r a n d i n t i m a t e writing style. She weaves a multi-char- acter chronological narrative that can be confusing if one wants to focus on a specific person. Mary Blair's trajectory is the easiest to follow. She's the most widely known of the women profiled, and Holt adds depth to her public repu- tation. She joined the studio in 1940 and almost immediately stood out for her excellent original artwork, and not inci- dentally, her appearance. She dressed in au courant 1950's "New Look," of full skirts with cinched waist, matched with three-inch high heels. When added to her natural height of 6'1", she was an imposing figure on the lot. Blair, like several of Disney's most talented artists, attended art schools. She was part of the "California School" of watercolor, a des- ignation given to a group of fine artists most active from the 1920s through the 1950s. The California School was noted for bold designs and colors, which fit with Disney's vision and immediately caught his attention. Blair worked on "Song of the South" (1948), "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), and "Lady and the Tramp" (1955), among others. Her success at the studio and in a later design career belied a horrifying home life. She married Lee Blair, another artist associated with the California School, who also worked at Disney. Lee, watching his wife's role rise beyond his at the studio, became an in- creasingly violent alcoholic who abused his wife and son verbally and physically, at times bashing them with furniture. Mary Blair kept this venomous home life hidden from colleagues; at work she could belong to the fantasy world of Disney. The inclusion of Mary Blair's hidden struggle with abuse is only one example of how Holt addresses still widespread social problems. She notes the unease of the "Darkie" stereotype Uncle Remus in "Song of the South", and the rising racial tensions around the 1964 New York Worlds Fair where Disney premiered the "It's a Small World" ride. Holt presents these in an unbiased way. The famous 1941 strike by Disney employees demand- ing that the studio accept the Screen Cartoonists Guild (later The Animation Guild, IATSE 839) is covered with similar non-judgmental writing. Some women sided with Walt, empathetic with his con- trol shifting to Bank of America, brought about by the huge debts he took on to keep the studio viable. Others joined the picket line, where anti-women signs and shouts greeted those still driving through the studio gates. Whatever their sympathies for the strikers, most of the single women could not afford to be out of work; none was a member of a union that might provide support. The crisis ruptured former deep friendships, often for a lifetime. The strike was settled in September 1941 when union leaders negotiated doubled salaries for full-time employees. Unfortunately for many, the agreement specified that the majority of workers, half strikers, half non-strikers, must be laid off. Women like loyal Sylvia Holland, the woman who drew the orig- inal storyboards for the film that later became "The Little Mermaid" (1989), was one of Walt's supporters among hundreds of suddenly unemployed Hol- lywood animators. "Queens of Animation" follows its key figures beyond their employment at Disney, revealing the good times and the bad in their lives. Holt is honest about their successes and their failures and is poignant in her care for their legacy. Today, the Disney Princesses are globally recognized. In 2012, Forbes reported that the authorized Disney Princess franchise grossed $3 billion worldwide; however, t h e m a g i c a l t i l e m u ra l s M a r y B l a i r created for the entrance of Disneyland's "Tomorrowland" are no longer visible. One was chipped off in 1986, and the other, made in 1967 is probably still there, covered by plaster and images of outer space. Perhaps one day it will be restored and, as Holt does so beautifully in this book, reclaim rightful credit to the Queens who gave so much to the beloved culture of Disney. ■ Images of the Mary Blair Disneyland murals can be seen at https://www. yesterland.com/maryblair.html The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History By Nathalia Holt Little, Brown and Company, 2019 379 pages ISBN-10: 0316439150 P H O T O : P H O T O F E S T