''Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life'' (later republished as ''The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation'') is a book by
Frank Thomas and
Ollie Johnston
Oliver Martin Johnston Jr. (October 31, 1912 – April 14, 2008) was an American motion picture animator. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, and the last surviving at the time of his death from natural causes. He was recognized by The Wal ...
, two of the
key animators at
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
during the
Golden age of American animation.
Contents
This book gives a history of Disney animation, explaining the processes involved in clear, non-technical terms. The philosophy is expressed in the so-called
12 basic principles of animation
Disney's twelve basic principles of animation were introduced by the Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas (animator), Frank Thomas in their 1981 book ''The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation''. The principles are based on the work of ...
. It contains 489 plates in full color, as well as thousands of black-and-white illustrations, ranging from storyboard sketches to entire animation sequences.
Editions
The 1981 edition published by
Abbeville Press
Abbeville Publishing Group is an independent book publishing company specializing in fine art and illustrated books. Based in New York City, Abbeville publishes approximately 40 titles each year and has a catalogue of over 700 titles on art, ar ...
() used better quality paper and consequently possessed higher image quality than either the 1988 edition or the revised edition from 1995 () (published by Disney's
Hyperion with the inverted title ''The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation''.)
Legacy
Topping the list of "best animation books of all time" in a poll at
AWN, ''The Illusion of Life'' is still used as reference on and source of inspiration for
character animation
Character animation is a specialized area of the animation process, which involves bringing animated s to life. The role of a character animator is analogous to that of a film or stage actor and character animators are often said to be "actors wit ...
.
In 2013, the book's third chapter (which explains the
twelve basic principles of animation
Disney's twelve basic principles of animation were introduced by the Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in their 1981 book '' The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation''. The principles are based on the work of Disney animators fro ...
) was republished in its entirety with the permission of the authors' heirs in the ''Disney Animated''
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...
app from
Touch Press
Touchpress was an acclaimed app developer and publisher based in Central London. The company specialised in creating in-depth premium apps on educational subjects including the Periodic Table, Beethoven, the Solar System, T.S. Eliot, Shakespea ...
. All the illustrations were fully animated in the app version, and many parts of the chapter were annotated with explanatory comments from Disney's current animators.
Access the Disney Animation Vault with New Interactive iPad App, Cartoon Brew
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References
External links
Official website
{{Walt Disney Animation Studios
Animation books
Books about Disney
Disney books
History of animation
1981 non-fiction books
Illustrated books