The Disney Princess: A Celebration of Art and Creativity by Charles Solomon Review

 Good Morning Bookish World :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

Today's review is actually going to be a little different than the usual here on my blog. I usually review fiction, mostly Christian fiction, and only review a non fiction title here and there. When I do review non fiction, it's usually always Christian living or devotionals, so this will be a pretty big difference for my blog.

Today I'm actually going to share my review of a book I recently finished that focused around the history of the animation of the Disney princesses. 

Keep reading below for my full review.

The Disney Princess: A Celebration of Art and Creativity by Charles Solomon:

Source: Library

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Publication Date: November 17th, 2020

Genre: Non Fiction/Adult Non Fiction

Synopsis:

The Disney Princess is a one-of-a-kind celebration of the timeless Disney characters who have enchanted audiences for generations.

This landmark book serves as the definitive visual history of the Disney princess from 1937 to today.

Fans and collectors have the chance to get an inside look at how each of the princesses came to be, with behind-the-scenes stories and stunning art from the legendary Disney archive.

From Snow White to Moana, The Disney Princess explores how the personality, style, and spirit of each princess developed and evolved. It features insights from directors and artists, and even photos of the live-action actors and models who inspired the animators.

• Eye-catching hardcover with pink cloth, ribbon marker, and silver glitter page edges
• Features over 200 colorful illustrations, photos, and graphics
• Filled with never-before-seen concept art from the archive

The Disney Princess spectacularly captures the enduring magic and legacy of the iconic Disney princess.

• Features chapters on Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Moana
• Perfect gift for Disney fans and must-have for collectors of all things Disney, especially nostalgic memorabilia
• Perfect for those who loved The Art of the Disney Princess by Disney Book Group, Disney Princess: A Magical Pop-Up World by Matthew Reinhardt, The Art and Flair of Mary Blair by John Canemaker, and the Disney Animated Classics series.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I'd heard rave reviews about this one from a couple of other people in the book world who are big Disney fans, and I really wanted to pick it up for myself. I couldn't justify the steep price tag, but ended up grabbing it from the library. I do think it was definitely an interesting read, filled with tidbits of Disney history, and beautiful animations that really showcased the way things change in animation from the start of a story to the finish.

In particular, I really enjoyed reading the chapters about the characters that Walt Disney worked on directly the most, as his vision and creativity are truly unparallel to anyone else. Aside from that, I found it interesting reading about the challenges the animators faced when animation switched from classic drawings to computer generations, and that of all things, hair is one of the hardest things for them to animate nowadays. 

As a huge book nerd, I loved the included tidbits in some of the chapters as to what books a princess in that time period would have been enjoying. It was a fun fact, and definitely something to think about.

However, I didn't feel this book really provided that much history about the creation of any of these characters that I didn't already know, and that was a bit of a letdown for me. I also found that several of the chapters didn't seem to go into too much detail, and it more just skimmed the surface of the creative process.

I have to mention that I found it a bit strange that Frozen was completely left out of the title, even though it features technically two Disney princesses. I would have loved to have gotten a glimpse into the process of bringing Anna and Elsa to life on the screen, and I definitely missed them being included.

All in all, this is a beautiful book with gorgeous photos, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and I'm glad I borrowed it from the library rather than investing the money in buying it.

Maybe if I'd read this back a few years ago when I was still really into Disney I'd have finished feeling differently. 

Final Rating: 3/5.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.