Mary Blair (1) (1911–1978)

Combine Mary Blair's original concept drawings for Disney's Cinderella with Cynthia Rylant's retelling of basically the Disney Cinderella and you get something that is closer to the original tale but not quite. The gruesome liberation of toes and heels is alluded to which is a nice touch considering what Rylant's parameters probably were. Mostly enjoyed the art.
SIDE NOTE** Reading the Disney Cinderella story really highlights how Disney princesses have given my generation an unrealistic show more expectation of love and fashion. Or maybe I'm getting old and bitter. show less

Who'da thunk?  Disney?!  But look, it's Cynthia Rylant!  And yes, she wrote this adaptation beautifully.  And the pictures are indeed stunning, in a silver screen animation sort of way.  Now, the animators took Blair's concept art and made it prettier, cuter, simpler to draw over & over again, more cartoonish.  And the story line, the character development, well, ok, streamlined also.  But for ppl who count this among their favorite tales, this is definitely one to check out... don't show more skip it just because it's Disney.  And for writers of original fairytales and adaptations, this is one from which to learn how to write. show less

I really liked this because it was very similar to the version of Cinderella that I grew up with. I liked the language the most in this book because it read very eloquently and it was clear and descriptive. For example, "where Cinderella cooked and cleaned and sometimes cried and sometimes dreamed." I think having some of the passages rhyme make the story flow and make it a great story to tell aloud. I also really liked the illustrations in this book. The pictures were cartoon like but also show more realistic at the same time. The drawings are both simple and very detailed making an impression on the reader. They all had lots of color and lots of detail that matched to the story on each page. My favorite illustrations are of the carriage the Cinderella took to the ball and of the castle, all the detail and colors are beautiful. The big idea in this traditional fantasy story is that love conquers all. Even though Cinderella is in a terrible situation her hope and longing for love eventually finds and saves her. show less

This book goes through Mary Blair's life by her artistic eras. She worked as a concept artist at Disney and her art is iconic and recognizable. We get to see storyboards for several of the classic Disney animated films, such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Sleeping Beauty. If you like art, this is a beautiful one to pick up.