I just don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad?
– Ariel (The Little Mermaid) –
Introduction
If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that I am totally in love with the magnificent Walt Disney Sketchbook Series – a special series of books dedicated to the art of Disney’s pencil sketches.
Like the title reveals, there are a few of them: The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Snow White and Toy Story. As you also might know, I do have a looot of Disney books – dealing with different aspects (animation, parks, imagineering, artists, concept art, design, storybooks….). And as you might already know by now: I love (nearly) all of them! Still, The Sketchbook Series earns a special place in my library.
So, what exactly makes these books so special? Well, it is a limited edition, so they are extremely rare and expensive. There are only 2500 copies of each book out there – the books even come with a numbered certificate of authenticity (btw: mine is number 2435). They are also protected by a beautiful and solid slipcase. The color of the cover of the book that is inside varies according to the Sketchbook: The Little Mermaid comes in a dashing blue for example.
Speaking of blue…
… how about a trip under the sea?
Character sketches
The main part of this book is simply filled with black and white sketches (or let’s say some shades of grey) on white paper. But not just any kind of white paper! The sketches are printed on high-quality paper, that feels rather like drawing paper than normal paper which we’d find in other art books.
The stunning sketches seem to be placed randomly, as sometimes you’ll find handful of them on one page, other times a whole page is filled with only one single drawing.
Have a look at Ariel who was animated by Disney’s animation legend Glen Keane (he also created Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Beast or Tarzan for example!)
Although an independent woman, Ariel is in love with Prince Eric and willing to do everything to get him… and after having a look at these stunning drawings we totally get why, right?!
But what would a great Disney story be without a sinister villain?! Ursula does quite a good job I must say. I even have the impression that she is even more creepy in black and white.
The sketches are rather rough (the term “rough animation” fits quite well), which means that we get to see them in their original form, like the artists first drew them, before the clean-up animation department got to work. Hence, you really recognize every single pencil line, every rubber stain or even “dirty” fingerprints. I absolutely love this kind of sketches – they almost leave you with the impression, that the book you’re looking at is a a real sketchbook a Disney artist just left at his table.
What I also like about this book is that we get to “meet” not only the main characters like Ariel, Prince Eric or Ursula, but also all the adorable side kicks of the film: King Triton, Flounder, Sebastian, Scuttle and even Grimsby, as well as some of their fish friends.
Backgrounds
Besides those stunning sketches, this book also contains some beautiful background artwork that hasn’t been published in most other books. These colorful backgrounds are printed on some sort of postcards that were later on glued into the book.
They are beautifully placed on blue colored cardboard pages that we find throughout the whole book. To ensure that these little masterpieces stay clean and vibrant, they are seperated from the white pages by porchement paper.
…. another detail that contibutes to the unique nature of this book.
Personally, I am very fond of backgrounds and layouts (sadly, both too often undervalued). What is also quite special about The Sketchbook Series is the fact that these books even contain some amazing black and white background art – something that is nearly impossible to find in other Disney art books. Aren’t they beautiful??
Résumé
There are many reasons why I call this book one of the biggest treasures of my library. First, its design and layout is pure perfection, everything about this “creation” is just flawless: the elegant, yet robust slipcase, the cover, the certificate of authenticity, these beautiful color pages… Second, the paper quality (which is very important to me) couldn’t be any better what accentuates those striking sketches even more. Thus, it really feels like flipping through a true sketchbook that belongs to a Disney artist! Third – since it is in human’s nature to collect – I can tell you that seeing these sketchbooks in their beautiful slipcases standing in your bookshelf, the radiating colors of their spines next to each other, is such a delight.
The Little Mermaid is without doubt one of my favorites of the whole Sketchbook Series. It is one of my favorite Disney movies and Ariel is one of my most beloved animated characters of all time. Another reason why this book means so much to me is the fact that there is actually no such thing as a proper “The Art of The Little Mermaid” book. Which is by the way strange (Hello, Disney Editions?!). It is likely that they Disney is going to publish a book on Ariel at some point in the future – but until then, I’m afraid that all we have is this amazing sketchbook, which makes it an absolute must-have.
Where to get it?
Title: The Little Mermaid – The Sketchbook Series
Publisher: Applewood Books
Year: 1997
Like I said, this book is a limited edition and therefore very rare and unfortunately very (very) expensive. The fact that it was published already 20 years ago doesn’t make it any better. Sure, you can always find one online on Amazon, Ebay (ebay.com normally is your best chance) or other similar sites, but to get it at a reasonable price… well, that is another story.
Since it is so rare, you shouldn’t be shocked that prices are excessively high – we are talking about at least 500 € (the same in $). It took me a few years to get a really good bargain. I “only” paid 150 € for mine (the same in $). This still might seem crazy to some people, but the unique quality and the fact that there are only 2500 copies in the whole world make this book so special that I don’t regret a single penny. If you can find a copy for under 200 € I wouldn’t wait a second! But that actually might take some time, so in this case the key to happiness is simply called patience! Good luck 🙂
I hope you enjoyed reading this review – let me know, what you think about it!