‘The Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind The Glass At The Florida Studio’ Is A Journey of The Small Studio’s Rise and Fall
Author Mary E. Lescher witnessed the rise and fall of Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida during a transformative era. Lescher traces the Florida Animation Studio’s parallel existence as part of The Magic of Disney Animation attraction.
I was lucky to receive an advanced reader’s copy of The Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio.
Mary E. Lescher an animator who worked at Walt Disney Feature Animation and DisneyToon Studios from 1989 to 2006 chronicles the history of Disney’s satellite animation studio in Florida which also doubled in its early years as a living, breathing theme park attraction. Lescher chronicles the rise and fall of the studio against the backdrop of the theme park attraction and the transformative era of the Disney Renaissance.
It’s a smooth read and the book definitely has some re-readability from a historical and research point of view. I wouldn’t be shocked if I referenced this book while discussing Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida in future Boardwalk Times articles. It’s that sharp and filled with knowledge. Also, If you have nostalgia for Disney MGM Studios this will be a perfect read.
Most books that discuss the Disney Renaissance usually either briefly mention the Florida studio or gloss over it entirely. This book gives a taste of the Disney Renaissance from a different angle. From the point of view of the “little studio that could” not from the big wigs in Burbank or California animators at the time.
The book dives into Jeffrey Katzenberg’s exodus, how it sparked a bidding war for talent, and the Florida studio’s three films (Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear). From the success of Mulan, the uniqueness and triumph of Lilo & Stitch, to the struggles of Brother Bear. This book goes into it all. The book even dives into the fourth never-made Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida film My Peoples, which would’ve been a 2D and 3D hybrid film.
Toward the end of the Florida studio’s run. Disney execs thought about the possibility of converting the animation studio into a full digital/3D studio. It poses an interesting what-if for Disney’s own animated history.
One of my only criticisms of this book is that I wish it expanded further in some areas but all in all, it’s still a great read. I think there were just a few parts that I would’ve liked more details on. That can also be because I love behind-the-scenes type books like this.
As time goes on the studio grows bigger it becomes more separated from the theme park attraction counterpart. Eventually, the studio is barely a part of the actual attraction. (The actual attraction would outlive the Florida studio, not shutting down until 2015 to make room for Star Wars: Launch Bay). The book also chronicles the parallel history of The Magic of Disney Animation as well.
It’s your classic Disney Renaissance/Eisner-era story but from the unique point of view of an animator at the Florida studio. The book shines a light on the Florida studio’s legacy within the wider Disney history and its impact during the Disney Renaissance can’t be undersold. The book also has a compelling underlying theme of how the computer has disrupted the human experience, in this case how we went from hand-drawn 2D animation to 3D computer-generated animation. From the Florida studio’s early beginnings to its shutdown in 2004. Lescher recounts it all.
Lescher wanted to write the book so the story of Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida and its animators wouldn’t get lost in animation history.
I can confirm she did just that.
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Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
