I'm sure anyone reading this blog has already read the excellent historical
essay written by animation scholar Michael Barrier delving into the mysterious "Roll-a-Book" upon which Walt Disney's
Dumbo (1941) was based. For years, the exact nature of this book and many details of its credited authors Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl were unknown but through extraordinary research and reporting, Mike Barrier has given as complete a look into this elusive "book" as one could hope for. As a supplement, here's a 2002 article (with photographs) published in the Syracuse, New York newspaper
The Post-Standard, for Dumbo's roots are in Syracuse (which is my neck of the woods, as I grew up in upstate New York). Remember to click on any of the images for a larger view of this fascinating glimpse back into Disney history.
I'm sure anyone reading this blog has already read the excellent historical essay written by animation scholar Michael Barrier delving into the mysterious "Roll-a-Book" upon which Walt Disney's Dumbo (1941) was based. For years, the exact nature of this book and many details of its credited authors Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl were unknown but through extraordinary research and reporting, Mike Barrier has given as complete a look into this elusive "book" as one could hope for. As a supplement, here's a 2002 article (with photographs) published in the Syracuse, New York newspaper The Post-Standard, for Dumbo's roots are in Syracuse (which is my neck of the woods, as I grew up in upstate New York). Remember to click on any of the images for a larger view of this fascinating glimpse back into Disney history.
