Category: Mary-blair

Mary Blair's Unique Flair

3/2/2021

Even as a child, Mary Blair loved color, and all she wanted to do was to make art. But becoming an artist wasn't easy. Her parents worked hard to provide her paper and paints, and Mary worked hard to enter contests and earn a spot at a school for the arts. She even had to work hard to find her place at the Walt Disney Studios. But Walt was easily impressed by Mary. When she joined his trip to South America, Mary had never seen such color. She collected that color and used it in her concept art for Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, and even the It's a Small World attraction at Disneyland. This beautifully illustrated picture book shares Mary's story, in all its inspiring flair.

Includes an artist's note, a note from Mary's niece Maggie Richardson, and a list of books by and about Mary.

Explore more behind-the-scenes stories:

Pencils, Pens & Brushes: A Great Girls' Guide to Disney Animation
Walt Disney: Drawn from Imagination biography

Disney Legend: Mary Blair

2/5/2021

Mary Blair was an American artist, animator, and designer. She was prominent in producing art and animation for The Walt Disney Company, drawing concept art for such films as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Song of the South and Cinderella. Blair also created character designs for enduring attractions such as Disneyland's It's a Small World, the fiesta scene in El Rio del Tiempo in the Mexico pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase, and an enormous mosaic inside Disney's Contemporary Resort. Several of her illustrated children's books from the 1950s remain in print, such as I Can Fly by Ruth Krauss. Blair was inducted into the group of Disney Legends in 1991.

In 1967, Blair created mural art for the Tomorrowland Promenade.

In 1968, Blair was credited as color designer on the film version of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.

1971: Her design of a 90-foot-high (27 m) mural remains a focal point of the Disney's Contemporary Resort hotel at Walt Disney World, which was completed for the resort's opening in 1971.

Mary Blair's Unique Flair

Disney Legend: Mary Blair

My Story

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