Disney's Grand Tour

Book excerpt: In 1935, as the artists and animators at the Disney Studio toiled on the animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt and Roy Disney traveled with their wives to New York and boarded the luxury liner Normandie to begin their "grand tour" of Europe.With the full cooperation of Walt's late daughter Diane Disney Miller, Didier Ghez spent years researching this seminal but little-known event that became so vital to the continued growth of the Disney company right through the creation of Disneyland two decades later. His book, Disney's Grand Tour, is the culmination of that research.In addition to the many "small and delightful surprises" that noted animation historian (and author of The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney) Michael Barrier mentions in his preface to the book, Disney's Grand Tour features over 200 notes for those inclined to dig deeper into the story. It also contains a list of the hundreds of books that Walt personally selected in Europe for transfer back to the Disney Studio library. These books inspired Disney artists and animators for decades.So pack your bags. The Normandie whistle blows. Embark with Walt Disney and join him on a grand tour of Europe!