Art and Flair of Mary Blair, The Updated Edition: An Appreciation

For more than a dozen years, a soft spoken, unassuming woman dominated design at The Walt Disney Studios with a joyful creativity and exuberant color palette that stamped the look of many classic Disney animated features, including Cinderella and PeterPan.

Favorite theme park attractions, most notably the It's A Small World boat ride, originally created for the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, were also among her designs. Now the story behind one of Walt's favorite artists is celebrated in this delightful volume of whimsical art and insightful commentary. In her prime, Mary Blair was an amazingly prolific American artist who enlivened and influenced the not-so-small worlds of film, print, theme parks, architectural decor, and advertising. Her art represented and communicated pure pleasure to the viewer.

Mary Blair's personal flair was at one with the imagery that flowed effortlessly and continually from her brush for more than half a century. Walt Disney loved her art and championed it at the Studio. The two shared many sensibilities, including a childlike fondness for playfulness in imagery.

Contributor Bio:

JOHN CANEMAKER is an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning animation filmmaker, and a tenured professor and director of the film animation program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has written numerous books on animation. Canemaker has contributed more than one hundred related essays, reviews, and articles to periodicals, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in New York City and Bridgehampton.

EVENT:

John Canemaker: The Art and Flair of Mary Blair

Sep 18, 2025 4:00 PM

Film/Video Theater