**Disclosure – I received these books for review purposes from the Disney Book Group. All opinions are my own.
Story time is always a favorite in this Neurotic Disney home. NDK (Neurotic Disney Kid) is old enough to read, but not too old to still be read to! Books are wonderful on so many levels. We keep them everywhere – even in the car! Disney Books are a great way to keep Disney at home. Disney Book Group was kind enough to send these books for NDK approval – be sure to look for the NDK Review after the description of each book!
Dragons. They are everywhere. But did you know that Disney has been featuring dragons for quite a while? In this beautiful collection of art, the book, The Art of Disney Dragons, is sure to be a favorite among dragon fans and art aficionados.
The book is beautifully laid out, with tons of sketches and drawings of different Disney dragons. But don’t expect there to be much reading at all in this book. As a matter of fact, most of the dragons are not even labeled, which can lead to disappointment if you were hoping to be able to name Disney dragons you might not be familiar with. There are the obvious ones: Mushu, Mim, Maleficent, Figment, Elliott. But then there are others that may be intentionally nameless. It would have been nice to have a bit of history on these unknown dragons. Overall, this is a lovely coffee table book – a true conversation starter.
- The Art of Disney Dragons
- Introduction by Tom Bancroft
- Hardcover * Price: $29.99
- Page Count: 128
From the publisher:
Imagine if one sketchbook had been passed down through the decades from one Disney artist to the next, with each one making a contribution before leaving it in the talented hands of another. That idea was the inspiration for The Art of Disney’s Dragons.
With an introduction by Tom Bancroft, lead animator on Mushu the dragon in Mulan, the drawings contained within this impressive volume represent the entire range of dragon-themed development art from animators, live-action studio artists, and Imagineers. From the playful pencil studies of Mushu to the color concepts on Figment (who was green before he became purple!), the bold pencil layouts on Maleficent, and the latest character explorations of Elliot from the new live-action film Pete’s Dragon,  both Disney fans and art/illustrator appreciators alike will pour over fantastical images in this book.
The NDK Review:
I like dragons. Well, I like nice dragons. Figment is my favorite dragon of all. There are lots of different dragons. The book The Art of Disney Dragons will show you what all of the Disney dragons look like. Disney has made a lot of movies, shows or rides with dragons. This book will show kids and adults the different dragons – even some that you didn’t know existed!
The Art of Disney Dragons is a really neat book. It starts with a dragon that I do not know. It’s kind of funny. It’s a combination of a dragon and a cow. It looks like it could have been from Steamboat Willie time. There are many other dragons that I do recognize, like the Jabberwocky, both Elliott and Elliot, Figment, Maleficent, Mushu, the dragon from Hercules and Enchanted, and Mim (The Sword in the Stone). The book is really special. The outside cover has cloth on the spine. The letters are done in silver. There is a green ribbon book mark attached to the book. I like the pages in the book because they look old.
My favorite part of the book are all the pictures of the dragons. There are cartoon-y ones and very realistic looking ones. My favorite dragon in the book would have to be the picture of the old Elliott. I like the original Elliott because he is funny. The picture isn’t in color, but he puffs smoke that looks like a heart. I thought it was cute and it made me smile.
My least favorite part of the book is that the author did not tell us who the dragons are and what time they were from. I like learning the history of Walt Disney. It made me sad because I thought I was going to learn about the dragons.
I would recommend this book because it does show what the different dragons looked like and it also shows sketching of these dragons. You don’t just see the dragons that you have seen in movies or rides. You see different versions of different dragons. This book is good for people who like dragons and art. I think kids and adults will like this book. Kids would like the book because they can see their favorite dragons, but because there are no words, any dragon fan at any age can enjoy it – even though I think names would have been nice.
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin’ wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life – A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects – create~inspire~share.
