This was animation veteran Jamie Kezlarian Bolio's copy, warmly inscribed by both authors: "To Jamie from yer pal, / Don Hahn / Tracy M-Z"

This is a first printing--and the only printing--of this invaluable textbook for animation artists. These lectures were delivered to artists working at the Disney Studios and we have Don Hahn to thank for seeing these fascinating lecture notes published.

From the Inside Flap:

Walt Disney built a cartoon studio and an empire on the shoulders of Mickey Mouse, but to make the leap from shorts to feature films, he knew his artists had raise the bar. At first Disney himself drove artists to nearby Chouinard Art Institute for classes, then expanded that educational effort by building his own in-house training program like no other before or since.

Before Ever After is a compilation of rare and previously unpublished lecture notes from that extraordinary training effort. Among others, Frank Lloyd Wright who spoke about his philosophy on art and design, Alexander Woollcott about humor and entertainment, Yale color theorist Faber Birren on color theory, Disney Legends Art Babbit, Fred Moore, and Bill Tytla gave live critiques of their animation and artist Don Graham lectured extensively on composition, drawing and fine art.

Now some eighty years later, these lost lectures are presented with text and context, richly illustrated to show the brilliance of Walt's plan to raise the level of his artists to invent the modern animated film.

About the Authors:

Don Hahn is a writer/producer/director whose credits include the worldwide phenomenon The Lion King, the classic Beauty and the Beast, the first animated film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie. Don's books on animation, art and creativity include the best seller Brain Storm, the acclaimed Drawn To Life: The Complete Works of Walt Stanchfield and the much anticipated Before Ever After: The Lost Lectures of Disney's Animation Studio.

Tracey Miller-Zarneke has become a key figure in the world of animation, way beyond her credited roles on the feature films such as Chicken Little and The Emperor's New Groove. She has authored eight books on the art of animation including The Art of Kung Fu Panda, The Art of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and The Art of Planes. Tracey served as editorial advisor on the landmark textbooks Producing Animation and Directing Animation. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Women in Animation.