Stepping Into the Picture

Book excerpt: The story of one of the pioneers of the Golden Age of Animation. In a career spanning seven decades, Maurice Noble (1911-2001) developed a unique creative philosophy that enabled him to play an integral role in many of the best-loved animated films ever made, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, What's Opera, Doc?, Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The author presents an inside view of the Disney Studio during its earliest days, the triumph of the groundbreaking animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the notorious Disney strike. The book also examines Noble's stint in WWII and his fortuitous alliance with Theodore (Dr. Seuss) Geisel and Col. Frank Capra. The three helped create inspirational short films for U.S. Armed Forces. Noble's best known and most highly regarded work took place at the Warner Bros. Studio, in a long and fruitful collaboration with legendary director Chuck Jones.--From publisher description.