Mary Blair Books & New Disney Vlogs
Classic Cinderella Vibes at the Contemporary!
The iconic artist Mary Blair is well known for her work on legendary Disney animated movies like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella, as well as for the timeless aesthetics she contributed to the ride it’s a small world - but one of the first things that springs to my mind when I think of Mary Blair is her epic Grand Canyon Concourse mural at Disney’s Contemporary Resort!
The bright colors, appealing little characters and animals, and of course that five-legged goat are just what the modern lines of the atrium needed. It’s so exciting to pull in on the monorail and find Mary Blair’s beautiful art towering above you.
I just finished editing a new Disney vlog from our stay at the Contemporary last summer! They have a line of Mary-Blair-mural-inspired merch in Bay View Gifts these days. There was a lot of construction happening in the lobby during our trip, but apparently it finished up last fall. Looks like the ground floor check-in area now also has murals inspired by Mary Blair designs painted on the walls and pillars.
Thinking of Mary Blair at the Contemporary made me realize there’s a book purchase I made a few months ago that I don’t think made it into my reading vlogs! I was sooo close to free shipping on a ThriftBooks order, so I just popped this into my cart…
It’s a charming children’s book called Mary Blair’s Unique Flair! The illustrator is modern Disney artist and animator Brittney Lee; I love her Etsy shop and always have to pick up one of her adorable and fashionable “calendar girl” sets every year. The art - and dresses - in the Mary Blair book are darling!
The small world page was of course one of my favorites! Please tell me Mary Blair actually wore a fabulous hard hat like that when visiting construction sites!
I do have a picture book on my shelves that is illustrated by Mary Blair herself! I love the sweet retelling of Cinderella set against her dramatic art. You can see from the cover that Cinderella’s skirt was originally supposed to be much bigger. It’s a pity the final movie version didn’t follow Mary Blair’s bold vision for endless petticoats. 😉
If you watched the Contemporary vlog, you’ll know that the original animated Cinderella was the “movie under the stars” the evening of our stay! It had been awhile since I’d seen it, and the Contemporary - and the Magic Kingdom fireworks! - were the perfect backdrop for this Disney classic.
While we were staying at the Contemporary, I thought it’d be fun to film a quick, in-the-moment “what’s in my Disney bag” video, so that went up today too!
I was using my Haunted Mansion Dooney & Bourke bag during last summer’s trip, and it was a really great shape and size. I’m thinking I might bring it along for the Disney trip we’ll be off on soon this summer! Although…all this Mary Blair talk is making me realize there are several cute Dooney & Bourke small world bags that I do not have in my collection yet… 😂
Hope everybody has a happy Friday! ✨