Andreas Deja "The Nine Old Men" book and signing at SNB -- UPDATED NOV 7th

Andreas Deja stopped by Stuart Ng Books Torrance store for a book signing event on Saturday Nov 7th.

If you've been watching Disney animated films since the 1980s, you've seen the impact of artist Andreas Deja....

 (early pics on this post via Google Images)

Among his additions to the roster of iconic Disney characters..."Scar" in Lion King... "Gaston" in Beauty and the Beast... "Jafar" in Aladdin. He made his reputation with villains, but wanted a change of pace. He rose to this challenge with heroic "Hercules".. and the emotion-filled performance in his heart warming "Lilo"... He also animated Mickey Mouse and Tigger for Disney shorts...

Deja a legendary talent.. made official when he was awarded the "Disney Legend" title in 2015.https://d23.com/announcing-the-2015-disney-legends/

Even more inspiring.. he is a diligent and generous scholar of the animation art form. He arrived at Disney studios when many of the original artists where still available to meet. He overcame his own shyness to befriend long-time animators and began archiving stories and original sketches from the golden era.
His ongoing blog ... "Deja View"http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/

...  is beloved for the bounty of images he shares... along with insights into animation history, technique, and legacy.

Deja is also at work on a long-time personal project ... "Muska"... about a girl and a Siberian Tiger...

Deja is a frequent guest speaker at CNTX animation convention
 http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/ In pic below he's doing a live demo drawing at the 2011 CTNX

At last year's CTNX, Deja was approached to write a book. He took care to make sure the result would present not only a collection of sketches and recollections from the Nine Old Men, but the book itself would be produced in a way to best showcase the art.

The results are here.. and the book is stunning! http://stuartngbooks.com/the-nine-old-men-lessons-techniques-and-inspiration-from-disneys-great-animators-pre-order-your-signed-copy.html

A great place to learn the behind the scenes of the book.. and how Deja came to Disney and animation... are TWO recent interviews with him on The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast.

Here's a link for the first (podcast episode #22) http://taughtbyapro.com/podcast-22-the-andreas-deja-interview-from-features-to-personal-projects/

Animation Podcast #22- The Andreas Deja Interview: From Features to Personal Projects

If you think of great traditional animation created over the last decade, you will no doubt be thinking of at least one character animated by Disney Animator Andreas Deja!  Tom and Tony get Andreas to open up about animation approaches, character development and his exciting new personal project – the animated short “Mushka”!

And the second...(podcast episode #31) http://taughtbyapro.com/podcast-31-the-9-old-men-and-andreas-deja/

Animation Podcast #31 – The 9 Old Men and Andreas Deja

In this special episode of the Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast, the B Boys talk with legendary Disney Animator Andreas Deja about his new book about “The 9 Old Men” of Disney Animation yesteryear.  Find out why he was passionate about making this book, what drove the 9 Old Men, and any animator worth their muster should know who they are!

Listening to this podcast will make you want to have the book in your hand to follow along as they describe different sections. Deja knew seven of the Nine Old Men personally... find out which ones on the podcast. The interview also reveals which drawings in the book come from Deja's personal collection.

The book is laid out so there is a section on each of the Nine Old Men.. presented in order of their time with Walt Disney... from Les Clark (who was hired by Walt in the 1920s)... to master draftsman Marc Davis, also known as Disney's "Renaissance Man."

Deja's book is written by an artist... for artists. Here you will find the sketches, roughs and sequence drawings that reveal the armature of animation at its finest. The design of the book.. from its hardcover format (almost a requirement due to its hefty page count).. to its landscape orientation.. to the images on lots of white space interspersed throughout the text... this book is a real delight to hold.. study.. admire.. and learn from. All the care that went into the collecting of the stories and images is obvious. This book is a passion project... and an instant classic.

For those of us who might never have access to the renowned Disney research library archives.. this tome is a tour .... with an expert guiding you to the best examples of the collection.

Here are some photos I took of the book to share a glimpse of this gem... but nothing compares to your own copy.

Attend the signing if you can.... or order your signed copy. Don't miss out!http://stuartngbooks.com/the-nine-old-men-lessons-techniques-and-inspiration-from-disneys-great-animators-pre-order-your-signed-copy.html

(I took the following photos to give you a feel for the book... it's all this and so much more :)

 Can you name all the Nine Old Men???

 Eric Larson...

 Wolfgang Reitherman...

 Frank Thomas...

 John Lounsbery...

 Marc Davis....

 okay... yes.. he's my fav... Who is yours?? :)

Also more posts about Deja here on the blog...

Andreas Deja's art was part of the popular 2010 Art of Animals show.. ..http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2010/08/get-inspiried-menagerie-art-of-animals.html

Some fav images from his Deja View blog post about line drawings and wire scuplts..  including link to a mind-blowing 360 view of his wire sculpt, Sleeping-Beauty-inspired squirrel ...http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2014/05/line-horses-and-wire-frogs.html

Andreas at CTNX 2011... http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/ctnx-2011-andreas-deja.html

UPDATE NOV 7th

A few photos from the event ...

 So many happy folks.. getting to see Andreas and hear from him about the book ....

 Thanks to everyone who came out for the 2-hour signing. Andreas also signed copies for those who couldn't attend in person and placed pre-orders via the website.