Animator on Horseback

<p>From Bambi to The Lion King</p><p></p><p>Mel Shaw's incredible career as a Disney artist and animator began in 1937 when Walt Disney offered him a job during a game of polo. Packed with nearly 400 illustrations and photos including exclusive Disney concept art Animator on Horseback is the story of Mel's life in his own words.</p><p></p><p>When Mel arrived in Hollywood from Brooklyn work for inexperienced animators wasn't easy to find. He landed a job at the Harman-Ising studio but his career truly began when Walt Disney brought him on board to help with Bambi.</p><p></p><p>Mel left Disney not long afterward to work on his own projects including Howdy Doody but in 1974 he returned to mentor a new generation of animators and he contributed to such modern Disney classics as The Rescuers Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.</p><p></p><p>Mel's autobiography is a vivid intensely personal recollection with a cast of characters ranging from Orson Welles and Lord Mountbatten to Walt Disney and the artists and animators of the Disney studio featuring stories about:</p><p></p><p>The early days of animation in Hollywood and the polo craze that brought Mel face-to-face with Walt Disney for the first time</p><p></p><p>An intimate portrait of what it was like to work at the Disney Studio in the late 1930s including a raucous trip to Mexico</p><p></p><p>Life after Disney: active duty in the Pacific during World War II and a stint with The Stars and Stripes</p><p></p><p>The fortunes and failures of the Allen-Shaw Studio Mel's joint venture with fellow animator Bob Allen</p><p></p><p>Another intimate portrait of what it was like to work at the Disney Studio thirty years later when Mel returned to guide a new generation</p><p></p><p>A LIFE STORY OF POLO AND PIXIE DUST</p><p></p>