So, today we're going to touch down into the world of Mary Blair. We are now up to Part 5.

Mary Blair is often seen as Walt's favorite artist, a watercolorist who changed how Walt

visually thought of animation and later attractions at his theme park. In earlier episodes,

we've looked at Mary's childhood

in early years, as well as that of her husband, Lee. Mary came from a poor but supportive

family, while Lee came from an upper middle class background whose parents at times suggested

that he focused on how he might be a success,

like earlier Blair family members who had jobs of national significance.

Both Mary and Lee went to the Cheneard Art School,

where they became involved with the California Scene Movement

overseen by their instructor,

watercolorist Millard Sheets.

Their watercolors from this period brought them both early recognition, particularly for Lee.

But after graduation, both Lee and Mary, after getting married, found work during the Great Depression at various animation studios in Southern California.

As we last left off, Lee had recently moved from the Harmonizing Studio over to Disney to work in their story department and as a color stylist.

And Mary was working as a color stylist and concept painter for the animation division now at

MGM.

Though Lee was uninterested in working on Bambi, a film that, as he saw it, was about cute talking animals, Walt convinced

him to stay and instead work on a more challenging project, a feature that would later

be known as Fantasia. And with that, I believe we are now ready to jump into part five.

Here we go.

Now that Lee Blair had agreed to stay on at Disney's, he moved his desk from the rented Seward Street studio space back to the main lot at Hyperion Avenue.

...