So, we are now up to part six in our story of Disney legend Mary Blair, a brilliant designer,

illustrator, and watercolorist, who many believed was Walt's favorite artist.

So far, we followed both her and her husband Lee, from childhood to art school and then

to various animation studios around Los Angeles, as the art

forum was beginning to blossom there in the 1930s. As we left off last time, both Lee and

Mary were working on projects related to Fantasia. Mary also worked on a project called

Penelope and the 12 clocks, a story that ultimately

was never developed into a short film, but in this Mary developed and drew a wide-eyed girl

of about four or five years old, a girl whose form and appearance radiated joy, patience, and curiosity.

Though Mary couldn't have known it then, this figure would be the start of what we might

call in terms of illustration the Mary Blair children, uniquely styled figures that would

follow her through her career, including

up through It's a Small World. As we finished up in our last episode, it was clear that

trouble was building both inside and outside the studio, and that is exactly where we begin

today.

The year 1941 would forever transform the Disney studio with twin interlocking crises.

The first crisis concerned the war which closed key international markets to American films,

meaning that some titles such as Pinocchio earned a meager profit,

while other titles such as Fantasia were released at a substantial loss.

Beyond the loss of overseas income, the war also changed

the national mood in America, where many people were growing concerned that the country would

soon be lured into the conflict. Up until this time, Disney had focused its features on European

...