"...and we began to realize that the term Imagineer was something extraordinary"

Walt Disney's First Lady of Imagineering: Harriet Burns by Pam Burns-Clair and Don Peri. 2010

Harriet Burns. Her name is synonymous with Imagineering and the creation of early Disneyland. Not only was she one of Walt's first Imagineers, but she was the first woman in Imagineering, hence her title, the First Lady of Imagineering. She worked on the development of Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, the 1964-65 New York World's Fair and countless other rides, attractions and resorts. Harriet retired in 1986 after 31 years of creating magic for the Walt Disney Company.

Joanne Campbell wrote about a trip to Walt Disney World with Harriet Burns in the early 1990s:

The following morning Harriet had made reservations at a park restaurant she knew served the famous Mickey Mouse pancakes. She insisted on paying the bill because she said that her Disney card would entitle her to a discount. Of course we thanked her, but we didn't think too much of it. When she presented her card to the waiter, she said she hoped it was alright, because this card was actually from California. The waiter disappeared for some time, and suddenly the manager appeared. He was quite perplexed and said, "Mrs. Burns, was everything satisfactory? Michael [Eisner] usually alerts us when you're on the property!" With that, OUR eyes popped open in amazement, and we began to realize that the term Imagineer (and her #7 on the credit card) was something extraordinary.

Because Harriet was retired at this point, she herself had not seen MGM, which had just opened in Orlando. We hopped on a double-decker English bus with the throngs, and hadn't gone too far before Harriet said, "Look, boys, there is the old airplane that Bill and I rode to New York with Walt in for the World's Fair!" My husband and I exchanged looks, and sure enough, the tour guide then said, "and THIS is the plane that Walt took to the World's Fair."--p. 42, Walt Disney's First Lady of Imagineering

The book is replete with stories that will touch your heart. It is so much more than a tribute book to Harriet, it is also a look at how special and amazing it was to be one of Walt's Imagineers. This book is perfect for anyone interested in Imagineering, Walt or the amazing people that were fortunate enough to meet Harriet. She was an inspiring woman!

Pam Burns-Chair, Harriet's daughter, worked with author and Disney Historian Don Peri to create and compile this list of eulogies and tributes by family, friends and Disney employees. 67 essays, ranging in size from a few paragraphs to several pages help tell the story of how Harriet touched so many people's lives. The book is filled with over 200 photographs that span Harriet's life and her career at Disney.

After reading  this marvelous title, I felt like I had the opportunity to meet Harriet through the eyes of her family and friends. She was well-loved, respected and admired. Some of the best anecdotes were supplied by former Imagineers that had developed a special relationship with Harriet. She was known for having an off-color sense of humor that seemed to be in opposition to her native Texan drawl. Many of the Imagineers wrote that Harriet was personable and never forgot anyone she met.

Chelsea Clair, the daughter of Pam and the granddaughter of Harriet, designed the book. She did a wonderful job of laying out the pages and integrating the photographs into the text. Pam, Don and Chelsea should be very proud of the book they put together in honor of Harriet. Their love and the love of Harriet's friends and family.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention Scott Wolf, Disney Historian and owner of MouseClub House Scott helped with the project and created the website for the book at Imagineer Harriet.

You can also be come a Fan of Imagineer Harriet on Facebook.

This is a sentimental and beautiful look at Harriet Burns and her life in and outside of Disney. Look at Walt Disney's First Lady of Imagineering: Harriet Burns as more than a tribute; Pam and Don have compiled stories that give you an intimate look at what it was like to work for the Walt Disney Company with Walt and the heralded Imagineers.

The book provided was a review copy from the publisher.

Working with Walt: Interviews With Disney Artists

Working with Walt: Interviews With Disney Artists by Don Peri (2008, 246 pages).

This is a quick and thoroughly enjoyable collection of interviews with 15 different artists that worked with Walt Disney at the Studios.

Mr. Peri states in the Acknowledgements that he was prompted by Didier Ghez (editor of the Walt's People series) to finally collect the interviews and publish them. Thanks both to Don and Didier!

Most of the interviews were conducted in the late 1970's with artists that spent most of their career working at the Disney Studios. What surprised me at first was how the artists were all enchanted with Walt Disney; after reading a multitude of Disney biographies, you do get the sense that Walt was a benevolent dictator--but a dictator nonetheless. A majority of the artists interviewed stuck with Walt during the Animator's Strike of 1941. If you study any work on Disney and animation, the Animator's Strike is often seen as a watershed in the history of the Studio, prompting the mentality that Walt lost a lot of faith in his employees. With the interviews presented by Peri, you get a sense that Walt did favor the artists that stuck by him.

I finished Walt's People Volume 1 (Ed. by Ghez) shortly after this title. There are some similarities in the scope of the two books, but they are both valuable resources on their own. The interviews presented by Peri were done at a time when there was not a lot being written about the artists that worked directly with Walt Disney. After reading the interviews, you come away with a sense of what it was like to work with Walt Disney and to work at the Studios. I feel like I have a better understanding of how Walt worked during the early years of the Studios.

The artists included animators, designers and voice actors:

• Ken Anderson
• Les Clark
• Larry Clemmons
• Jack Cutting
• Don Duckwall
• Marcellite Garner
• Harper Goff
• Floyd Gottfredson
• Dick Huemer
• Wilfred Jackson
• Eric Larson
• Clarence Nash
• Ken O'Connor
• Herb Ryman
• Ben Sharpsteen

The stories and anecdotes that each artist shares are humorous, wistful and passionate. These artists truly loved their jobs and working with Walt Disney.

...he didn't think of himself as Walt Disney. He thought of Walt Disney as an entity, an organization, and he spoke of Walt Disney as an organization, for which everybody worked and not the personal part of the name. A lot of people put Walt down because they didn't get along with him or they got canned or they were chewed out by him, and naturally they probably make more or less severe remarks about him and understandably so. He had a great ego, and because of this ego he could overcome a lot of difficulties and obstacles because he believed in himself. He believed what other people didn't believe, and he was proven right time after time after time, even with the bankers. Snow White was called "Disney's Folly," because what--an animated cartoon to run for over an hour? It's Impossible! Nobody will sit through a cartoon that long. Well that was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

--Les Clark (p. 123, Working With Walt)

Bottom Line: This is a wonderful resource to have at hand. It is not for everyone--you really need to have an interest in animation, the studios or what working with Walt Disney was like in order to fully realize the necessity of a title like this. I give it a high Geek Factor rating because of its focus, even though the book is extremely accessible and easy to read. But if you are interested in learning a lot about the artists, the studio and Walt Disney, this is a great place to start or to add to your collection. This book will foster a greater appreciation for the animated films and shorts. It is also one of the few places you can read the actual words of the artists that never received a lot of acclaim outside the arena of animation fans.