Yahoo Lifestyle Move Over, Mickey! New Donald Duck Book Explores the 'Miraculous World' of One of Disney's Most Iconic Characters (Exclusive)
"To me, it's a dream come true because I've always been a Disney fan," Daniel Kothenschulte tells PEOPLE of editing the project
Courtesy of TASCHEN
Walt Disney's Donald Duck. The Ultimate History from TASCHENWhile Mickey Mouse might be the most famous character conceived by The Walt Disney Company, longtime fans feel that it's his trusty duck sidekick that deserves just as much attention.
A new book by TASCHEN — Donald Duck. The Ultimate History — offers an expansive look at the character, who was first introduced in 1934.
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
A model sheet for Donald’s design, dated 1938Donald Duck chronicles nine decades of the eponymous animated character, who the book's publishers say has appeared onscreen more than any other Disney character.
Drawing on the editor and writers' unprecedented access to Disney’s vast historical archives, it allows readers access to rare animation drawings of the 20th century design icon, vintage comics, behind-the-scenes photographs, charming memorabilia and even unfinished projects.
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Walt Disney and Donald Duck, publicity still for “A Day in the Life of Donald Duck,” episode of the TV anthology series Disneyland (1956)The book's editor, Daniel Kothenschulte, not only wrote the introduction but counts himself among the character's biggest fans.
"To me it's a dream come true because I've always been a Disney fan," Kothenschulte tells PEOPLE in a recent interview. "As a child, I was a Disney collector. Already I collected Super 8 films and it was the only way to actually own them in the '70s when I was little. When I was 6 years old, I had a projector and I had Donald Duck films on Super 8, and I watched them back and forth and I studied the animation and that really took me to the idea of how beautiful they are."
Kothenschulte adds that the book was "a very personal" project for him — one that allowed him an up-close look at the history of the character via drawings pulled from the Disney Archives and the Animation Research Library.
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Carl Barks, “Donald Tames His Temper”As Kothenschulte explains, the Disney Archives employs "Disney fans who are extremely knowledgeable about what they are actually taking care of."
"So it's like talking from one fan to the other about the nerdiest subjects," Kothenschulte continues. "So actually to me ... going to the Disney Archives, it's like you visit this miraculous realm or this miraculous world from your childhood, and you go there and you try to find out as much as possible about what you've always thought you know a lot about."
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
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Kothenschulte adds that exploring unreleased animation was among his favorite discoveries — along with looking at the behind-the-scenes of his favorite Donald Duck appearance: in the South American film, Saludos Amigos, Three Caballeros.
"There's an artist, Mary Blair, who designed the colors of these early films. And we also have a special collection that comes with the book. If you invest a little more, you get reproductions of some of these art works, of these pastels that Mary Blair and her fellow artists made. This is something that I really like," he says.
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