As the front cover of the Disney Block Book from Abrams says, this board book contains “Magical moments for fans of every age.” This board book uses cut-outs on every page to celebrate most of the animated films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and going all the way through 2019’s Frozen 2. Get ready for a magical celebration of Disney’s rich animated history.
The book features a quote from each film included with stylized artwork to bring each one to life in a brand-new way. Two pages are devoted to twenty-five animated features with a section either cut-out to see into the next scene or pages trimmed around a character to create a magical reveal. An example of this is Cinderella, which recreates the scene where the Fairy Godmother transforms her mother’s torn up dress on the first page into her silver ball gown, complete with her pumpkin coach.
The twenty-five films celebrated with full page spreads are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, and Frozen 2.
With over fifty animated features produced, the main part of the book is only able to celebrate about half of them and leaves out some that may be a fan’s favorite. Thankfully, the final page makes up for it. It says “Make your own magic!” and includes a play room where five kids are playing with items that represent all of the other films with a lot of charming details. Oliver from Oliver & Company, for example, has become the family’s eye-moving wall clock, Wilbur with Bernard and Bianca on his back from The Rescuers is a mobile, Winnie the Pooh’s honey pot has become a decorative accent, etc. Even the package features are celebrated with a plush of Mr. Toad, Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet hanging on a coat hanger, Mickey’s beanstalk as a potted plant, and an ice skater from the “Once Upon a Wintertime’ segment of Melody Time becoming a music box.
On top of that, the book also comes with a hidden Mickey game. Each and every page includes a hidden mickey, including the last one. Some are very easy to spot, others give you a bit of a challenge. The hardest one to find for me came on the second page of the Big Hero 6 section, but trust me, it’s there.
This Disney Block Book from Abrams is a perfect addition to the collection of any diehard Disney animation fan, in addition to being a great way to introduce young kids to the vast collection of Disney characters from films they may be too young to sit through. The stylized artwork is so charming and evocative of Mary Blaire’s style, making it another reason why this is the ultimate visual companion to your Disney movie collection. If you own all of these films on DVD or Blu-Ray (or happen to have a Disney+ account), you need this book in your life.