---
product_id: 1425011
title: "The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation"
price: "€ 82.80"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.fr/products/1425011-the-illusion-of-life-disney-animation
store_origin: FR
region: France
---

# 4.9/5 star acclaimed by 2,200+ readers Detailed Disney animation techniques 500+ pages of deep animation wisdom The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation

**Price:** € 82.80
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🎬 Unlock the magic behind Disney’s legendary animation — your creative edge awaits!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
- **How much does it cost?** € 82.80 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fr](https://www.desertcart.fr/products/1425011-the-illusion-of-life-disney-animation)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Learn from the Legends:** Insights from Disney’s top animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, the pioneers behind the magic.
- • **Highly Rated & Respected:** Join a community of 2,200+ readers who gave it a near-perfect 4.9-star rating.
- • **Master the Art of Animation:** Dive into over 500 pages of timeless Disney animation secrets and techniques.
- • **Inspire Creativity & Teamwork:** Discover lessons that transcend animation and fuel professional collaboration and innovation.
- • **A Collector’s Coffee Table Gem:** Beautifully crafted pages make it a conversation starter and a visual delight.

## Overview

The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation is a comprehensive, 500+ page book authored by Disney legends Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. Celebrated for its detailed insights into traditional animation techniques and rich storytelling, this highly rated book (4.9/5 stars from over 2,200 reviews) serves both as an essential learning tool for aspiring animators and a stunning coffee table piece for Disney enthusiasts. It offers timeless lessons on creativity, teamwork, and the art of bringing characters to life.

## Description

The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation [Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation

Review: I would give this product over five stars if I could !! - This book is FANTASTIC. I am a college student trying to learn traditional animation and this book is perfect. I have spent countless hours bookmarking pages and annotating things like a crazy person because of how much there is to learn from this, even just in the tiny side notes! There is so much attention to even the tiniest of details, and even after going through this book countless times, I feel as if I am always learning something new. I cannot emphasize how good this book is even for people who are not into learning animation. This is my go-to coffee table book now; every person who comes into my dorm for the first time looks at the book for at least an hour (no I am not kidding) The quality of the pages is amazing - anyone who picks up this book can tell how well it was made.
Review: Disney Magic - Wow what a whopper of a book. I really enjoyed “The Magic Behind the Voices” a who’s who of animated character vocals – and this book on Disney animation seemed like a great follow up. It was. It was for me also surprisingly BIG, and at well over 500 pages a big effort to actually read. I read this for the history with no intention of becoming an animator. However my doodles have improved a lot since I've been reading this. I didn’t grow up with Disney movies. When I was a kid in the 70’s Disney was in kind of a slump with their animated films. I even remember reading something somewhere about how they would never get back the old magic. But I was still affected by Disney. I was in their “Record Club” for a short while. We also somehow had little plastic Disney character figures to play with (Kids - this was before Wal-Mart and China and the Internet) I still got to see Disney Illustrations everywhere and imagine the movies that were so famous in our culture. Then later when Disney got it’s magic back (after this book was written) I went out on a date with a girl to see Beauty and the Beast. And then got married to that girl and we lived happily ever after. And we had kids that grew up with Disney on video. So I got to see what I missed. Thank you Disney you have made my life a dream come true! Ok it wasn’t all you. Anyway about the book . . . It’s great history. Walt Disney doesn’t actually invent anything . . . but his workers do and he creates a whole new industry and world looking for magic . . . that “golden moment” that takes an audience to another place and leaves them feeling good. The book is extremely well written, wonderfully illustrated . . . but will cost you part of your life to read word for word. I think the lessons learned in animating are good lessons for life. Look for what is inspirational and moving. Creative teamwork can bring results no one imagined. Keep moving, and keep people engaged. Make something beautiful that people feel a part of. The character and the story are the driving and meaningful factors. So I feel happy and sad. Sad because maybe deep down I thought there was some real magic in Disney. Happy though, that the magic they were going for was after all, life. And life is pretty special.

## Features

- Used Book in Good Condition

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #20,699 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #9 in Animation Graphic Design (Books) #18 in Movie History & Criticism #19 in Art of Film & Video |
| Customer Reviews | 4.9 out of 5 stars 2,217 Reviews |

## Images

![The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81FjF4nRg8L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I would give this product over five stars if I could !!
*by S***H on March 3, 2025*

This book is FANTASTIC. I am a college student trying to learn traditional animation and this book is perfect. I have spent countless hours bookmarking pages and annotating things like a crazy person because of how much there is to learn from this, even just in the tiny side notes! There is so much attention to even the tiniest of details, and even after going through this book countless times, I feel as if I am always learning something new. I cannot emphasize how good this book is even for people who are not into learning animation. This is my go-to coffee table book now; every person who comes into my dorm for the first time looks at the book for at least an hour (no I am not kidding) The quality of the pages is amazing - anyone who picks up this book can tell how well it was made.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Disney Magic
*by J***T on November 20, 2015*

Wow what a whopper of a book. I really enjoyed “The Magic Behind the Voices” a who’s who of animated character vocals – and this book on Disney animation seemed like a great follow up. It was. It was for me also surprisingly BIG, and at well over 500 pages a big effort to actually read. I read this for the history with no intention of becoming an animator. However my doodles have improved a lot since I've been reading this. I didn’t grow up with Disney movies. When I was a kid in the 70’s Disney was in kind of a slump with their animated films. I even remember reading something somewhere about how they would never get back the old magic. But I was still affected by Disney. I was in their “Record Club” for a short while. We also somehow had little plastic Disney character figures to play with (Kids - this was before Wal-Mart and China and the Internet) I still got to see Disney Illustrations everywhere and imagine the movies that were so famous in our culture. Then later when Disney got it’s magic back (after this book was written) I went out on a date with a girl to see Beauty and the Beast. And then got married to that girl and we lived happily ever after. And we had kids that grew up with Disney on video. So I got to see what I missed. Thank you Disney you have made my life a dream come true! Ok it wasn’t all you. Anyway about the book . . . It’s great history. Walt Disney doesn’t actually invent anything . . . but his workers do and he creates a whole new industry and world looking for magic . . . that “golden moment” that takes an audience to another place and leaves them feeling good. The book is extremely well written, wonderfully illustrated . . . but will cost you part of your life to read word for word. I think the lessons learned in animating are good lessons for life. Look for what is inspirational and moving. Creative teamwork can bring results no one imagined. Keep moving, and keep people engaged. Make something beautiful that people feel a part of. The character and the story are the driving and meaningful factors. So I feel happy and sad. Sad because maybe deep down I thought there was some real magic in Disney. Happy though, that the magic they were going for was after all, life. And life is pretty special.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Twitterpated.....totally!
*by K***O on September 21, 2009*

I first saw Disney's Pinnochio as a six year old, and it changed my life. It lead to a life-long love of art, animation, ecology, whales, and the sea. As I grew older I was to learn that Pinnochio, along with Bambi, is regarded as among the very best, if not THE best of Disney animation. I have both these films on DVD, and any law abiding animation fan shouldn't be without them. Nor should any animation nut be without this book. This is a most comprehensive, colourfully illustrated document of the why's and wherefore's of Disney animation. While it goes into considerable detail, it is strictly speaking not a manual as such. It is more designed as an insight into the mysteries of animation for the lay person, with more than enough to inspire and inform any potential animator. It covers the various aspects of the animation process, and the history of Disney animation. It is accompanied by ooddles, and oodles of full page colour photos, reproductions of animation sequences of famous Disney characters, diagrams, sections on each of the main Disney animators, and hilarious caricatures that animators did of each other. This book is simply a "must have" for any Disney animation fan, or any animation fan period. I am thrilled to have this book. It arrived in record time too, and well packaged. Do yourself a favour, and get this. You'e GOT TO HAVE IT! You won't be disappointed.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
- The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators
- Character Animation Crash Course!( DVD not included)

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*Product available on Desertcart France*
*Store origin: FR*
*Last updated: 2026-01-31*