Cinderella Little Golden Book Illustrated by Retta Scott Worcester

We all know the designs in Disney's Cinderella are iconic, but what if some iconic concept designs made it into the final film?

These are my first attempts at making screencap edits, taking inspiration from the 1940s-50s Golden Book of Walt Disney's Cinderella, with artwork by Disney's first credited female animator, Retta Scott Worcester. Her artwork is often mistaken for that of Mary Blair (one of Disney's most celebrated artists, who also worked on Cinderella and a handful of other movies), which makes sense, as their art styles are pretty similar. I have vague memories of having the book when I was little, and I've always been charmed and mesmerized by the artwork and the fact that the characters and their costumes looked so notably different from those in the Cinderella we got. Cinderella's ball gown and yellow party dress are especially so lovely, and I paid homage to them by including them in my Cinderella KiSS doll/dress up game, and Lady Tremaine's dress, accompanied by a mile-long pearl necklace and the key to Cinderella's room hanging from a rope wound around her midsection, is pretty sick. I also have always been fascinated by ideas of what could have been, for anything, really. So, I sat down and decided to play around with Krita, and these are the results! I actually started these roughly a year ago, when I was just getting started in digital art, and they had been sitting dormant in my files while I paid more attention to other projects, and I just now got around to finishing them.

I originally wanted to do the stepsisters too, but I was 1.) unsure of which outfits they were shown wearing in the book to draw for them, and 2.) a little apprehensive and unsure about the amount of detail to include in them, as there seemed too many to include in a traditionally animated film of the time.

Commissions info

Cinderella, Big Golden Book. 1950. Illustrated by Disney legend Retta Scott Worcester.

*Cinderella and her Friends* (A Little Golden Book) (1950)

~ Retta Worcester Scott ~ American ~ Children's Book

“Cinderella” Illustrated by Retta Scott Worcester

Cinderella Illustrated by Retta Scott Worcester

She was the first woman to receive screen credit as an animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios.

(Fairy Godmother looking a little grizzly, there, huh?)

Do you mean...?

(From basically my favorite Cinderella book ever, Walt Disney’s Cinderella before the animated Disney Cinderella, illustrated by Retta Scott Worcester)

Usually when we move the art is one of the earliest things unpacked & placed. But I was needing a few items to be framed so I couldn't plan in advance how all the pieces would integrate and play off each other. While I have a few other one-offs to frame, I was able to get everything finally up! I love art & artists, and what I love ranges from vintage science illustrations to multi-media, including original watercolors, illustrations, modern photography, old master-style paintings, antique papercuts, cheeky oils, & graphic posters. As I've hung them up, I noticed that I have a great collection of work from women artists &, while that wasn't intentional, it makes me so happy. The collection includes a MASSIVE Carol Fitzsimmons watercolor, an adorable Kevin the Kittin from Vanessa Stockard, the vibrant Tokyo poster from Astrid Wilson & equally vibrant (& ubiquitous) For Like Ever via Tracy Jenkins @superrural, illustration & photography prints (via @20x200) from Jane Mount (Ideal Bookshelf 353), Katie Baum (Frozen) & Sharon Montrose (Lamb No. 3). There's a 3D Luna Moth created by Jennifer Ivory of Insectworks & a Cinderella 1950 Big Golden Book limited-edition Serigraph from the work of Retta Scott Worcester. I love the dichotomy of having photos from very IG-popular Sarah Bahbah in juxtaposition with Madeline von Foerster's oil and egg tempura Valentine owl in it's custom frame. Each one is so loved & each artist has amazing stories, inspirations & journeys. @madelinevonfoerster @sarahbahbahh @20x200 @jane_mount @sharonmontrose @vanessastockard @superrural @insectworks @astridwilson #art #artist #artistsoninstagram #collection #moving #illustration #kevinthekittin #forlikeever #sarahbahbah #watercolor #graphic #oldmaster https://www.instagram.com/p/CMh7uAtjVEa/?igshid=r4d9dfkdefds

Cinderella was released 69 years ago yesterday, February 15, 1950. So thought I’d re-share a drawing of Cinderella I did based on the Retta Scott Worcester version for the Golden Book, my favourite. #cinderella #rettascott #disney #disneyanimation #drawing #art #digitalart #procreate (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt9LjpilMFJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1lk9wsytqtv3v

Inktober 2018 Days 27-28

Featuring the styles of Retta Scott Worcester and Ever After High

Lita belongs to @anazenart

girlgeek – Another book for my collection, copyright 1950. This book brings back wonderful memories. The illustrations by Retta Scott Worcester are gorgeous #Cinderella #biggoldenbooks

Cinderella Little Golden Book, art by Retta Scott Worcester

Retta Scott Worcester

Animator

Born: Feb. 23rd, 1916 Died: Aug. 26th, 1990

“Though Retta Scott’s career at Disney was brief, she left an indelible mark as the Studio’s first credited woman animator, receiving screen credit on the 1942 classic Bambi. As Bambi former supervising animator Frank Thomas recalled, ‘Retta had an astounding ability to draw powerful animals. She seemed to have a keen understanding of their moods and attitudes.’

Born in Omak, Washington, on February 23, 1916, Retta graduated from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School in 1934. She moved to Los Angeles to attend Chouinard Art Institute on scholarship and spent much of her free time sketching wildlife at the nearby Griffith Park Zoo.

While her heart was originally set on a fine arts career, the school’s director encouraged Retta to apply at Disney. In 1938, she joined the Story department working on Bambi. This was a significant coup for the young woman, since at the 1930s-era Disney studio, women were considered only for routine tasks.

Her stunning story sketches and character development caught the attention of Walt Disney and director Dave Hand, so when the film went into production she was assigned to animate scenes featuring hunting dogs chasing Faline. As she later recalled, ‘I developed the hunting dogs into vicious, snarling beasts… running and scrambling, trying to climb the cliff and sliding back.’

Although not listed in the credits Scott also animated on the Pastoral Role segment in Fantasia, specifically fauns and cherubim.

After Bambi, Retta worked on Dumbo and then animated the weasels in the “Wind in the Willows” segment of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. 

Retta lived with her best friend, fellow Disney employee Mary Blair, while Lee Blair was in the Navy.

Retta appears on-screen in the Disney live-action studio tour film The Reluctant Dragon (1941) in the portion of the film where Robert Benchley tours the Disney Studio's life-drawing classroom (where the model that day happens to be an elephant). Retta presents Benchley with a caricature of himself as an elephant. 

Later that year, when the Studio hit a slump, she and other artists were laid off. Retta returned to Disney’s Story department in 1942, when the Studio was producing military training films during World War II. Four years later, she resigned from Disney to move east with her husband, a United States Naval officer.

She continued to contribute to Disney as a freelance artist, illustrating the Big Golden Book of Cinderella and Cinderella Puppet Show, published in 1950. The cover of the Cinderella Golden Book was released by Disney Art Classics in 2000, as a color serigraph with gold enhancements, under the Art of Disney Storybooks line.

She remained active as an illustrator for many years and returned to film animation with The Plague Dogs, directed by Martin Rosen, released in 1982. Around that same time in the early 1980s she also worked for the animation studio founded by Bud Luckey, The Luckey-Zamora Moving Picture Co. in the San Francisco Bay area. She helped animate television commercials for such products as Cookie Crisp Cereal.

Retta Scott passed away on August 26, 1990, at her home in Foster City, California.”

(Walt Disney Family Museum)

(Disney Legends)

(Wikipedia)

(50 Most Influential...)

(Michael Sporn Animation)

Belle's formal updo has always reminded me of Retta Scott Worcester's Cinderella. @disney #beautyandthebeast #Cinderella #rettascott #rettascottworcester (at Vancouver, British Columbia)

I love vintage Little Golden Books, one of my favs is Retta Scott Worcester’s illustrations of Cinderella. So this is Cinderella based on her version. #art #artistsoninstagram #Disney #disneycinderella #littlegoldenbooks #procreate #illustration #fairytales (at Vancouver, British Columbia)