“The way she painted—in a lot of ways she was still a little girl. Walt [Disney] was like that. You could see he could relate to Blair had dreamed of pursuing a career in fine children—she was the same way.” arts upon graduation. However, it was 1933—the JOHN CANEMAKER, ANIMATION HISTORIAN midst of the Great Depression. She accepted a position with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in their animation unit and went to work. Seven years later, in 1940, she joined Walt Disney Studios. The following year she spent three months in South America, touring with the Disney expedition. While studying and visiting the Latin countries of South America, Blair experimented with and developed a more vibrant and colorful style. This expanded her portfolio and allowed her talents to be used on an even wider range of Disney projects. And, because of what Walt Disney himself had seen from Blair following the expedition, she served as art supervisor on Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, released in 1942 and 1944 respectively. Blair’s blending of color and styling had a great influence on post-war productions by Disney. She incorporated her unique style into Song of the South, Melody Time, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, among countless others. Special shorts that she contributed to were Susie, the Little Blue Coupe and The Little House. Animator Frank Thomas said, “Mary was the first artist I knew of to have different shades of red next to each other. You just didn’t do that! But Mary made it work.” Alice in Wonderland’s Tweedledee and Tweedledum concept painting by Mary Blair. 37 35