Disney's secret archive revealed: Hidden sketches of Mickey Mouse and friends are seen for the first time

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A lost world of Disney will be made public for the first time in a collection of unfilmed sketches and celluloid images from some of the best-loved children's classics.

Film historian Daniel Kothenschulte has collated celluloid images and sketches from Disney films that did not make the cut, after getting access to the Disney Archives and Animation Research Library. 

Just as the Blue Fairy works her magic on Pinocchio (1940) in this watercolor by famed Swedish illustrator Gustaf Tenggren, Walt's masterpiece made a classical art form come to life

Walt Disney took great pride in the sophisticated artistry of Bambi (1942)

After years' of research, Mr Kothenschulte estimates that there are 'hundreds of projects that they didn't complete', including 'many unknown and unfinished' ones starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. 

The book, The Walt Disney Film Archives: The Animated Movies 1921-1968, also includes sketches for a film that was planned about American folk hero Davy Crockett and the Donald Duck movie. 

Mr Kothenschulte said: 'You open up pastel drawings that are still rolled up and all this coloured dust appears on the table.

'This film was developed pretty far. There are beautiful colour storyboards, pastels that give you a view of the whole film. Those have never been published anywhere.' 

Mickey and his steam shovel hard at work in this celluloid setup from Building a Building (1933)

'Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell? We are standing by a wishing well . . . ' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

A story sketch for 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice.' The short became so expensive that it was decided to make it part of a 'Concert Feature,' Fantasia (1940)

Mr Kothenschulte curates some of the most precious concept paintings and storyboards to reveal just how these animation masterpieces came to life. Masterful celluloid setups provide highly detailed illustrations of famous film scenes while rare pictures taken by Disney photographers and excerpts from story conferences between Walt and his staff bring a privileged insider's view to the studio's creative process.

Each of the major animated features that were made during Walt's lifetime—including Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians—are given their own focus chapter. 

Mickey, Goofy, and Donald facing what is not just a castle in the air in this story painting for the 'Jack and the Beanstalk' segment of Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

Concept artist Mary Blair's gouache conceptualization of the Fairy Godmother working her transformative magic to create Cinderella's coach. Cinderella (1950)

Fanciful moment from David Hall's 1939 treatment for Alice in Wonderland (1951): a Mad Hatter finger post pointing in all directions

Mr Kothenschulte said: 'With every film, we have examples that have not been published before… We have 50 or 60 unpublished drawings from The Jungle Book… [About] 12 from Snow White.

'It's also disappointing to see what they don't have any more. In the past, they didn't see a purpose in saving cels and backgrounds, so they would discard or sell them. 

'Most are gone, to collectors or the cels have been washed and reused, during the war. Then in later years, they just threw them away.'

He is also publishing the full dialogues of story notes, from meetings that Walt held with his staff, recorded by stenographers over many hours.

He said: 'Walt was the key story-man, as you can see, but everyone had an opinion. It was a very open discussion.'

In one passage, Walt is discussing the use of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor in Fantasia, his musical masterpiece: 'This music is swell for abstract forms. I was wondering on this - we don't want to name it a concert or make them feel that it is a concert, but it is really a new form of a concert. We've got these speakers around the house… why couldn't one theme relish that screen? A sound comes at me — reaches a peak where it is going by me and then I had a feeling it was going by me. Bring it right up on the screen and then take it right down the side…' 

The images are featured in a new book, The Walt Disney Film Archives. The Animated Movies 1921–1968

Also involved in the book's creation was John Lasseter, executive producer on Big Hero 6 and Zootopia, and is currently directing Toy Story 4, who wrote the foreword. 

In the introduction, he wrote: 'Walt created a unique kind of entertainment, made you feel alive to the specialness and magic of the world - and he did it by always learning, always changing, always looking to the new.' 

Also credited are Russell Merritt, Charles Solomon, Dr. Robin Allan, Didier Ghez, J. B. Kaufman, Katja Lüthge, Brian Sibley, and Leonard Maltin. 

The book will be released on October 1.