Google Honors Alice in Wonderland Artist with New Doodle

Mary Blair, the concept artist behind Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Song of the South, is being honored with the latest Google GOOG Doodle. Though she passed away in July of 1978, she was recognized as a Disney Legend – one of the most prestigious awards handed out to employees of The Walt Disney Company DIS – in 1991. In her bio on Disney.go.com, Blair is referred to as “an imaginative color stylist and designer” who “helped introduce modern art to Walt Disney and his Studio, and for nearly 30 years, he touted her inspirational work for his films and theme parks alike.” Admired by her peers and many animators in the years since her passing, Blair was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, in 1911. In her youth, she won a scholarship to the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. After graduating, Blair joined the animation team at MGM. While this might sound like a terrific opportunity, Blair apparently wanted to pursue a career in fine arts instead. Whether or not her dream changed, I don't know. But given her contributions to Disney (which she joined in 1940), there's no denying that the house that built Mickey Mouse was her true calling. Follow me @LouisBedigian