Hello all,

We were able to have a brief Q&A with the two artists who created the special $50 dollar Disney Dollars. You can meet them at a special signing event this Saturday, July 16, 2005, afternoon at the Disneyland Resort. Below are four questions we came up with and they were kind enough to answer for us. At the bottom of the page is a picture we snapped that advertised the new bills at Disneyland and has a picture of the front on it.

Front and Back of the special $50 Disney Dollar

A picture of the sketch for the front of the bill.

BC Boyer: My father designed the bill and layed it out. I painted it. The medium is in oil, which is my favortie. Basically because, after the project is done, the original art can be framed and hung in our house.

As to the design, it is completely unique to Disney Dollars. Most of them have characters in various poses. This one actually has two Mickeys. One from 2005. He is standing in front of a Disney Dollar center piece sporting the Mickey from the 1930's. We thought it would be the perfect concept for the 50th anniversary 'reflecting' Mickey's tranformation from his origins to the comtempory character he is today.

2) DG: Is this your first Disney Dollar Project? If not, can you talk about any of the others?

Charles Boyer: Yes, this is the first Disney Dollar that I worked on, the first bills were designed and produced by our other illustrator Mat Mew.

BC Boyer: This is my first Disney project ever. When my father asked me if I would be willing to come on board to help with some Disney projects, I never hoped, nor dreamed my first assignment would be the great Mickey himself.

3) DG: What does Disneyland's 50th mean to you?

Charles Boyer: I'm glad that I retired, my friends in my ex creative services department are all working much too hard with all the promotions and entertainment going on.

BC Boyer: My sister and I litterly grew up with Disney. Since my father was their Master Illustrator, he had free acces to the park, bringing my friends and I to the Disney experience many times a year.

We even got to go back stage, where I, as a kid, got to run through all the secret tunnels and back alleys behind the magic. Little did I know I would be working for the Big Mouse years later.

Charles and BC Boyer

4) DG: A father/son team seem rare to me. How would you discribe your collaboration?

Charles Boyer: Bruce has spent many years at the service of his family. He didn"t have much time for art, but he did manage to find time to create, produce, and distribute his own comic book "Hilly Rose". Lately he has gotten in to a more of a fine art style. To help him estabish a reputation I came out of retirement and started doing some art work for Disneyland and having him work along with me. We work out the ideas together with the disneyland staff and we begain designing the piece. Bruce does most of the painting with some kibitzting on my part. He is a much better painter than me.

BC Boyer: I have been painting a lot the last few years under my father guidence. One day, out of the blue, after viewing some of my recent work, he asked me if I would like to work for Disney.

I answered yes, but knew it would be practically impossible, since one would have to have an art degree and a whopping good portfolio.

My father said he is going to open up a studio, with me as his assistant. He and I would discuss the designs and lay it out. I would paint it and he would look over my shoulder, always making sure it would have the "Disney Charles Boyer' look.

Two shots from the signing event on July 16, 2005 @ the Disneyland Hotel

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