Walt disney biography book review

While the detail is undoubtedly enlightening, encyclopedic coverage of all events great and small will strike many as unnecessary and, quite possibly, tedious. Simon Liubinas said:. February 4, at pm. It made me smile. What also struck me was the discussion of Walt's "political themes" in his work, art and theme park which was simultaneously right and left and a bit of an anomaly.

He also didn't seem to be very sexually driven-- almost an inference of asexuality and his truest love was his art. This Sensibility did not bode well between him and his difficult father, and his unloving childhood and drive to achieve greatness was a sentiment all too familiar. It would seem to us observers that Disney was always attempting to repair his inner child.

I didn't feel he was very close with his wife, but rather his brother Roy. He could be a real SOB sometimes but on the flip side a sweet soul and loving father. The last chapter had me in tears. I wish he had a longer life. I kind of feel like he would have progressed as a humane man and progressed as the world changed because he was about looking forward.

And it seemed he had so much more he wanted to do. Sixty-five was too soon for one who had such a consistent output of of artistic ideas and I felt crushed when it ended. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Show full review. This was a really good book. As anyone who knows me and my family, we love all things Disney.

So when this book was published I thought I would give it a try. But it kept me intrigued. It was written really well with a good narrative. It was interesting to read about how he was continually trying to out do himself. And for that reason, Disneyland was his greatest accomplishment, his greatest triumph. It was something that he could continually update.

His plans for Walt Disney World were also very interesting to read. Ankur Sharma. That's how a biography should be written. Thoroughly researched and actually combed through Walt Disney's complete life, very objectively. Great read! Sharon Barrow Wilfong. I don't know if this is the best biography out there of Walt Disney, but it certainly seemed thorough, balanced and respectful of its subject.

Gabler starts with Disney's humble upbringing in the Midwest, and describes how his fierce determination and genius to succeed as an animator drove him ultimately to Hollywood where he became legendary. The most fascinating parts were Gabler's account of how Disney radically altered animation. He was the first to provide color, more cells of drawing per second and also was the first to create animation shorts with sound.

He pioneered all of this when they were barely concepts in regular movies, much less cartoons. Gabler describes Disney's tyrannical and perfectionist nature that forced him to do anything and everything to make his vision a reality. As an animator, this involved scouting out the best talent, even creating an animation school to provide continual training for the animators he hired.

This part, the process of creating such phenomenal movies as Snow White is extremely interesting and I would advise all aspiring movie makers and animators to read this. Not only because it provides the history of animation, of course it's all on computer now, but the techniques used to create convincing movement and character.

Disney would have the cartoonists go out and watch deer and other animals. They would dance about in the studio and base facial expressions on each other. Disney was all about realism in the beginning. This gradually changed, largely because the audience changed and also the financial requirements were prohibitive. That is the second most invaluable part of this book for aspiring movie makers: just what everything costs.

I couldn't believe how just creating a Disney short could be so expensive. Walt's brother Roy was the business side of it. It was his job to beg, borrow and in every way above the law acquire the money to support Disney's dream. Later Walt's dreams expanded into live action TV and movies and finally culminated into Disneyland. The process by which these were accomplished was also enlightening.

My only grievance against the book was the author's denigrating of most of Disney's movies. According to Gable, the only good movie Disney made was Snow White. Every other animated movie was a failure. I think he bases this largely because the other movies barely recovered the costs to make them. Bambi was one of my all time favorites and so was Pinocchio.

The other grievance, if I can call it that, is Gabler's habit of presuming Disney's motives, which I think no one but Disney can really know. Also to make sweeping generalizations about the American populace and what everyone was feeling or thinking during particular world events World Wars, Depression, etc. Who knows why people liked certain types of movies at one time and didn't at another.

I think most people don't think much about it and just go with the flow. A scary thought, to be sure, when one considers what kind of power that gives Hollywood and I think there is plenty of evidence in our culture that they have wielded that power. Those complaints aside, this is an excellent biography and one for those who would like to put an actual person behind the famous name.

Walt Disney is one of those figures that everyone knows without really knowing at all. One of the primary themes of this biography is that even the people in his life who had daily contact with him, who lived with him, worked with him, even grew up with him, would have said the same thing. He was an intensely private person, and one wonders how much of the carefully cultivated image of himself that was created and wrapped up with his films was a deliberate attempt to hide that private self.

Disney, as an individual, a company and a cultural influence, has had a lot of criticism over the years, but for better or worse you cannot deny that there are few people who have had the same level of influence on popular culture as Walt Disney. And I for one like that influence! This is an exceptionally well-written book, lively and engaging, fair and balanced, and very readable.

The descriptions of the creation of some of the films, most particularly 'Snow White', are incredibly detailed, and it's made me want to go back and revisit some of those films. And go to Disneyland! I have a list of 10 people living or dead that I would like to meet and Walt Disney is on my list. How different America would be without Walt Disney!

That term taken from the book. Lots of things in this book you didn't know about this man Did you know those shows are how Walt raised the money to build Disneyland? I'll stop now I'll be honest, I didn't actually finish the book. I couldn't make myself. I was disgusted by Walt Disney. I wanted to read about a creative man who was responsible for creating some of the best loved memories from my childhood.

Instead, I read about a man who was a tyrant, who terrorized his employees, who took credit for art that he was incapable of creating. Yes, he came up with ideas and okayed everything, but he was not the end-all be-all. I guess I couldn't handle the disillusionment. Regardless of how you feel about him, Disney was an extraordinary man who changed the world for better or for worse depending on who you ask.

Walt disney biography book review

This book does an excellent job at providing a mostly unbiased view on Disney as I mentioned earlier, and even goes out if its way to disprove many unpleasant rumors that have circulated about him, such as the idea that was antisemitic or a Nazi sympathizer. One part I really enjoyed about this book was that because Walt Disney pioneered a lot of animation techniques, this book also serves as a sort of history of animation as well, which was very interesting to read about.

I also wish the author had gone into more detail regarding the design and construction of Disneyland, as there a lot of fun stories and anecdotes from that time period that would have been nice to read about. As fascinating as this man was, I just couldn't get through this book. It was about pages of every biographical note about Walt Disney -- very in depth even down to what his resting heart rate was on Tuesdays joking.

Cindy April 15, Nathan Coker October 26, Jacquie Nahom October 23, Tom Bricker October 27, Anna October 22, Jolie October 23, Thank you! Mike October 21, David October 21, It is said he would not tolerate any swearing by anyone on a set that had children on it. Those were different days. Erin October 21, Jolie October 21, Angie Reyes October 26, I thought the exact same thing!

Lars October 20, I just ordered this off of Amazon and will read it to catch up with Toms Book Club. Banks did not even lend money for that new venture. In the book it is mentioned that after the enormous success of Disney Land, one day Walt sees a Mercedes Coupe and wishes he could buy one. And then, it strikes him, that he can indeed afford it.

By then Walt was already in his 60s! His life shows that where there is a will, there is a way. The best biography I read until now was about Steve Jobs. Shall read the book. Walt Disney is a phenomenal legend. Such a great man.