Walt Disney: An American Original (Disney Editions Deluxe) Paperback – Abridged, May 1, 1994

I've read 20+ books about Mr. Disney, his life and the genesis of his theme parks. This book by Bob Thomas is by far the finest. It is both detailed and interesting; a combination often difficult to achieve. I appreciated this book even more because I worked at the Anaheim Park when I was in high school, back in the 1960s. It generated many nostalgic memories for me. Thank you, Mr. Thomas.

Bob Thomas' "Walt Disney: An American Original" is an excellent look into the life of one of America's last truly great dreamers.The story starts with Disney's early years in Marceline, KS and follows his life chronologically through post-war France, Kansas City and on to places like New York and California. Along the way the reader experiences the birth of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, one of Walt's earliest popular creations and eventually the development of the character that put Walt Disney in the spotlight: Mickey Mouse.Thomas covers the ups and downs of creating cartoons and the growth of the Disney name as a family-friendly institution. He reveals the struggle of Disney and his brother, Roy, as they tried to remain independent of the major studios. He also shows how the Bank of America always managed to cast a dark, debt-filled shadow over the Disneys until later in both of their lives.We learn that films considered classics today such as "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan," started their legendary lives as flops as far as profits were concerned. We also get a look into the development of Disney as a force on television and in live-action films such as "Old Yeller".The primary message that I got from this book is simple: No matter how much the odds were stacked against him and his brother, Walt continued to pursue his dreams. Mountainous debt, failed films, crooked promoters, pressure from union organizers and many other problems failed to stop the Disneys from achieving their goals.The book culminates with the development and opening of Disneyland and the beginnings of what would become Walt Disney World. Disney World is the one dream that Walt never lived to see attained. However, we all know how well that particular venture has done since its opening in October of 1971.This book is enlightening, humorous and empowering. I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever been looked down upon for being a dreamer. Walt Disney's life is proof of how far dreamers can really go, and Bob Thomas has done a wonderful job of capturing Disney's dreams on the written page.

The "Walt Disney: An American Original" by Bob Thomas gives a detailed description of Walt Disney's life starting from his youth and leading all of the way to his passing. The book gives a detailed story about the mess that was the Disney family. Readers learn what challenges Walt faced when growing up in various parts of the US. When reading this book you will also learn the incredible journey Walt took to create his company and parks. Readers learn all about the things the Walt Disney Company were able to create and achieve throughout the years. I believe this book did an incredible job of capturing Walt's life and bringing his journey to life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story of coming up or anyone who loves the Walt Disney Company.

HeatherLooking Through the Eyes of Walt DisneyWhen many of us think of the name Walt Disney we think of a man who was a prominent figure within the american animation industry; the one who created the cartoon character Mickey Mouse. With this legacy aside we take a step back into the early years of Walter Elias Disney’s life and realize how his life had many struggles and hardships.The biography An American Original- Walt Disney, by Bob Thomas, takes us back to a part in Walt’s life that most people aren’t familiar with. Disney was a young boy who worked for his dad’s, Elias Disney, a newspaper delivery business. Walt went to school like all the other kids but most of the time he found himself in the art school just down the street from his house. As he grew up he often found himself thinking about what his future looked like. Against his dad’s will he attended art school and learned how to make basic cartoon character and how to animate them. Walt’s imagination went wild and he soon made Mickey Mouse and other animated characters such as Clarabelle Cow and Donald Duck would follow. Later on he created Disneyland, the most magical place on earth. Not long after he imagined Disney World but wasn't able to see his vision completed before he passed away.In An American Original- Walt Disney, the theme is determination. When something may seem so hard you can’t overcome it something good will always come out of, it even if you don’t know what it is. Many times when Walt Disney would go to deliver papers in the snow he would find it was so high it went over his head. Occasionally he would find himself just waking up because he passed out. Then he would have to go to school and start all over in the evening. Even though it may have seemed tough and not worth it Walt brought home money for his family and was able to provide food and eventually he went to art school.This biography is put together very well. I loved the part where they went into his childhood and told us about his life. Bob Thomas also included many of Walt’s early cartoons that many of us forget about. I also liked how they included pictures of Disney and his family. There were also things that I did not like about this book. It was a long book and I felt that some stories went into too much detail. I also felt like some things repeated and Thomas could have just focused on Walt Disney more than his father who was mentioned a lot.A person should read this book if they are interested in history and anything Disney. If a reader enjoyed this book I would recommend reading Disney's Art of Animation #2: From Mickey Mouse to Hercules or Walt Disney: Magician of the Movies. I would give this book four and a half stars because it was lengthy but the information was incredible. This book kept me wanting to read more.

Page turner written with heart & soul. Thomas tells all and truly appreciate Disney’s determination to fulfill his lifelong dream of a very simple objective: to make people happy! While he would say his mission was not complete; after reading this book, I can confirm he did. R. I. P. forever, Mr. Walter Elias Disney.

Bob Thomas did a great work! I couldn't stop reading because it was so interesting and written in such a great way!I always loved Walt Disney but since I red this book I love him even more.

Un ottimo libro per gli amanti del solo e unico Walter Elias Disney, questo grande genio del secolo scorso. La biografia è super dettagliata - anche fin troppo in alcuni punti in cui si dilunga su dati vari come costi e incassi dei primi lavori della casa di Topolino - con un sacco di informazioni e aneddoti sull'infanzia di Disney, sulla creazione dei primi personaggi e sulla fondazione della Walt Disney Company. Scritta da un autore che ha avuto l'onore di intervistare più volte Walt Disney negli anni e che ha avuto accesso, dopo la morte di Disney, ai suoi archivi personali. Lo consiglio sia a chi ha già conoscenze sul personaggio che a quelli che vogliono rifarsi una cultura su questo straordinario artista.

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