Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination

Ever since I purchased this book and began eagerly devouring it, I've debated whether I am qualified to write a review for it, or conversely, whether I may be uniquely UN-qualified, and should recuse myself due to bias. You see, my family's mythology is deeply intertwined with that of the late Mr. Disney. I was born in Marceline, MO, Disney's boyhood home, the small Midwestern railroad town which, as I was told growing up and the book clearly relates, formed the foundation for so much of his character, outlook, and artistic vision. The town really is a great slice of small-town American life, even to this day. My parents grew up and got married there, my Father and grandparents are buried there, and I still visit it when I get the chance, which isn't nearly often enough. For those and many other reasons, the Disney mythology deeply resonates with me. But, with as much objectivity as I could muster, I decided to go for it. I apologize for the long back story, but it's an integral part of my review and is what inspired me to write, so it bore mentioning. Neal Gabler's "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination" is a fascinating, absorbing, and detail-filled examination of the life of a man who not only desired to re-create his own earlier, idealized rural (translation: Marceline) experiences, but who expanded that vision to the rest of the world through his pioneering work in both animation and entertainment. Nothing is missed: Walt's early and (perhaps even over-dramatized) difficult childhood; The creation of the Disney studio and it's early successes including Mickey Mouse, one of the world's most recognized artistic and commercial symbols; the animated triumph of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves; the devastating animator's strike of 1941, and the post-war metamorphosis from cutting edge folk artist to corporate defender of cold-war conservatism and "right-wing" values. Gabler manages to portray the whole story in a disarming and captivating, straight-forward, one would almost say, mid-western, tone that I for one can certainly relate to. The resultant impact that Disney (and the huge mega-corporation he almost single-handedly created) has had on society, culture, and even politics has been mixed to say the least, and the book argues, successfully I think, that there is no clear-cut, clean and simplistic answer to the question, was it for good or ill? Ironic, considering that black and white, good versus evil simplicity versus shaded, ambiguous and complex meaning were recurring themes throughout his artistic life, and by extension, that of our country, more relevant than ever in this day and age. I found the book to be very balanced, with equal credence given to both sides of that coin. Occasionally, I found myself getting bogged down in the pedantic details of the development of the animation and the inner dynamics of the company. But they weren't too overwhelming, and in the end, they were both necessary and complementary to the main story of Disney's life. In fact, the book works on several levels: in-depth biography, socio-cultural exposition, artistic history lesson, and to boot, a damned interesting business read. For me, in the end analysis, I was able to capture, or really re-capture through reading this fine book, a sense of my own childhood as seen through my family experiences in literally THE small-town America (once I got that Main Street, USA in both Disneyland and Disney World were modeled after his youthful memories of Main Street in Marceline, it all became clear). The idea that a substantial part of my world-view was shaped by watching Disney movies as a kid and heck, even as an adult, and the way Disney created an alternative universe, simplistic or not, that one can escape to (or do we live in it at least partially today?) is compelling. The book captures all of these ideas and more. I think that anyone, regardless of their connection to the Disney story, would feel the same, and that is the mark of a good book, now isn't it?Finally, a shout-out: To my Aunt Erma, who still lives in that wonderful small town, I love you, Aunt Erma!Please be kind if you read, this is my first book review!Randy Blew

Walt Disney has become a legendary character of the twentieth century. So much was written about him, and so much was inaccurate, that the legends often attained a currency that was not deserved. How many times have we heard that he was frozen? Gabler (who was the first of Walt's biographers to work with rare Disney family records) opens the book with this statement (it's not true.)The truth is much more interesting than that.Disney was an optimistic, hardworking go-getter with an astounding capacity for concentration who fell in love with the early twentieth century's high technology--motion pictures. Motion pictures drawn by hand.He had the perseverance to start over again every time he failed artistically and financially. And fail he did. This is one of the most unlikely success stories ever told, since the Disney Brothers studio was working in a marginal field (animation) in a minor city (Kansas, then Hollywood, when the animation studios were all in New York), and attempting to make it as an independent producer just as the big studios were forming, eliminating independent competition in all but a few areas by 1928.He made it because he had the unfashionable idea that quality would out, he had a tremendous amount of luck and he knew how to make appealing entertainment(Mickey Mouse was NOT the first successful character he created). Disney also had a real genius for hiring talented people. A surprising number of remarkable artists started with him in Kansas City, others were trained right on the studio lot.Mr. Gabler's book is readable and contains much new information. Who would have thought that Charlie Chaplin was, at one time, Snow White's Prince? Chaplin, one of the few independent producers left by 1936, loaned his books for MODERN TIMES to the Disneys to help them ask fair prices for their landmark feature. For Disney's weak spot was running the business--he once actually forgot to add on the profit to the budget for a job in Kansas City, and was forced to work for cost of materials, with no salary for him or his animators! The 1941 strike by his artists was seen as a personal betrayal--but this strike can be predicted when you read about that early project. The Dream was the goal but (as an old cartoon states) coal is still somewhat important. Disney had his head in the clouds, and his brother Roy, who played the father's role to his sibling since childhood, was a major reason why Walt's feet were kept on the ground. It was a fine parntership and this is really a dual biography.The truth about Disney is not sensational or scandalous--just refreshing after decades of inaccuracy and outright fabrication that somehow passed for fact.The weakest part of the book is Gabler's attempts to psychoanalyze Walt's obsession with animation production as a desire to control his world. Of course he controlled his world. This is what all artists do. We animators love creating characters that APPEAR to think and move for themselves. They are really just an expression of our own sentiments and desires; we create life. That's what animation means. It's wonderful being able to control every aspect of the film's production-to be leading man, leading woman, and sets as well! Disney is hardly exceptional in this respect and the psychological insights don't ring true for me.As one other animator told me, Disney was remarkable because 'he was the only man in the world who ever got 500 artists to work together in one building without KILLING each other!"Buy this book.

What surprises me the most is - how come this biography of unmatchable stature is not in the list of the Best Biographies Ever?Had no idea of this Biography even a few months ago. By chance I read two other books related to Disney - Bob Iger's "The Ride of a Lifetime" and then "Be Our Guest."The information I read about the person Walt Disney made me interested to know him more and this I found this very book and ordered in scecptically as it was relatively expensive and also not much known.But, I'm more than overwhelmed with this stately Biography of a man who change many of my inherent notions about the best of the CEOs ever and moreover about what all someone can achieve from whatever meagre background and adverse situations in life against all odds from all ends in life and livelihood.Read it. And recommend it to anyone looking for one of the Must Read Biographies Ever!!

Impecavelmente detalhada e completa! Biografia inspiradora e bem escrita.Leitura obrigatória para que aprecia a obra deste gênio.Muito Motivadora .

Meticulously researched, exquisitely written. Gabler is clearly a professional writer who has gone to great lengths to give his reader a detailed-as-possible rendition of Walt Disney's life and work. The length of this book may be offsetting for some - and it was indeed exasperating at times - yet I personally found it to be difficult to stop reading and became genuinely addicted to "the story" of this American icon. I have read no other biographies of Walt Disney, but I cannot imagine there is a better one out there. Highly recommended.

Gabler's biography of Disney is the best I have read and I have read nearly all of them. The product of huge amounts of research, it is a well balanced and even handed review of the man's life and work. The writing is superb, drawing the reader on as Disney and his staff make ever greater leaps into the unknown in the 20s and 30s. The disappointments of the 40s and early 50s are well documented and Disney's move toward the theme parks is covered with impressive detail. More of the man behind the films emerges from this book than any previous biography I have read, (Leonard Maltin's was previously the best in my view) and although he remains a tantalisingly unfathomable subject, something of his personality emerges via the interviews and documentary evidence. The overall impression one gets from this book is of a man driven in everything he did, eventually stretched to point where, at his dealth aged 65, he'd packed in several normal lifetimes. Most highly reccommended.

Great