Walt Disney: An American Original-

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Summary: The Key to the Kingdom
Review: "Walt Disney: An American Original" professes to be the authorized biography of Walt Disney. Originally written in 1976, ten years after Walt's death, and then revised in 1994 for the Hyperion Press. The book is well written and told in almost story-like fashion tells the active life of one of the all-time greats of the 20th century: Walt Disney.

Author Bob Thomas nicely builds his life from his ancestral French relatives and how they came to settle in Small Town U.S.A. Giving a sturdy view of his grandparents and parents lives, we come to understand the lifestyle and times in which Walt was born under so we better appreciate his influences. I particularly found it interesting how Walt himself can recall his own childhood with such vividness from the smells, sights and events that went on around him. Seems such a curious child but always with a hopeful attitude.

Once he began working in the animation studio with Ub Iwerks, his longtime friend and extremely gifted animator as well, we can see Walt's career unfolding. The small nuances of the transitions between the Alice comedies and Oswald and Mickey always seemed vague to me, however, this book discussed those moments which became clearer. How Roy came aboard to help Walt is also better understood from this book.

When Walt finally broke ground with Steamboat Willie and Mickey Mouse became a household name, Bob Thomas began already looking towards the theme park as Disney's ultimatum in life. As Walt began preparing the actual construction for the theme park, the author leads us to believe that everything that pre-dated the idea was all for a theme park. From this he began to neglect the animation department and the films themselves. While it may be evident in the late 50's to his death that most of the live-action films that Disney Productions made do not have Disney's hand in them, but there is no mention of how they came about either. Disney oversaw everything that went on and it would have been nice to include Disney's thoughts on various projects.

If one reads "The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation" one gets the sense that Walt was thoroughly involved in all of the animated film to the time of his death, yet this is not clearly implied in this book. "Walt Disney: An American Original" begins with a conversation with the author and Walt as they are driving through the undeveloped location of the future site of Disneyland in Anaheim. It seems, then, from an almost biased attempt to demonstrate that all of Walts works were towards the parks end. If one takes a little time to catch a glimpse of what it might be like to think like Walt based on this book, the park was not the end. Nor was Walt Disney World. Certainly not Tokyo nor EuroDisney. Backtracking in his life a bit, there were moments in Walts life when he was like a ball of fire where everthing he came in contact gave him ideas and inspirations. From the feature length film to television to merchandise live-action film of just about any subject to the theme park. Walt may have made distinctions about where he wanted to center most of his creative energy, but in the meantime he seemed as if he was willing to do just about anything. Yes, Walt was a man who admired experimentation and so new ideas were never put down.

So I find it unfortunate that the focus moved so heavily into the developement of the theme park and not to also include his workings with the animators in the later pictures of Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty and others which receieve only a cursory glance. Also, his life with his wife Lilly seemed remote until the final years of his life when she must have been around the studio more often. His home life is rarely described which leads me to believe he did not have much of a home outside his studio.

The other main focus of the book was Walt's relationship with Roy and their financial problems they had until the opening of Disneyland in 1955. Accoringly, they never made money of their own from the films they made due to many inconveniences such as the war, union strikes, labor costs, and dealing with the wrong people.

The book offers select photos of Walt in his life, but nothing that is striking or new to the usual Disney consumer. Only one photo of the picket line in front of the Disney Studios offers a larger context of times in which Disney grew out of.

It is obvious that The Walt Disney Company still exists, however, I heavily doubt it would be what Walt would have wanted provided he lived. What is most evident from this book is that Walt is a family man, and Disney is a family business. Ron Miller who married his daughter eventually came to be the CEO in the mid-eighties (the worst period in the Disney Studios history). Roy and his son Roy E. both were presidents at one point or another. Before Walt was an animator, before he was a producer and director of films and before he was a theme park entrepreneur, Walt was a storyteller first and foremost. While this is a great book and reads very well, it is certainly not a complete book. It may be said of someone like Walt that a complete biography could never be written in one book.

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Summary: 13 Things I Learned
Review: 13 things I learned 1 - Pigs can't top pigs 2 - Travel and bring fresh ideas back to your business 3 - Watch out for crooks 4 - Trust people who love you 5 - Always be in control of your destinty 6 - Split and diversify 7 - People will act differently around the boss - get comfortable with it. 8 - Stay Positive 9 - Save Time 10 - do something new and valuable every minute 11 - Continue my dedication to education for all 12 - For the Lazy - the Boss' approach could inspire terror, others sure of their accomplishments find it reassuring. It means that their might be a chance their work will be reviewed and approved. 13 - World's Fair Lesson - Business Partnerships can save time and be properous.

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Summary: worthy
Review: a spirited journey into the rich, varied life of an original, a real visionary.

Entertaining, educational and respectful.

Nice work.

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Summary: Walt Disney an American
Review: Disney might have done more to win World War 2 than any other general, president, or any otherworld leader combined. His company was teaming with life while on the verge of bankruptcy. Through his cleverly perceived ideas, he was able to capture the essence of American patriotism and spirit all while rallying Americans to pay their taxes and send their sons to war in the pursuit of freedom.
Walt Disney: An American Original provides an in-depth look at the life of an American icon. It portrays him in both a negative and positive light telling of his successes but also of his failures. This unbiased book leaves no stone unturned and all ground covered. Though LONG and TEDIOUS at times, this book is perfect for anyone looking to make an in-depth look at an "American original."
A man plagued with troubles from the beginning, Disney truly was a hero. From losing his first major successful cartoon to a competing company, a serious polo accident giving him severe arthritis, and a bout with smoking that would eventually cost him his life. This book goes to show that the greatest figures didn't have everything going for them, but learned to overcome the obstacles to obtain their dream.
He was a cold and angry individual. Often you didn't know if he was approachable that day or not. Described by his colleagues as one who values quality over the possibility of making money, it goes to show that people will come and help you succeed if you have a wonderful service to offer them.
Walt Disney: An American Original should be read by anyone inspiring to become an entrepreneur or business leader. Things may not always be easy but as this book plainly details, you may have your ups and downs, but if you believe in your product and work hard you can succeed.

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Summary: Walt Disney's Best Biography
Review: Drawn largely from interviews with one hundred or so family, friends, and co-workers, this biographical sketch allows Walt Disney to shine as the wonderfully imaginative innovator that he was. Bob Thomas creatively transfused enough quotes and facts to draw the reader into the picture. It is quite literally the best biography I have ever read--and this, coming from a lover of biographies.

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Summary: Awesome Book
Review: I just finished reading this book and thought it was absolutely fantastic. It takes you through the life of Walt and his associates as he/they make 'Disney' a household name. The author speaks of the struggles and triumphs along the way. It was interesting to read how many failures he had before becoming successful. This book traces the origins of Mickey Mouse, many of the GREAT Disney films, and, of course, Disneyland. There's a lot of personal stuff. It starts with his father's birth and works it's way to that sad day when Walt passed away. I found the Disneyland part to be some of the most interesting. Honestly, I found this book to be so entertaining that I read it in a few days. After reading, you will understand why Walt Disney is/was such a great man. This book doesn't sugar-coat the truth. It's a great and interesting read. I highly recommend this one to all.

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Summary: A look inside the man that is Walt Disney...
Review: I loved this book. I'm a Disney fan. When I say that, I don't mean that I'm a fan of the "Buy anything and everything" corporate God that is The Walt Disney Comapny. I like them and love Walt Disney World, but I'm more of a fan of the man himself and this book helped me to understand that man.

Tracing his life from birth to his first interests in cartooning, to Laugh-O-Grams, to Mickey Mouse and beyond, this book got inside the personality of Walt himself. It really gave me a sense of what kind of man he was: Hard working, loving, focused, motivated, and always willing to look ahead to tomorrow. You'll look at the Disney empire in a totally different way and feel like you know what Walt would and would not have done with the business had he lived on.

If you want to take a trip back to a time when the name Disney meant quality family entertainment and a vision for a better tomorrow or if you just want a well written biography of a man that helped to change the world, look no further than this book.

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Summary: An excellent biography of an American icon
Review: I read this biography with considerable interest. I was not very old when Walt Disney died, but I remember watching the Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday evening. Even at that young age, I recognized that Walt Disney was something special, something unique.

This book helped to give me a sense of Walt Disney that was much deeper than what I could possibly have gotten from his Sunday night shows or even his movies and cartoon characters. This book brought a real sense of humanity to this great American icon. It helped me to see that Walt Disney was just a man, but a man with a vision and the courage to follow his dreams even in the face of seemingly overwhelming obstacles.

This book takes the reader on a journey from Walt's birth through his death and finally to the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida. This book is easy to read and seems very complete and thorough. I appreciated that the author did not seem to particularly build Walt up, nor did he tear him down. He presented the information in a factual and respectful manner. So many times biographies seem to be written to push the author's agenda and so information seems slanted. I did not get the feeling that this was true with this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to know Walt Disney better and to anyone that would like to read about a true American success story.

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Summary: Wonderful way to celebrate
Review: I recently finished reading this book, which I found hard to put down. I have always been fascinated with Walt Disney and all of his wonderful work. I thought it would be fitting to read his biography at a time when we are celebrating his 100th birthday and I'm glad I did. The book covered his whole life, even going back to his parents' life before he was born, through his death and how the world mourned his loss. I highly recommend it for anyone at all interested in this "American Original."

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Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: I was reluctant to read this particularly biography of Walt Disney because of its apparently sponsorship by the Disney corporation . . . but I found it to be a surprisingly objective view of the man, going so far as to mention his nervous breakdowns, his trouble with unions, his chain smoking, and even quoting him in one instance as cursing (gasp!). Overall, however, it's a delightful portrait of a man who had a genius for creating, and the author's closeness to the Disney corporation obviously gave him access to sources that other biographers would not have been able to consult. An enjoyable, informative read!