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Summary: Great Book!!
Review: This was such a great book!!! It catalogues the life of this great man from the start of his life to his fatal battle with lung cancer. From his early failures to his great successes. Bob Thomas offers a touching tribute to the man who did so much to bring joy to others and change people's way of thinking. Thomas, who over the years conducted several interviews with Walt, wrote this book from a reporter's point of view, but with respect to the legacy of Walt Disney. Walt was known as a champion risk-taker and never stopped thinking of what the future held. From his earliest days in Marceline, Missouri, Walt possessed the ability to get what he wanted from the people around him, and the ability to continue when life hit him hard. Most know and remember Walt Disney as the creator of Mickey Mouse and Disneyland, but few realize just how hard it was for him to reach the top. Walt overcame many battles, and Thomas illustrates that in detail by including excerpts from interviews and material from the Disney Archives. Walt had to face a rough childhood, bankruptcy, disloyal employees, stolen characters, numerous creditors and countless skeptics before he encountered success. He always found a way to make things work, though, and brought joy to millions of people in doing so. By reading this book, you are able to share in Walt's triumphs and losses and feel as though you have lost a great friend when it goes into his battle with lung cancer and untimely death at age 65. Upon Walt's death, the world mourned, but his legacy continues to live and will continue to touch the lives of children, young and old, for generations to come. I have always been fascinated with anything Disney related and thought that Walt Disney: An American Original was a wonderful book and would recommend it to anyone interested in Walt Disney, the person. Walt Disney was a wonderful human being; someone the world was lucky to have, even for such a short time. This year is the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney's birth, so wherever you are, Mr. Disney, 'Thank you.'
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Summary: It Made Me Believe!
Review: This was the most inspiring biography I have ever read. I bought it while on vacation at Disneyworld in Orlando this past November with my girlfriend and family, and I couldn't stop reading it. I found the most interesting period of his life to be the years between 20-35, when no one would give him a chance. I am a fiction writer who has written seven novels in the past decade (my 20s), and each of them has been rejected so many times I don't even want to think about it. I can not tell you how difficult it is to put everything I am as a human being into something I believe in and to face as much disinterest from agents, publishers, editors, magazines, and universities as I have. Many of Disney's friends gave up on him. Even his family began to think he was crazy. To read that Walt Disney went through a very similar period in his life to what I'm currently going through was like giving me a light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. It made me hope. And when a book can do that, you know it is something special, man. Walt Disney truly was an American original; more than that, though he was a person who inspired dreams, goodness, and optimism even in the face of terrible adversity. Stacey
Rating:
Summary: A first-rate biography for a first-rate man
Review: Walt Disney was my hero as a child. I grew up a few miles from Disneyland; the re-release of a Disney animated classic was a major event in my life. I first read Bob Thomas' biography when it was released in 1976, when I was thirteen. I recently reread it, and found it just as enjoyable as the first time around. Sanctioned by the family, Thomas had full access to the Disney records, and he provides what every major historical figure needs: a book that gets the facts straight, so that other biographers and historians can then argue correctly about interpretations. And it's all here: his early life, the creation of his cartoons, the development of Disneyland, his political beliefs. While there is an adulatory, respectful tone throughout, that does not mean Bob Thomas ignores the more troublesome times of Disney's life, such as his conflicts with organized labor before WWII, or his growing conservatism. I know today there is a considerable groundswell of hostility toward's Disney's cultural dominance of our childhood. But as the product of that dominance, I can say that Disney's creations created in me a love of art, a sincere appreciation for the past, and a genuine belief in childhood's sanctity. My 3-year old daughter absolutely adores the classic cartoons, which we always watch together. Walt Disney is a classic American figure, and this biography serves him well.
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Summary: Read and learn!
Review: What can I say. This is a great book if you're interested in finding out about Walt Disney. (Of course some say that it leaves a lot of stuff out... actually it does, but hey, like I said, it's a great book to find out about Disney... of course if you want to make a thesis out of it, it won't be enough, but then again, nothing will be). Of course it's the official biography, sponsored by the family, and yada yada yada... but is not flat at all. It comes down to the facts. If it left some things out by request of the family, they're not important things anyway... it's just out of respect (what would YOU think if it was your family!) I mean, when I want to know about Disney, I want to know about the work, about the man... if his daughter was adopted or if he actually said bad words, that's not important. It makes no difference. Of course he wasn't a saint, and of course he was human like the rest of us. this book shows the part that wasn't like the rest of us. There's a lot to be learned from this book if you pay attenion to it. Walt Disney was a man who, if he wanted to do something, he did it. No bull. No ifs, no buts. When he had a dream, he saw to it that it would come true. That's something most people nowadays don't do.
And another thing... I just read Leonard Mosley's "Disney's World". It just made me love this book even more.
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