The definitive portrait of one of the most important cultural figures in American history: Walt Disney. Walt Disney was a true visionary whose desire for escape, iron determination and obsessive perfectionism transformed animation from a novelty to an art form, first with Mickey Mouse and then with his feature films–most notably Snow White, Fantasia, and Bambi. In his superb biography, Neal Gabler shows us how, over the course of two decades, Disney revolutionized the entertainment industry. In a way that was unprecedented and later widely imitated, he built a synergistic empire that combined film, television, theme parks, music, book publishing, and merchandise. Walt Disney is a revelation of both the work and the man–of both the remarkable accomplishment and the hidden life. Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography USA Today Biography of the Year
The range of Walt Disney's accomplishments is remarkable. He is considered the most successful filmmaker in history. He won 32 Academy Awards, far more than those of any other filmmaker. He revolutionized the amusement park and resort industries, and his theme parks have been praised as among the most outstanding urban designs in the United States. As Ward Kimball, one of Walt Disney's most prominent animators, once said, "At the bottom line Walt was a down-to-earth farmer's son who just happened to be a genius." Walt Disney spent his formative years in Missouri. Some of the direct influences of these years on his career are documented in this book. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the first feature-length animated film to be produced, was inspired by a black-and-white, live-action silent film version of "Snow White" that he viewed as a teen-ager in Kansas City. A theatrical production of "Peter Pan" that he saw as a child in Marceline, Mo., led to his own animated version of the story. Born in Chicago in December 1901, he moved with his family to a farm near Marceline, where he lived from ages 4 to 9. "To tell the truth," Walt Disney once wrote, "more things of importance happened to me in Marceline than have happened since--or are likely to in the future." The town of Marceline was the inspiration for many features of future Disney theme parks, and the pastoral setting he lived in there is also reflected in many of his films. Except for a couple of years spent in Chicago and France, Disney lived in Kansas City from 1911 to 1923. During his years in Kansas City he learned the discipline that would enable him to persevere and prevail through the many hardships he experienced as a struggling filmmaker. It was in Kansas City that he trained to become a commercial artist and an animator, and Kansas City was the location of his first film production studio, Laugh-O-gram Films. Walt Disney's Missouri not only tells the story of the young Disney growing up, but it also paints a picture of the Kansas City he knew. With the bankruptcy of Laugh-O-gram Films, Disney moved to California, drawing with him many of his Kansas City colleagues, who would eventually win fame in animation themselves. This richly illustrated book describes Disney's Missouri years and chronicles his many connections and returns to the state until his death in 1966. The book also details two little-know projects in Missouri that Disney seriously considered in his later years--theme parks in his "hometown," Marceline, and in St. Louis. As his daughter Diane Disney Miller says in the foreword to the book, Walt Disney was "truly a Missourian."
Discover the story of Disneyland, Walt Disney's visionary theme park in Anaheim, California. This bountiful visual history includes stunning color photographs, concept drawings, as well as ephemera from the historical collections of the Walt Disney Company and the golden age of photojournalism, to trace the park's development and immersive...
Walt Disney always loved to entertain people. Often it got him into trouble. Once he painted pictures with tar on the side of his family's white house. His family was poor, and the happiest time of his childhood was spent living on a farm in Missouri. His affection for small-town life is reflected in Disneyland Main Streets around the world. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this biography reveals the man behind the magic. This book is not authorized, licensed or endorsed by the Walt Disney Company or any affiliate.
In TASCHEN's first volume of one of the most expansive illustrated publications on Disney animation, 1,500 images take us to the beating heart of the studio's "Golden Age of Animation." Derived from the XXL book, this new edition again includes behind-the-scenes photos, story sketches, and cel setups of famous film scenes. It spans each of the...
Gorgeous never-before-published photographs and fascinating personal memories celebrate the half-a-century career of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks, a self-taught animator who became the first to animate Mickey and Minnie Mouse and an exceptional draftsman, prolific innovator, and all-around technical genius who directly collaborated with Walt Disney to create some of the most loved moments throughout film and theme parks. Even before the creation of Mickey, Walt established a reputation as a technical leader in Hollywood and frequently relied on the counsel, expertise, ingenuity, and creativity of a kindred spirit, lifelong friend, and fellow virtuoso: Ub Iwerks. Up till now, Ub and his many technical inventions and techniques have been largely unknown by the general public. His illustrious career consisted of dozens of innovative contributions, large and small, to both animated and live-action motion pictures, as well as the fields of optics, film processes, and special effects. He was also the major force behind the design of special cameras, projectors, electronics, and audio for theme park projects, and much more. The high standard set by Walt and Ub continues to inspire artists and technicians within The Walt Disney Company as they explore new avenues of quality entertainment. Here is a one-of-a-kind appreciation to an extraordinary man and an outstanding career, a record of his many inventions and accomplishments, and a tribute from a grateful son to his remarkable father.
A immersive guide to the attractions and landmarks Walt helped create in his original Magic Kingdom! Walt Disney's personal imprint remains firmly intact at Disneyland. Walt's Disneyland allows guests to walk around Disneyland identifying the attractions and landmarks Walt championed, touching what he touched, and seeing his original Magic Kingdom through his eyes. Walt's Disneyland is organized land by land, clockwise, beginning with Main Street, U.S.A. then on to Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. A must-have to add to your Disney Parks collection!
Walt Disney's animated feature film Fun and Fancy Free opened in September 1947. It was an unusual kind of "package feature," combining two featurette-length stories, Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk, in a single motion picture. The two stories were elaborately mounted within a third framing story featuring Jiminy Cricket, and the whole package was further enhanced by the talents of two popular performers: Edgar Bergen and Dinah Shore. Moviegoers who enjoyed this diverting feature were unaware that its various components had been in development for the better part of a decade. Now, for the first time, this Monograph chronicles the full, fascinating history of the making of Fun and Fancy Free. Richly illustrated with over 125 sketches, paintings, and photos, many never previously published, here is the hidden story behind a delightful and underappreciated Disney gem.
