Walt Disney

The Triumph of the American Imagination

By: Neal Gabler

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 33 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

ONE OF THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S 100 GREATEST FILM BOOKS OF ALL TIME • 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 and USA Today Biography of the Year

©2006 Neal Gabler (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

2007, L.A. Times Book Prize (Biography), Short-listed

"Thorough...[and] engrossing." (Publishers Weekly)

"A balanced treatment of the man and his achievements, realistically assessing Disney's considerable impact and offering insight into the hidden, restless soul who constantly challenged himself." (Booklist)

"We've all been waiting for the perfect book on Walt Disney; it has finally arrived and Neal Gabler's done it. Wonderful!" (Ray Bradbury)

the best biography you could hope for

if your fan of Walt Disney, and want to learn more about the man behind the Persona created for the company, this is the book you need to read. I've heard the story of Walt Disney and his life several times through several different mediums, but this is a whole other level. I was struck by the detail that went in to the early years of his life before the mouse as well as how every life event and production he was involved in is detailed in the appropriate manner. Many of the stories in this book I had heard before, but had never had them tied together in such an interesting way. It's not just the details, it's the context as well. I can't imagine it better biography being written about this man.

Not as in depth in creative. More a business narrative.

As a fan of imagineering and a member of the creative arts community I had hoped for more insight into processes and creativity. Instead this book feels like an accounting journal constantly going over financing and loans and cost of production. I feel like Bank of America got as much mention as Mickey Mouse.

A Relatively Balanced Look at an American Icon

Out of all the biographical works on Walt Disney that I have read, this is certainly one of the most balanced perspectives. Most biographers paint Walt as either a saint of unimpeachable moral character or as a secret villain with a dubious nature. The truth of the matter was that he was neither of these. He was simply a human being who just so happened to become one of the greatest public figures in American entertainment history. And for the most part, Neal Gabler presents this reality excellently by providing the perspectives of both sides on the matter. He includes the opinions of both Walt Disney’s defenders and his detractors without fearing to mention even the most extreme points on either side of the argument. He oftentimes presents the facts as openly as he can and then lets his audience decide their position. He also reminds his audience of the simple truth that Walt Disney was not some superhuman individual, but a person like any you or me and was thus prone to the same failures and successes that accompany all of mankind.

In addition, for the most part, he refrains from substantiating either side too much in order to remain relatively objective in his accounts. However, there are a few issues upon which I felt Mr. Gabler threw off some of his objective perspectives in order to make a point. For instance, Gabler’s philosophy of Walt Disney trying to control reality and everything in it (to the point of what Gabler paints as Walt’s obsession), while certainly a reasonable conclusion from Disney’s life, is often presented as the penultimate view of any account on the man’s actions. To me, it sometimes seemed as if Gabler picked out what points and events support this view (both positive and negative), and focused on them to the detriment of others. It seems like all points Gabler discovered in his research had to fit into this philosophy or they would be relegated to the sidelines. And while it’s perhaps a valid assumption on Gabler’s part, I believe it is still a posthumous explanation of a life created to find more meaning in disparate events and is therefore sometimes bias where it might not otherwise be. Perhaps I’ve just seen too many biographies that were written at a point where the subject became more of an “icon” than a person in the eyes of the public, and am therefore over-sensitive to the practice of mythologizing these figures. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it and seeing biases where there are none. I freely admit that this is my opinion based on personal preference from past reading experience. It certainly did not detract from the overall experience and I absolutely enjoyed the book from beginning to end! I just thought it would be worth mentioning for people with similar experiences to me in the non-fiction genre.

At the end of the day, I understand that Neal Gabler needed a through-line in which to ground the story of Walt’s life and connect it’s various episodes with a common thread. In that case, it is definitely an addition I am perfectly fine with accepting.

My nitpicking aside, this is a well-presented, and well-researched biography of an extraordinary man that (like any account of a person’s life), has its mix of mundane and fantastical elements...Although in the remarkable case of Walt Disney, the latter often outweighs the former, and this book might prove more exciting than most! The narration is also quite well produced and enjoyable to listen to, unlike some of the incredibly dull productions other narrators tend to make in the area of non-fiction.

Overall this was an excellent and informative read on a man who, in many respects, arguably defined the nature of American popular culture and who founded one of the most recognizable brands in entertainment history.

Great Biography of a Great Man

Tried to read this massive tome in physical version and found I couldn't find the time to get in the rhythm. Audio version saved me. Its a lengthy time commitment... 33 hours! .. but worth it. This is a very detailed account of a creative icon in our culture and the inspiring story of how he reached his success. Anyone looking for inspiration to do great work and implement their vision will find it here. Don't give up on this book too early.

A Delightful Surprise

I did not expect this book to be so engaging. Well written, well researched, excellent reading (it's better at 1.25 speed).

Definitive.

There is no way around this: this is the definitive biography on Walt Disney. The only issue that I had with it was getting mired in minutia. Nevertheless, after reading this you will have a full understanding of the man. The miss will melt away, and present itself not for the façade that some plain it is, but for the single part it plays in the life of a multifaceted person.

A biography of a persistent and resilient man.

A masterpiece in biography. You need to be persistent and resilient to finish the book but the rewards along the way and when you are reflecting after finishing the book are all worth it. I love that you get to know the exceptional and the ugly of Walt Disney, after all he was like us a human being.

Delivering details for all Disney fans

This sweeping biography strives to sharing the flaws and triumphs of the man Walt Disney. Beyond the Mouse, this book endeavors to share details on everything from artist to genius and back again.

do not read footnotes!!!

book is excellent and the narration is fine except that he reads all the dang footnotes - very very distracting. writers use footnotes precisely because they are NOT part of the narrative flow. Any academic can look at the paper text for footnote info, if they are interested.Audible should NOT narrate footnotes or at least allow listeners a choice instead of ruining the book with distracting irritations! Are you going to read the index and the table of contents too???

Enjoyable but a bit dry, not my favorite

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

All of the detail shared regarding the production of Snow White and especially details about how the characters were designed and the scenes animated.

Any additional comments?

A lot of research and care went into this book -- and I appreciate that.
I like the parts about Walt Disney's early life and as he started being successful.
Seems like the last half of the book went more into the business aspect of the Walt Disney company and not so much of the Disney magic.
This book is a 31 hour listen -- it didn't keep my interest. If it was a hard copy I would have skipped large sections and only read the parts I was interested in. As it was, I took long breaks where I listened to other stuff in between. I think I finished this in about 2 months.