I am a massive Disney fan. I’m lucky enough to have gone to Disneyland and Disney World (and I am counting down until I can go back to Disney World). I’ve read all sorts of insider posts about the parks and watched all the documentaries that I could get my hands on. Of course, I’ve also done a ton of reading about the man himself. I love the fact that he was a self made man who worked hard to become one of the biggest names in entertainment. I had been wanting to read a biography about him for ages, but there were so many of them that I wanted to be sure I chose the right one for me. This book paints a beautiful picture of Walt Disney: it’s honest and doesn’t sugar coat his failures, and it doesn’t over exaggerate his successes. It’s the definitive biography for any fan who wants to know more about who Walt Disney was not only as a filmmaker, but also as a person.
“After I die, I would hate to look down at this studio and find everything in a mess,” Hazel retorted “What makes you think you won’t be using a periscope?”
This book follows Walt Disney’s life from his early life in rural America to his final day. It follows Disney through his earliest experimentation with newspaper cartoons, to his first animated short, to the failure of his first cartoon business to the very first office of the Walt Disney Company that we all know and love today. He was relentless in pursuing his passions and dreams. This book documents that fact that he never left himself become comfortable or complacent. Often as he mastered one craft, he leapt to another. He took risks that didn’t always pan out, but he never let his failures dissuade him. I had done a lot of reading about Disney and the Walt Disney Company before, but this book is laden with little know anecdotes and quotes from his friends and family. One I particularly loved was a conversation with his his nurse and confidant Hazel George: Disney said “After I die, I would hate to look down at this studio and find everything in a mess,” Hazel retorted “What makes you think you won’t be using a periscope?”. It’s little tidbits like that that really added to this book (also, any time Hazel George comes up is delightful).
I really loved learning more about the dynamic between Walt and Roy Disney. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, they disagreed about business decisions all the time (notably, Disneyland before Walt and the investors convinced him). There was one story about how he and Walt sat together and discussed the fact that they had almost 20 million of debt. Instead of getting angry, Roy and Walt laughed and reminisced about the times when they could hardly get a thousand dollar loan and how incredible that they were in a position of success that they could accrue so much debt.
Walt Disney is unarguably one of the most iconic figures in not only film but also in pop culture. This book is a unique account of his life: it’s based on Bob Thomas’s meticulous research and personal interviews with some of the people closest to Walt. It’s this personal touch that really made this book seem more like someone telling stories and anecdotes about Disney than a list of facts and details. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Disney, it’s a beautiful tribute to a man who has had an incredible impact on so many lives. This is the easiest 5/5 rating I’ve given in a long time.
30 Comments
Disney is love. From book labels to soft toys to colouring books, I collected them all. Nicely written.
Thanks!
This looks and sounds amazing! I might have to give this book a try☺️
Sophie
http://www.graphicsbysoph.co.uk
Thanks!
I am a huge Disney lover so this is a book I recon I need to invest in! Also super jealous that you have been to Disney Land and Disney World!
Abigail-xo
abigailtalksabout.com
It’s so, so, so good! Also, I would highly recommend Disney World
i’m not much of a reader but this seems like a very interesting book, definitely will be reading it in the future!
It’s a really good read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did
I LOVE Disney so I had to read your review! I’m so excited to hear that you liked it so much! It is always great to learn more about the iconic people we are raised hearing about and how they lead such real and relatable lives. Thanks for sharing!
Disney is the absolute best! Thanks for reading!
This sounds like a great book, he certainly was an extraordinary man
Thanks for sharing
Mike
It’s very good, I’d highly recommend it
Wow! This book sounds so good! And your review just makes me want to read it even more! Great post! xx
Thanks so much!
No problem! xx
Being a fan of Disney, I would definitely give this book a read ♥️ Amazing Review girl!
Thanks a ton!
Sounds like a great book. Big fan of Disney also. Then again who isn’t lol
Tiana/ http://www.fablemoonsays.com
True! Pretty hard not to be a fan!
Sounds great! I’m trying to get into reading so i will buy this soon.
I hope you enjoy it!
This is a lovely review, I might try find it somewhere and give it a read. Seeing this post was also such a coincidence as I’m going back to Disneyland on Tuesday!
I’m very jealous, have a wonderful time!
Big fan of Disney here too and this sounds like a book I’d love to check out simply because…well,…he’s Disney! And thank you for the great review! A book rated 5/5 is definitely worth checking out! 🙂 Followed your amazing blog! Hope to see you on mine too 🙂 It’s hookedonbookblog.wordpress.com See you there! xoxo
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! He’s definitely a fascinating historical figure.
Sorry it’s hookedonbookzblog.wordpress.com
I ended up going to your Twitter and finding the right address 🙂
You are the best! Tq! 😘😘
I absolutely love Disney and watching documentaries about his life like you! I’ll definitely be giving this book a read, it sounds great! X
Em // dailydoseofem.blogspot.com
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!