Bob Thomas (1)Rezensionen

I was four years old when Walt Disney rereleased Fantasia in 1956. Mom took me to a fancy downtown Buffalo theater to see it. It is one my earliest and most vivid memories. And I do believe it influenced my love of classical music.

In 1991 Disney released Fantasia on VCR and I bought it for our son, who was—yes—four years old!

I watched The Mickey Mouse Club and Walt Disney Presents. I was smitten by Sleeping Beauty and had the Madame Alexander Sleeping Beauty doll that also came out in 1959. I enjoyed all the fun family movies with my younger brother. And all the new feature length cartoons that came out during our son’s childhood.

Sometimes I forget the impact Walt Disney had on my life, but reading this biography was such a nostalgic trip through my childhood, I was ready to cry when Walt dies at the end.

The Disney executives had found two previous writers’ biographies of Walt unsatisfactory when they approached Bob Thomas. Thomas had worked with Walt in 1956 when he was asked to write a book about animation. “I want to give credit to the guys who have made these picture for me,” Walt told him. In 1965, Thomas wrote a biography of Walt for children.

Thomas offers a complete treatment of Walt, from his life story to the products of his creative genius. We see the best of Walt, and his not so great moments. But overall, Walt emerges as a man driven by his vision of what could be, who put the excellence of his product foremost, who literally was Mickey Mouse.

I delighted in reading every page.

From his humble beginnings to his groundbreaking achievements in animation, film, and theme park creation, “Walt Disney: An American Original,” explores Disney's innovative spirit, determination, and the challenges he faced in building an entertainment empire. It’s a chronological journey from Missouri to Disneyland and a highlight of all his creative genius and business acumen emphasizing his guiding desire to have people experience happiness. This is the life of a visionary displayed in a very accessible and well written chronicle.

Good book. I didn't know Walt was such a hard ass to work for, but it sure makes sense after reading what he had to go through to get his company off the ground.

An unflinching look at the movie mogul, which shows both his good and innovative points, as well as his petty cruelties and short-sightedness. A lot of the material is pretty familiar, but the book in general is a solid read.

I found this to be a very interesting biography on Walt Disney. I knew a lot about the theme parks and Disney animation, but was surprised at how little I knew about the man's life, particularly his early years.

The preface to this book contains very out-of-context discussions from Diane, Walt's oldest daughter, including quotes along the lines of how Disney's reputation was being questioned and negative things were being said about him. Without context, those quotes made the book start off with a defensive posture, which I found odd for an official biography published by the official Disney publishing company (Hyperion).

Understand that this book is a very uncritical biography. I don't think that takes away at all from the book's impact or importance. In this day and age, it's very easy to do additional research to figure out all that was left unsaid in the book.

Good book overall. Follows Walt Disney from childhood to his death. Seems to be very detailed in some sections and then glosses over others.

Books about a company's history are generally polarizing for me (I either love them or I hate them), but this one fell somewhere in between. The writing could have stood to be improved a bit (not quite enough hard chronology made topics blend together a bit, and I would have appreciated each movie getting a proper treatment), but overall my impression was quite positive. Text nor images dominated each page and I wasn't struck by dissonance between the two - both of which are major problems for many art-focused histories - though my easy reading time may have been facilitated by the fact that I am very familiar with all of the Disney films and much of the history. The book could have used a bit more academic content (indexes, chronologies of films, separate bios of key animators, original stories matched with Disney adaptations), but I don't think that it was meant to be anything more than a decent glance into the history of one of America's oldest companies. Thankfully there are publications that cover in depth discussions of most of the major Disney films, as well as biographies of the Disney personalities and artistic innovations.

Advice book from Debbie. While you do get a lot of autobiographical insight, the advice is that of the 1950's and times have changed.

I really enjoyed this book! Thomas was able to interview those closest to Disney, including Walt himself, as well as read important documents, correspondence, and transcriptions in order to give a well-rounded and detailed account of Walt's life. Of course, I would love an even more detailed biography (360 pages isn't enough!). And while Thomas clearly admired Walt and wanted to do right by him, he does not hide the fact that Walt was a difficult man to work with. Shoot, I would definitely not want to work with him!

Through quotes gathered from speeches, memos, meeting minutes, and interview transcripts, I was able to get a sense of how dedicated Walt was to the idea of "Disney" and family entertainment. He had so many goals, and although he didn't live to see all of them completed, he still achieved so much, as we all know. I admit I teared up a little when Thomas reached Walt's death.

One of the best biographies on the man, by far. Despite it being by Hyperion Press, this book was absolutely fantastic to read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, from a self-proclaimed Disney expert's view.

William Holden is one of my very favourite actors, and during his lifetime, he was one of Hollywood’s favourites too. During the 1950s, he was a huge box-office draw, and the many films he made include such classics as The Bridge on the River Kwai, Sunset Blvd., Network and Stalag 17 (for which he won an Academy Award). Handsome, masculine and talented, William Holden nevertheless struggled with chronic alcohol addiction for much of his life. This book is a respectful biography of the great actor, and I enjoyed reading it very much, although it was hard not to feel sad at the damage that he was doing to his body and by extension, his career and his personal relationships.

The book is an easy read, and is never dull. However, in some aspects, it was more of an overview of events – for instance, Holden’s childhood and adolescence is covered in a couple of short chapters, although as Holden was a private man, he might have preferred it that way. Some of his film also didn’t even get a mention, although all of the high points in his career are covered. I loved reading about his career, and the various films he made, both successful and less so. He came across as I have always imagined him to be – a very gifted actor, with a strong sense of right and wrong (no, he wasn’t perfect, but why should we expect him to be?). There is no escaping the effect of his addiction however, and it would probably be impossible to tell his life story without it.

I did feel a sense of sadness while reading, probably because I knew how it would end – with Holden’s death at the age of 63, when he slipped on a rug in his home and hit his head. His body was not immediately discovered, and this is something that always saddens me when I watch his films or read about him. I am glad that the book dedicated time to his career and the fine work he did in films, rather than being exploitative.

As far as biographies go, this was a good read, which I would recommend to fans. As mentioned earlier, it is thin on detail in some parts, but overall, a well-rounded story of a fascinating life.½

Bob Thomas has written many biographies of Hollywood celebrities. His treatment of Walt Disney is fair, balanced and examines both the negatives and positives Walt Disney's life. In this update of his 1976 work he admits he hedged on only one detail; Sharon Disney, Walt and Lillian Disney's youngest daughter, was adopted. His reason was to respect the sensitivity of the Disney family and I think it was a gracious accomodation over a minor point. Sharon Disney Lund died in 1993. Overall, I like this book and I reccommend it.

Give me a behind-the-scenes book about Hollywood during the Golden Era of the studio system and I'm set. Harry Cohn was a ruthless bastard but I had fun reading about him.

Although not the type of book that I normally enjoy, I did like reading about the beginnings of Disney and finding out more about the "other" Disney brother.

This biography suffers, in part, from being being written to soon after Disney's death. Disney was and is a controversial figure. His influence was and is enormous and whether that be good or bad remains hotly debated. This biography does not fully, squarely address those issues. Rather it is itself rather Disneyeque in its attempt to present a santitized, simplified, idealized view of an interesting man.½

This is probably one of the worst, most boring biographies I have ever read. it seemed to drag on endlessly, leaving me to wonder why bother to read this? William Holden, in my opinion, is a talented star and I wanted to know as much about him as I could. Unfortunately, the writer, dubbed "understanding and sensitive", did not produce a book that could hold my attention for long, hence why it took me so long to read (short reads with long breaks). I would definitely not recommend this.

Mr. Disney, for good or bad, you have given us so much.

Maybe better than the Walt biography.

Briliiant!

NF

GREAT CONDITION!