Walt Disney
By
Neal Gabler
Read by
Leonardo Leoncavallo
Release:
11/07/2006
Runtime:
10h 11m
Abridged
Quantity:
“Mesmerizing . . . there’s nothing Mickey Mouse about this terrific biography of Walt Disney (1900-1966), arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century American culture. The research is astonishingly detailed . . . . About this superb biography, one can hardly be temperate. Gabler’s only obvious flaw is also his great strength–the sheer amount of detail and material he presents to the reader. But his engaging, unobtrusive prose, his passion for his workaholic subject (whom he regards as both genius and monster), and his steady march through an amazing career all inspire trust and gratitude. Here, then, is the definitive portrait of Walt Disney, the Dream-King.
Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World (December 3, 2006)
Among shortlisted titles for L.A. Times Book Prize (Biography), 2007
Among shortlisted titles for L.A. Times Book Prize (Biography), 2007
Among shortlisted titles for L.A. Times Book Prize (Biography), 2007
Seven years in the making and meticulously researched, here is the definitive portrait of one of the most important figures in American entertainment and cultural history.
From the young Walt Disney breaking free of a heartland childhood to the visionary whose desire for escape honed an innate sense of what people wanted to see on the screen, witness Disney reinvent animation, first with Mickey Mouse and then with his feature films, from a novelty based on movement to an art form that presented an illusion of life.
Gabler reveals a wounded, lonely and often disappointed man who at times retreated into pitiable seclusion in his model train workshop, yet still reshaped the entertainment industry by building a synergistic empire in a way that was unprecedented and later widely imitated.
This is a masterly biography, a revelation of both the work and the man–of both the remarkable accomplishments and the hidden life.
From the young Walt Disney breaking free of a heartland childhood to the visionary whose desire for escape honed an innate sense of what people wanted to see on the screen, witness Disney reinvent animation, first with Mickey Mouse and then with his feature films, from a novelty based on movement to an art form that presented an illusion of life.
Gabler reveals a wounded, lonely and often disappointed man who at times retreated into pitiable seclusion in his model train workshop, yet still reshaped the entertainment industry by building a synergistic empire in a way that was unprecedented and later widely imitated.
This is a masterly biography, a revelation of both the work and the man–of both the remarkable accomplishments and the hidden life.
Release:
2006-11-07
Runtime:
10h 11m
Format:
audio
Weight:
0.0 lb
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780739340301
Publisher:
Penguin Random House
Praise