BOOK REVIEW:
When
it comes to animation and theme park, no one can deny the
fact that it‘s the legendary Walt Disney who set the
benchmark.
As someone who grew up faithfully watching
Mickey, Donald and Goofy on the small TV every week, the name
“Walt Disney” stands for a force not to be reckon.
To that little boy glued onto the screen, “Walt Disney”
is akin (might be an overstatement to some) to God.
In
“Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination”,
the man himself is demystified by Neal Gabler. Gabler spent
years on his own researching the Disney archives, various
libraries, interviews with countless individuals before churning
out this biography. The result: a hefty 912 pages book detailing
every single aspect of Walt's life you will ever imagine.
From Uncle Walt’s childhood, family to his numerous
failures and achievements till his death. Practically nothing
is left uncovered.
Gabler
took a fair approach and painted Disney as a man despite his
creativity, talents was a total control freak to his stable
of animators. Disney wanted everything under his stringent
eye and has no qualms spending long hours at the studio supervising
every tiny details of his animation productions. But the most
surprising fact was Disney didn’t really gain as much
as what people thought in terms of monetary terms. He was
a man who only focused on quality. Money was not a priority
as the studio went through a time of depression and war. He
wanted nothing but the best for his animations, he even resort
to holding free training sessions for his animators. Profits
earned from the animations were quickly ploughed back to the
company. Something which we seldom heard of in the corporate
world now including the present Walt Disney Company.
Reading
Gabler’s account, it’s quite astonishing to learn
that Disney never gave up his dreams despite numerous setbacks
in his life. He went through a period of depression but bounces
back with more vigor to continue his passion. With the constant
advice and assistance of his brother, Roy Disney, he was able
to finally build the theme park of his dream in the later
part of his life, a place now famously knows as “Disneyland”.
Walt
Disney was a common man blessed with an exceptional mindset
and optimistic nature. With the passing of the chain-smoking
Uncle Walt, one of America’s greatest imaginary in 1966,
he has left a huge legacy for the world to witness and the
rest of the generations to indulge. Gabler’s biography
of Disney is truly a genuine heartfelt read.
Ever
wonder how Mickey Mouse was born and classic such as “Snow
White and the Seven Dwarves” was conceived? Who are
the Disney’s nine old men? This book answered them all
and opens up the vast unique world of Walt Disney.
CHOICE XCERPT:
“It bears only the name Walter Elias Disney. It was
here, guarded by a hedge of orange olivias and red azaleas
and hidden behind a holly tree and behind a white statue of
Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid gazing contemplatively
at invisible water that Walt Disney seemed to have fulfilled
his family's destiny. He had escaped. And it was here that
he fulfilled his own destiny too for which he had striven
so mightily and restlessly all his life. He had passed beyond
the afflictions of this world. Walt Disney had at last attained
perfection.”
VERDICT:
“Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination”
is the most comprehensive, uncompromised biography of Walt
Disney ever to surface on this earth almost 42 years after
his death.
Review
by Linus Tee
|
