In his compelling new biography, noted animation historian Michael Barrier avoids the well-traveled paths of previous biographers, who have tended to portray a blemish-free Disney or to indulge in lurid speculation. Instead, he takes the full measure of the man in his many aspects. Barrier describes how Disney transformed himself from Midwestern farm boy to scrambling young businessman to pioneering artist and, finally, to entrepreneur on a grand scale. Barrier describes in absorbing detail how Disney synchronized sound with animation in Steamboat Willie; created in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sympathetic cartoon characters whose appeal rivaled that of the best live-action performers; grasped television’s true potential as an unparalleled promotional device; and not least parlayed a backyard railroad into the Disneyland juggernaut.
The Animated Man offers freshly documented and illuminating accounts of Disney’s childhood and young adulthood in rural Missouri and Kansas City. It sheds new light on such crucial episodes in Disney’s life as the devastating 1941 strike at his studio, when his ambitions as artist and entrepreneur first came into serious conflict.
What emerges is a portrait of Walt Disney as a flawed but fascinating artist, one whose imaginative leaps allowed him to vault ahead of the competition and produce work that even today commands the attention of audiences worldwide.
The book is published by University of California Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.
“A uniquely comprehensive and compelling story about Walt Disney.” (Daniel Goldmark, author of Tunes for ‘Toons)
“Michael Barrier’s biography of Walt Disney is impressive, with a remarkable range of interviews.” (Kevin Brownlow, Director)
“The best critical study to date of Walt Disney and his worlds.” (Karal Ann Marling, editor, Designing Disney’s Theme Parks)
©2007 Michael Barrier (P)2023 Redwood Audiobooks