Walt Disney: An American Original

I bought this book years ago after a trip to Disney World, caught up in the magic of it all. Like many things you buy on a whim, it ended up on my bookshelf, collecting dust. I finally picked it up to read after a recent return trip, and I'm so glad I did. Seeing the parks again reignited my curiosity about the man who started it all, and this book was the perfect way to dive in. This isn't just a simple story of "a man had a dream." It's a detailed look at Walt Disney's life, from his childhood in the Midwest to the creation of a global entertainment empire. What I found most interesting was learning about his mindset. The book gives you a real sense of his relentless drive and his thought process behind the characters, the movies, and the parks. It paints a picture of a man who was constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries of what was possible. For anyone who, like me, is in awe of what Disney created, this book offers a fantastic look behind the curtain. It’s not a fairy tale version of his life; it touches on the struggles and the immense challenges he faced along the way. Reading it has given me a much deeper appreciation for the parks and the films. A Deeper Look at the Man Behind the Magic Summary: This biography gives a comprehensive and chronological account of Walt Disney's life. It covers his early life, his start in animation, the creation of Mickey Mouse, the ventures into feature films and television, and the monumental task of building Disneyland. The book really shines in providing context for the creative and business decisions that shaped the Disney company. Pros: It's incredibly detailed and well-researched, offering a thorough history of Walt's life and work. The book provides great insight into his innovative spirit and his hands-on approach to his projects. Learning about the numerous setbacks and financial hurdles he had to overcome was genuinely interesting. It gave me a newfound appreciation for the details and storytelling in the Disney parks and movies. Cons: At times, the book can be a bit dense with business details and names, which might slow some readers down. While it covers his whole life, the focus is heavily on his professional achievements, with less on his personal family life.

I have a confession -- I don't like biographies. I have read too many which contain extraneous information, are completely boring, or lag in all the wrong places. When I bought this book, therefore, it would be safe to say that my expectations were not sky-high. I was wrong. Bob Thomas's Walt Disney -- An American Original is among the best biographies I have ever read. This book checks all the boxes a biography should while also managing to remain interesting and entertaining. Anyone can read it -- high schoolers, college students, an adult looking for something to read on a long car trip. The entire course of Walt's life is covered -- the history of his family in America, his childhood, his time in World War I, his marriage and family life, and his tumultuous journey into the world of film and animation, culminating in Disneyland and the ever-famous Walt Disney World. Bob Thomas was aided in creating this litany of Walt's experiences by the willing cooperation of the Disney family, which gave Thomas an amazing source of information. This ranges from letters and telegrams written by Walt to personal photographs and humorous anecdotes involving Walt (when Walt said that he would look down on the company after death, Disney's nurse tartly remarked that he may be using a periscope instead). It is this attention to detail, the little stories and experiences in Disney's day-to-day life, which helps the reader feel as if he or she truly understands Disney. I'm not a fan of five star reviews, particularly for biographies, but try as I might, I cannot find something to criticize. Therefore, it is with both reluctance and excitement that I award this book five stars, as it cannot be denied that this may just be the best biography which it has ever been my pleasure to read. Basically, if you want to know the secret behind the Disney company, you have to understand the founder. And if you want to understand the founder, the man, the genius Walter E. Disney himself, you should read this book.

Bob Thomas' "Walt Disney: An American Original" is an excellent look into the life of one of America's last truly great dreamers. The story starts with Disney's early years in Marceline, KS and follows his life chronologically through post-war France, Kansas City and on to places like New York and California. Along the way the reader experiences the birth of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, one of Walt's earliest popular creations and eventually the development of the character that put Walt Disney in the spotlight: Mickey Mouse. Thomas covers the ups and downs of creating cartoons and the growth of the Disney name as a family-friendly institution. He reveals the struggle of Disney and his brother, Roy, as they tried to remain independent of the major studios. He also shows how the Bank of America always managed to cast a dark, debt-filled shadow over the Disneys until later in both of their lives. We learn that films considered classics today such as "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan," started their legendary lives as flops as far as profits were concerned. We also get a look into the development of Disney as a force on television and in live-action films such as "Old Yeller". The primary message that I got from this book is simple: No matter how much the odds were stacked against him and his brother, Walt continued to pursue his dreams. Mountainous debt, failed films, crooked promoters, pressure from union organizers and many other problems failed to stop the Disneys from achieving their goals. The book culminates with the development and opening of Disneyland and the beginnings of what would become Walt Disney World. Disney World is the one dream that Walt never lived to see attained. However, we all know how well that particular venture has done since its opening in October of 1971. This book is enlightening, humorous and empowering. I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever been looked down upon for being a dreamer. Walt Disney's life is proof of how far dreamers can really go, and Bob Thomas has done a wonderful job of capturing Disney's dreams on the written page.

Heather Looking Through the Eyes of Walt Disney When many of us think of the name Walt Disney we think of a man who was a prominent figure within the american animation industry; the one who created the cartoon character Mickey Mouse. With this legacy aside we take a step back into the early years of Walter Elias Disney’s life and realize how his life had many struggles and hardships. The biography An American Original- Walt Disney, by Bob Thomas, takes us back to a part in Walt’s life that most people aren’t familiar with. Disney was a young boy who worked for his dad’s, Elias Disney, a newspaper delivery business. Walt went to school like all the other kids but most of the time he found himself in the art school just down the street from his house. As he grew up he often found himself thinking about what his future looked like. Against his dad’s will he attended art school and learned how to make basic cartoon character and how to animate them. Walt’s imagination went wild and he soon made Mickey Mouse and other animated characters such as Clarabelle Cow and Donald Duck would follow. Later on he created Disneyland, the most magical place on earth. Not long after he imagined Disney World but wasn't able to see his vision completed before he passed away. In An American Original- Walt Disney, the theme is determination. When something may seem so hard you can’t overcome it something good will always come out of, it even if you don’t know what it is. Many times when Walt Disney would go to deliver papers in the snow he would find it was so high it went over his head. Occasionally he would find himself just waking up because he passed out. Then he would have to go to school and start all over in the evening. Even though it may have seemed tough and not worth it Walt brought home money for his family and was able to provide food and eventually he went to art school. This biography is put together very well. I loved the part where they went into his childhood and told us about his life. Bob Thomas also included many of Walt’s early cartoons that many of us forget about. I also liked how they included pictures of Disney and his family. There were also things that I did not like about this book. It was a long book and I felt that some stories went into too much detail. I also felt like some things repeated and Thomas could have just focused on Walt Disney more than his father who was mentioned a lot. A person should read this book if they are interested in history and anything Disney. If a reader enjoyed this book I would recommend reading Disney's Art of Animation #2: From Mickey Mouse to Hercules or Walt Disney: Magician of the Movies. I would give this book four and a half stars because it was lengthy but the information was incredible. This book kept me wanting to read more.

The "Walt Disney: An American Original" by Bob Thomas gives a detailed description of Walt Disney's life starting from his youth and leading all of the way to his passing. The book gives a detailed story about the mess that was the Disney family. Readers learn what challenges Walt faced when growing up in various parts of the US. When reading this book you will also learn the incredible journey Walt took to create his company and parks. Readers learn all about the things the Walt Disney Company were able to create and achieve throughout the years. I believe this book did an incredible job of capturing Walt's life and bringing his journey to life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story of coming up or anyone who loves the Walt Disney Company.

I've read 20+ books about Mr. Disney, his life and the genesis of his theme parks. This book by Bob Thomas is by far the finest. It is both detailed and interesting; a combination often difficult to achieve. I appreciated this book even more because I worked at the Anaheim Park when I was in high school, back in the 1960s. It generated many nostalgic memories for me. Thank you, Mr. Thomas.

Of all the books on the market about Walt Disney – some good, some negative, I chose Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas and am glad I did. Thomas paints an outstanding portrait, rich in color and detail, charting the course of Disney’s rise from Midwestern farm boy with a passion for cartooning to the film industry’s animation trailblazer, and finally to the remarkable visionary behind Disneyland and later DisneyWorld and EPCOT. Those who choose to focus on Disney’s negative side should read this work to understand the pivotal role Disney and his studio played during the 1930s. Many art and architectural graduates who otherwise would have remained in the unemployment line during the Great Depression found jobs at Disney. Surprisingly, Disney encouraged his animators to take art classes and even drove them to art school himself. And such Disney creations as the beloved Mickey Mouse, and animated classics including The Three Little Pigs and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs lifted the spirits of moviegoers during those lean economic times. Thomas delves into the heart and mind of Disney, connecting the reader to his creative genius, his sterling work ethic, his drive and pursuit of excellence, and to his other role – that of stern but loving father. Disney transformed entertainment in America like no other, laying the foundation for pop culture. In this detailed and entertaining book Bob Thomas successfully proves that Walt Disney was indeed An American Original.

I had previously ordered a different biography of Disney, which was so dull I set it aside and have not picked it up again. This book, on the other hand, held me enthralled from the first pages, and after two days I have almost finished reading it. I found it fascinating because I have always wondered how the "Steamboat Willie" cartoon led to the precedent-shattering "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." And then the other great cartoons, the live-action movies -- and, finally, the precedent-shattering theme parks. Now I understand that "Steamboat Willie" was the very first animated cartoon WITH SOUND. It was also precedent-shattering, in its own time. What Disney and his associates accomplished was very, very difficult, but they did it -- and so Mickey Mouse soared into world-wide fame. Perhaps another reason for my fascination was that the book brought back so much of my childhood and youth. I think my brothers and I visited Disneyland as soon as my parents could be persuaded to go (up from San Diego to Anaheim), and I've been back many, many times. One of my favorite movies was "Cinderella," and my brothers and I were consumed by "Davy Crockett Fever." "The Parent Trap," "Mary Poppins" -- the list goes on and on, and I finally see clearly the creative genius of Walt Disney. When they made him, they broke the mold. Highly recommended!