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The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 790
EAN: 9780520256194
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0520256190
Label: University of California Press
Manufacturer: University of California Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: April 07, 2008
Publisher: University of California Press
Studio: University of California Press
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Editorial Review:
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was one of the most significant creative forces of the twentieth century, a man who made a lasting impact on the art of the animated film, the history of American business, and the evolution of twentieth-century American culture. He was both a creative visionary and a dynamic entrepreneur, roles whose demands he often could not reconcile.
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. A consummate storyteller, 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.
Based on decades of painstaking research in the Disney studio's archives and dozens of public and private archives in the United States and Europe, 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.
Beginning in 1969, two and a half years after Disney's death, Barrier recorded long interviews with more than 150 people who worked alongside Disney, some as early as 1922. Now almost all deceased, only a few were ever interviewed for other books. Barrier juxtaposes Disney's own recollections against the memories of those other players to great effect. 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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - fair and balanced
In preparation for a recent trip to WDW, I wanted to read a biography the man himself. I spent a good hour looking around on amazon at different bios and what sold me on this one was that it was the most recently published bio and it seemed to be written from a more scholarly standpoint by someone who had done significant research. Also, the page count told me that it was not the standard 200 page fluff bio.
Having read the book leading up to my trip (finishing it sitting by the pool ... Read More
Rating:  - One of the Best
Mike Barrier has been the dean of Disney scholars for many years and this book ranks with the best of Walt Disney biographies. His thoroughness and professionalism as well as his devotion to animation history and particularly to Walt Disney make any of his books required reading for anyone interested in this subject matter.
Rating: - An Absolute Pleasure
I have been fascinated with animation since childhood, and have avidly read animation history books for over twenty years. I discovered Michael Barrier relatively recently, and he has quickly become my favorite writer on the subject. The Animated Man and Hollywood Cartoons are two of the most enjoyable, compelling books on the subject of animation that have been written.
Barrier writes with an academic thoroughness, yet his prose style is a pleasure to read. He analyzes the merits and ... Read More
Rating: - Exceptional!
Michael Barrier has written an interesting, honest and enjoyable account of the life of Walt Disney. Even if you've read a LOT about Walt, this book will still surprise you with new anecdotes and details. The coverage of Walt's 1920's and 30's successes is especially comprehensive. There's not quite as much attention paid to, say, the theme park or the live-action films. But you won't miss it. Pick this one up--one of the best books I've read in the last year.
Rating: - Simply the best available resource on the life and work of a genius
Although it had the misfortune of being released after another biography of the same man, written by a much more famous/mainstream author, this is without doubt the better of the two books about Walt Disney. As a matter of fact Barrier's "The Animated Man" is the best book yet written on Disney and his times--and most crucially, his profession.
Michael Barrier has impeccable credentials in the area of animation history and appreciation. He's written, studied published about and personally ... Read More
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