Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination
by
Neal Gabler
Good Books rating 4.23
Technical:
- ID: 145
- Added: 2025-09-03
- Updated: 2025-09-03
- Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.
- Published: 2006-01-01
- Reviews: 3
A portrait of the private life and public career of Walt Disney ranges from his deprived youth, to his contributions to the art of animation, to his visionary creation of the first synergistic entertainment empire, to his reclusive and lonely private world.
Reviews
Pull quotes
- What I find valuable about this biography is its overall depiction of Disney as a frustrated artist.
- Disney, as his own best customer — ultimately regarded control as a form of escape, and vice versa.
- Despite Gabler’s subtitle, it’s the sadness of the man and his personality that lingers in this book.
Pull quotes
- The biography's greatest achievement is its ability to humanize an icon while still acknowledging his extraordinary impact.
- Walt Disney emerges as neither the sanitized corporate symbol nor the controversial figure some have painted him as, but rather as a visionary whose flaws and determination were inextricably linked to his achievements.
- Gabler’s engaging prose and thoughtful analysis make it consistently absorbing.
Pull quotes
- The talent, the homies, and the work ethic were all key components to his success.
- What I don’t think can be compromised on was the ability to calmly and repeatedly make risky bets.
- How many people have Walt’s level self confidence and swing for the fences mentality?