Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination

Version: Abridged
Author: Neal Gabler
Narrator: Leonardo Leoncavallo
Genres: History, Biographies, Dramatization, Entertainment
Publisher: Random House Audio Assets
Published In: October 2006
# of Units: 8 CDs
Length: 8 hours
Ratings:
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Overview

Seven years in the making and meticulously researched, here is the definitive portrait of one of the most important figures in American entertainment and cultural history.
From the young Walt Disney breaking free of a heartland childhood to the visionary whose desire for escape honed an innate sense of what people wanted to see on the screen, witness Disney reinvent animation, first with Mickey Mouse and then with his feature films, from a novelty based on movement to an art form that presented an illusion of life.
Gabler reveals a wounded, lonely and often disappointed man who at times retreated into pitiable seclusion in his model train workshop, yet still reshaped the entertainment industry by building a synergistic empire in a way that was unprecedented and later widely imitated.
This is a masterly biography, a revelation of both the work and the man-of both the remarkable accomplishments and the hidden life.

Reviews (2)

Pretty Good!

Written by Brad on February 29th, 2012

  • Book Rating: 3/5

The book is pretty good. It did bog down in a few places. Overall, it was enjoyable and informative.

Minimal Magic

Written by Jan on January 23rd, 2010

  • Book Rating: 3/5

A good book, as far as it goes. But given the incredible genius and visionary and artist about whom this book was written, I think there could have and should have been much, much more between the pages. A good basic biography though.

Author Details

Author Details

Gabler, Neal

Neal Gabler is the author of "An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood, "which won the Los Angeles Times" "Book Prize for history. His biography "Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity "was named best nonfiction book of the year by "Time. "He appears regularly on the media review program "Fox News Watch," and writes often for "The New York Times "and the "Los Angeles Times. "He is currently a senior fellow at the Norman Lear Center for the Study of Entertainment and Society in the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Southern California. He live