Walt Disney

Starred review from September 25, 2006
Few men could be said to have as pervasive an influence on American culture as Walt Disney, and Gabler (Winchell
) scours the historical record for as thorough an explanation of that influence as any biographer could muster. Every period of Disney's life is depicted in exacting detail, from the suffering endured on a childhood paper route to the making of Mary Poppins
. The core of Gabler's story, though, is clearly in the early years of Disney's studio, from the creation of Mickey Mouse to the hands-on management of early hits like Fantasia
and Pinocchio
. "Even though Walt could neither animate, nor write, nor direct," Gabler notes, "he was the undisputed power at the studio." Yet there was significant disgruntlement within the ranks of Disney's employees, and Gabler traces the day-to-day resentments that eventually led to a bitter strike against the studio in 1941. That dispute helped harden Disney's anticommunism, which led to rumors of anti-Semitism, which are effectively debunked here. At times, Gabler lays on a bit thick the psychological interpretation of Disney as control freak, but his portrait is so engrossing that it's hard to picture the entertainment mogul playing with his toy trains and not imagine him building Disneyland in his head. 32 pages of photos. 100,000 first printing.

Starred review from October 1, 2006
Gabler is probably best know for his biography "Walter Winchell and the Culture of Gossip" (1994); now he examines one of the most notable men of the 20th century. From his rough childhood to his success in Hollywood, Walt Disney never rested on his laurels and constantly strived to achieve the goals he conjured up. According to Gabler, he was complicated and difficult to understand. Even with his worldwide recognition, Disney suffered from nervous breakdowns and a constant need for money to complete his projects; he let his hobbies overshadow his family and few friends. And yet people would have done anything to work with this legendary figure. Gabler is the first writer to have complete access to the Disney archives, and it shows in this revealing and fascinating portrait. Fans of compelling biographies and of Disney himself will be thrilled to have this in their collection. A mandatory purchase for all public and academic libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 7/06.]"Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L."

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2006
Touted by the masses as America's beloved storyteller, derided by cultural gatekeepers as a philistine, Walt Disney was undeniably one of the most significant figures on the twentieth-century cultural scene. And as Gabler shows in this massive, thoroughly researched biography, Disney's cultural influence went far beyond the beloved cartoon characters he created. The early work produced by Disney and his talented staff--the phenomenal Mickey Mouse shorts of the early 1930s and such groundbreaking feature-length films as " Snow White" and " Pinocchio" --drew near-universal critical acclaim and massive commercial success. After World War II and a disastrous strike that shattered the benevolent if paternalistic utopia Disney had created for his employees, he disengaged from the cartoons, much to their detriment, to tackle new enterprises including live-action movies, TV, and theme parks. An ambitious planned community was on the drawing board at the time of his death in 1966--confirming evidence for Gabler's contention that Disney aimed to provide Americans not with escape, as is commonly thought, but with "control and the vicarious empowerment that accompanied it." Although Gabler focuses on corporate matters at the expense of critical treatment of the films, he presents a balanced treatment of the man and his achievements, realistically assessing Disney's considerable impact and offering insight into the hidden, restless soul who constantly challenged himself, risking the financial stability of his empire more than once in his unceasing pursuit of his dreams. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)