Walt's Imagination--The Life of Walt Disney

July 9, 2018
Walt Disney may be a household name, but readers may be surprised to learn of the man behind the franchise. Rappaport introduces him as a child who found a reprieve from difficult family circumstances through performance and art. At 16, Disney joined the Red Cross and used his earnings to create his own animation studio; eventually, focus, determination, and “a mouse named Mickey” led to Disney’s success. Readers well versed in early Disney cartoons will recognize familiar characters in Pomeroy’s art—he uses a rich, painterly style to convey moments from Disney’s life and legacy. Setbacks, including an animators’ strike and the onset of WWII, are offset by pivotal events, such as the planning and development of Disneyland. Readers may be particularly intrigued by details relating to the assiduous work of early animation. Ages 6–8.

June 1, 2018
A hagiographical account of the great animator's early years and later triumphs.Next to the rest of the inspirational and aspirational entries in the Big Words series (Martin's Big Words, 2001, etc.) this carries a muddled message. Rappaport gives the nod to many of Disney's creative innovations, but, particularly toward the abrupt end, Disney comes off as more control freak than genius. Efforts to sanitize his classic rags-to-riches career include a weaselly claim that he "felt betrayed" when his animators went on strike for proper pay and film credit (the accompanying picture shows him sulking in a chair as picketers march outside). Even in her afterword she neglects to mention some of his less-stellar achievements, such as his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (and, for that matter, Song of the South). Several of the large-type taglines interspersed throughout are likewise bland ("Music has always had a prominent part in all our products"), and a closing reference to Disney's legacy in the modern theme parks' "many rides and many stores" sheds a rather commercial light on Walt's characterization of Disneyland as an organic tribute to all imagination. In the illustrations, Pomeroy, a Disney Studios veteran, supplies big, vivacious views of his subject at various ages, often surrounded by versions or sketches of Mickey and other cartoon creations as well as a largely white workforce. A shiny but veneer-thin profile. (timeline, illustrator's note, bibliography, source notes) (Picture book/biography. 6-8)

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Starred review from June 1, 2018
Grades 1-3 *Starred Review* This gorgeous biography relates the highs and lows of Walt Disney's life, from his childhood in rural Missouri to his experimental cartoon shorts to the creation of Disneyland. Rappaport lauds Walt's admirable qualities?his drive and imagination?and sprinkles his famous quotations within her narrative. In simple, straightforward prose, she also touches on Walt's controversial side, such as his unfair treatment of workers and disdain for unions. Pomeroy's exquisite one-and-a-half-page illustrations, however, are the book's main draw. His sharp shading showcases Walt's energetic facial expressions, and the thick paint casts shadowy creases in people's hair and clothes, mimicking the realism and liveliness that made Walt's groundbreaking animation so compelling. Sometimes, Walt's famous characters appear alongside him. In one image, a grinning Walt enacts a scene for an animator while the black-and-white Silly Symphonies skeletons dance in the background. In another, painters load cartoon cells onto a special camera, helped by Snow White and the seven dwarfs. This celebration of Walt's ingenuity and imagination covers the scope of his many visions, while also making it to clear to young readers that he had to work hard and take risks to make his dreams come true.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)