Book Review: Walt Disney The Triumph of the American Imagination
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Disney. You may have noticed since I’ve dedicated an entire blog to it? Like millions of others, I love the theme parks, the movies and Disney’s recurring message of pursuing your dreams. I’m also a huge fan of Walt Disney himself. It’s hard not to be if you’re a fan of the company he created.
Many books and documentaries attempt to cover the details of Walt Disney’s fascinating life. One of the most thorough accounts is Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler. Written in 2006, Gabler’s extensive book covers every detail of Walt Disney’s life from his birth in the early 1900s to his death in 1966. It’s 600+ pages of Disney’s every move presented in a straight-forward, well-documented manner. There’s very little emotion here, just facts. Gabler tends to hide his opinion on his subject throughout the book, preferring to let his readers draw their own conclusions on Walt Disney’s life choices.
Frankly, the amount of detail in the book will be too much for some readers. If you’re looking for a light read on the major events of Walt Disney’s life then this particular book, at least in it’s written format, is not for you. However, if you’ve already heard the highlights of Disney’s life and are interested in learning more about the man and his numerous accomplishments, I encourage you to give Gabler’s book a try. I learned more from this book than any of the previous ones I’ve read on Walt Disney’s life.
Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination is incredibly informative and hugely inspirational in surprising ways. Gabler covers the detail of every business move, from Disney’s tremendous successes to his plentiful failures. He chronicles the creation of Mickey Mouse, Disneyland and every venture in between. The book also offers interesting facts about Disney’s early films, such as the original list of names for Snow White’s dwarfs. (Awful, Flabby and Burpy? Really?) Gabler also sheds light on Disney’s difficult personal life, from his strained relationship with his father to his ongoing friction with those who were brave enough to work for him.
The book is too long to review thoroughly without getting long-winded, so let me summarize it this way. Gabler’s book on Disney’s life reminds us that incredible things can come from imperfect people. Disney failed a lot, personally and professionally. He dropped out of school at a young age. He bankrupted his company numerous times. His temper often got the best of him. Yet, he overcame these flaws through hard work, imagination and perseverance. He used setbacks as fuel to try harder. He translated his personal pain into uplifting movies and inspiring theme parks to spread joy with millions of strangers. Overall, he kept learning, pushing and refusing to give up his dreams.
Despite the textbook-like delivery of these facts in Gabler’s book, I find these ongoing themes from Walt Disney incredibly inspiring. I hope that you do too.
If you don’t want to tackle Gabler’s book, another great resource on Walt Disney’s life is PBS’ American Experience. You can watch it online at this link.
Make the most of your day today and add a little magic to your world!
