From the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, the untold story of the women of Walt Disney Studios, who shaped the iconic films that have enthralled generations
Behind the beloved animated films of Walt Disney Studios, which have moved and entertained millions of viewers, was an incredibly influential group of women who have slipped under the radar for decades. For the first time, bestselling author Nathalia Holt recounts their dramatic stories, showing how these women infiltrated the all-male domain of Disney's story and animation departments and used early technologies to create the rich artwork and unforgettable storylines that have become part of the American canon. Over the decades---while battling sexism, domestic abuse, and workplace intimidation---these women also fought to transform the way female characters are depicted to young audiences.
Based on extensive interviews and exclusive access to archival and personal documents, The Queens of Animation reveals the vital contributions these women made to Disney's Golden Age and their continued impact on animated filmmaking, culminating in the record-shattering Frozen, Disney's first female-directed full-length feature film.
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“Nathalia Holt’s marvelous The Queens of Animation grips from the first page with its alternately harrowing and inspiring tale of the women who breathed life into iconic Disney characters. Holt’s book succeeds on so many levels: as the dramatic story of five creative women; as a candid look inside the secretive Disney studios; as a history of the entertainment industry and women’s roles in it. This important book not only corrects cultural history, it subtly changes it. After reading of the personal and professional struggles endured by the women who enlivened Snow White and Cinderella, for example, it is impossible to view those characters as mere fantasies of passive womanhood. As Holt shows so masterfully, the bright colors and curved lines that become those fairy tale figures are the result of a real woman’s brains, strength, and passion."
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Mary Gabriel, author of Ninth Street Women