Play Audiobook Sample
Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.01) - 1,416 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Synopsis
If you've always found yourself fascinated with the life and achievements of Walt Disney, you've undoubtedly longed to "meet" the man behind the magic. In Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, that's exactly what you will get. This well-researched biography does a fantastic job of introducing us to Walt Disney, and it provides an inside look into the creative mind of the man who has captivated the hearts and minds of millions worldwide for decades.
Over the years, many myths have been developed regarding Walt Disney, and the type of man he was. Finally, fans of Disney will gain complete understanding, as they venture back to his childhood and relive some of the events that helped to shape Walt Disney into the man he would become - focused on innovation and eager to create something out of what looked like nothing to the average observer.
Walt Disney was certainly an innovative thinker. His obsessive nature and willful determination is largely responsible for the creation of modern animation. His first animated character, Mickey Mouse, is still an icon for young and old alike, all around the world. As we all know, Walt Disney refused to stop there. He was always pushing for more, and working to be better. His drive produced animated films like Snow White, Pinocchio and Fantasia. His vision for a better animation resulted in films that were a beautiful depiction of real life, as opposed to the poor creation they had been in the past.
In addition to the unique glimpse into how Walt Disney created his magical animated characters and the theme parks that are still world-famous to this day, Neal Gabler gives us a wonderful look at the Walt Disney that didn't appear before a camera. His anxiety, his disappointments and his loneliness all played a part in creating a man who was almost constantly in the public eye, yet suffered in silence. If you've heard rumors about Walt Disney, this is a great book to find some real answers to some questions you might have had your entire life.
Neal Gabler is a journalist who has been credited with contributions to an incredible amount of publications. Among them, The New York Times and Vogue, both sing his praises as an insightful writer with a knack for capturing the truth. That fact was not lost in the penning of Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. Gabler's career has included a stint as a panelist on Fox News, time spent teaching at the University of Michigan and Penn State, and a total of four books.
"I really liked this book. I felt like Disney had the creative geninus that has more recently brought us Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, etc. He was not satisfied with achieving one goal, but created one larger than the last. It seems like he chased new opportunities that seemed like they would be fun for him and left the repetition of past achievements to others."
— Chuck (4 out of 5 stars)
Walt Disney Listener Reviews
-
" I'd recommend this biography to anyone interested in a very detailed look at the career of a man who helped shape the US popular culture from the 1930's - 1960's. His impact on animation, television and family entertainment, for better or worse, cannot be denied. "
— Tracey, 2/11/2014 -
" inciteful book. this was a seriously driven man.he never attained the dream, his life appears to be lonely because of his unique ideals "
— Maureen, 1/24/2014 -
" Really interesting, in-depth view of Disney's life. "
— Michelle, 1/20/2014 -
" Reading for the second time - really a great book! "
— Travis, 1/15/2014 -
" Great comprehensive study of WED, but exhausting. By the end feels more like a catalouge of every meeting he every attended than a story. "
— Richard, 1/9/2014 -
" Fascinating look at Walk Disney's life and work. Chronicles his childhood through death and the drive for perfection and story that motivated him to the end. "
— Nathan, 1/4/2014 -
" exhaustive look at Walt's life "
— Ben, 12/27/2013 -
" Not bad. Gabler goes pretty soft on Uncle Walt, but it's a reasonably good portrait of a man so complex that two or three additional volumes would be needed to do him justice. "
— Chris, 12/13/2013 -
" Definitive. There are hundreds of biographies of Disney, but this is the one to read. "
— Richard, 11/28/2013 -
" I finished it -- WOOT! "
— Sarah, 9/15/2013 -
" Awesome book on one of my idols. "
— Christopher, 8/2/2013
About Neal Gabler
Neal Gabler is a journalist. He works as a professor for the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton. He graduated from Lane High School in Chicago, Illinois, and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan and holds advanced degrees in film and American culture.
About Arthur Morey
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.