THE DISNEY VERSION

by Richard Schickel ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1968

This is Disney, or rather the ""beautiful beautiful machine"" that was/is Disney, Walter Elias Disney, the midwestern Pied Piper who transported a world wide audience of untold millions through carefully wholesome plots to determinedly happy endings. This is Disney, the tinkerer, the manipulator, the man who controlled an industry worth over $100,000,000 and fretted because ""he could not draw Mickey or Donald or Pluto. He never could."" In fact he couldn't even duplicate the initials that were his trademark. In a biography that is a highly accomplished interlacing of social, aesthetic and psychological criticism, the author gives a compelling summary of the man as reflected in his creations; his small town orientation, the apple pie virtues: ""he sincerely treasured the values he portrays in his films."" This is also a history of animation and Subliminally of Hollywood as the Horatio Alger kid from the brutal background rises to become the last of the movie moguls. It's an admitted love/hate relationship with a subject summed up in one statement about the Disney Empire: ""As capitalism it is a work of genius; as culture, it is mostly a horror."" While Mr. Schickel admires ""the entrepreneurial spirit triumphant"" he also condemns the depth of banality it is capable of touching. Disney admirers won't enjoy The Disney Version but few can fault it for its in-depth perception.

Pub Date: April 1, 1968

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1968

Categories: NONFICTION