How Disney became an Icon

This is a very thorough and interesting story starting from Walt's youngest days. It describes in detail exactly how Walt created and built a brand that became the gold standard in family entertainment for generations of Americans.

I only wish the books scope had extended beyond Walt's life to chronicle the ups and downs of the company in the years since his death.

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Very good

Really interesting. Well written. Well read. Disney lead an inspiring life, and this book gives a good sense of him as a person. Recommended.

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Brilliantly Insightful!!

We often think that people or companies that currently rule the world in a certain field or genre was there from the beginning and it’s only by reading their bio you find that they had a dream and pressed forward with what they wanted with years and years of people trying to stop them and or doubting they’ll make it. Disney deserve all it has because of its founder Mr. Walt Disney!! A most read for any business and or creative.

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Not Enough About Disney as Innovator & Creator

I read biographies about great people to learn about what and how they achieved their incredible value achievements. Walt Disney revolutionized animation technology, movies, TV, and amusement parks in creating much of what we now associate with modern American pop culture, especially in the integration of movies, TV, and merchandise (toys, clothing, etc.). Disney innovatedly created a company dedicated to integrated cultural production, using intellectual property rights in patents, copyrights, and trademarks. I was expecting this book to delve more into these facets of his character, mind, and productive endeavors. It did in the chapters focused on his work in the 1920s through early 1940s (start of WWII). These were thrilling and inspiring chapters. But there was too much detail about his ancestors, as well as too much about his personal life and familial interactions. The book ended, not by taking about the details of his indelible impact on modern life and culture, but instead with extensive details about his family issues and recounting in exacting details his grave (and pseudo-psychologizing these details too). The recounting of Disney's early innovations in both art and business, and the all-too-brief discussions about the later inception and implementation of Disneyland and his entrepreneurial embrace of TV, made this book worth the read, but it was equally frustrating in what it didn't cover. For example, Disney innovated the use of depth in animation, and he received a patent for his invention of a new camera mechanism that made his animated films breathtakingly realistic in this respect. His original prototype of this camera mechanism is in the lobby of the Disney studios in California, but there's no mention of the invention or use of this intention in this book. There's certainly discussion of his creativity and innovations, but I wanted more of this, and less psychologizing, and fewer details about his vacations, family interactions, and other personal facts that are mundane and no different from anything anyone else has in their lives.

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Excellent, excellent,!

I could listen to this book over and over. For the hundreds of times I've been to Disneyland..... And all the facts I thought I already knew about Walt Disney ...... I learned so much. Talk about being awe of another human being. I found myself tearing up or randomly smiling throughout this whole book. The next time I walk through Disneyland I will definitely have a different perspective of everything that came before that wonderful place. I highly recommend reading this period

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Highly recommended

Very interesting and thorough. Great insight on an American genius. Clarified some misrepresentations of the man.

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Not complete book

Be warned that this is not the complete book . The other title option that says 33hrs , that is the correct audiobook.

This was still very interesting and well read. If you dont want to spend 30+ hrs, this still gets the job done main storyline wise

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The Last Line

The line of this book made me tear up, it’s what Walt always wanted and he achieved it.

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Incomplete

I got this Audible version to accompany the print version. This Audible version is incomplete. The print has significantly more text than what is read. Yikes!

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Just okay.

For me it fell short on giving me more of an insight of his mind and why he made the choices he made.

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