Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince: A Biography

Very interesting account of Walt Disney's life.

Allegedly the first biography released without full consent of the studio, Eliot offers an unflattering portrait of Uncle Walt. While some of his assertions are absurd (Disney's incestous relationship with his daughter, Disney's predisposition to cross dressing as part of an alleged Norman Bates complex), the book does address many of the issues that had not been publicly acknowledged prior to it's release. Disney's involvement with the House of UnAmerican Activities Commitee in the 1950s, the animator's strike of the 1940's that nearly crippled the studio, and the fact the Disney studio was the first animation studio to delegate menial tasks to women, are all addressed in this book. Is it totally legit? No. Does it make for an enjoyable read? Yes.

I love the World That Walt Built beyond all reason. I've studied Disney corporate history, I own stock in the company, and I read anything about it I can lay my hands on.That said, I know how difficult it is to get a true account of Walt Disney. The company has offered up his image of sainthood for years, making it increasingly difficult to get past that glossed perfection. Disney will do anything to protect its image (understandably so) and this applies lavishly to whitewashing Walt.I found this book a very moving account of a man brutally abused as a kid, who went through life striving through his unique genius to create and secure the childhood he never had. The book charts Walt's many heights of seeing his various visions to fruition, and the subsequent depression once a dream is realized--the cycle of creativity for us all. And if the book dwells on his considerable darkness, well, there's plenty of room for that. Something needs to balance out the company's, and other writers' God-hype about Walt. His shadow is laid out compassionately in these pages, and Walt Disney stands all the taller for it.

...there was a shy boy who loved to draw and turned out to be one of the greatest icons of the Twentieth Century. This is the story of Walt Disney told by Marc Eliot. The book tells us about Disney's youth, his relationship with his parents and later his wife (Lillian) and children. It also tells how he started his company and how important his brother Roy turned out to be for Walt's achievements, because Walt Disney wasn't a businessman, but an artist who, ironically, couldn't draw so good himself. I don't claim that Walt Disney had no drawingtalent, but I regard that his greatest "gift" were his fantastic ideas (e.g. about what a story/tale successful makes)and his perseverance. Anyhow, Eliot has written a credible book which is fun and easy to read, although he emphasizes the "negative" trait of Walt's character, but Eliot doesn't judge Disney on that, that's something the reader should do. I found this book refreshing and it made me eager to learn more about a true genius, Walt Disney.

If your wanting to learn about the life of Walt Disney, this is one of the two books you MUST read. The other being "Walt Disney: An American Original". This book does an excellent job of walking through the great Mr. Disney's life from the eyes of many people other than those close to his family. It provides very interesting insights into Disney's experiences with the more unpleasant aspects of building a business legacy, such as breaking into the Hollywood community, labor unions, personal hardships, family and business squabbles, friendships gained and lost, and of course...many of his activities as a special industry contact agent for the FBI. But this book never turns into a "mud-slinging" read. It strikes a very good balance of pointing out Disney's unique qualities, good and bad. Although Disney is somewhat of an enigma, this book makes us appreciate that he was, after all, just a man. I would have liked to see the book go on for another 50+ pages with more info on the last 10 years of his life, as the book did seem to rush through those years. But that does not detract from the enjoyment of this book. For more insights into Disney's last years (1970+), I recommend the book "Prince of the Magic Kingdom: Michael Eisner".