By Neal Gabler Reviewed By Alejandro Villareal
Raised in a small town with an abusive father, broke from having bankrupt his first animation studio in Kansas, Walt Disney showed up in Hollywood with only a suitcase and a business card, yet became a successful studio chief in only a few years.
Vision and determination are two words that perfectly describe the entrepreneurial archetype of the 20th century.While many false myths have surrounded the life of Walt Disney, author Neal Gabler gives the reader a journalistic view into the life of a man who began as a fledgling animator of newspaper ads, but who eventually transformed the Disney name and brand into a household name and a pop culture phenomenon recognized across the globe.
With its realistic approach, this biography draws an inspiring portrait of Disney as a person who never looked before he leaped into uncharted territory. He became the first Hollywood leader in animation, family films, television shows and theme parks. (As a result, Disney was also the first to develop what is known today as a multimedia corporation.) He took many risks to achieve his dreams and often nearly bankrupt his company to reach those dreams.
But his artistic ambition also came with a solid business sense.When arriving in Hollywood, Walt, and his brother Roy, started an animation studio that eventually brought popular characters into the public eye. Using the marketability of his animated shorts, Disney looked for innovations to trump the competition, such as adding sound, music and color to his cartoons. Eventually, he poured most of the studio’s funds into a full–length animated films, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, that many in the entertainment industry called “Disney’s Folly.”
Gabler’s book stands as a testament of a man who continually sought to top each significant achievement throughout his life. The bigger the dream, the bigger the challenge and the bigger the reward. He never gave concern to what cynics thought and followed his vision without compromise to the end. “I dream,” said Disney. “I test my dreams against my beliefs. I dare to take risks. I execute my vision to make those dreams come true.”
The book also details the Disney Company’s many ups and downs in its first decades. There were commercial hits (Dumbo) and flops (Fantasia); a workers’ strike that halted production; and financial troubles that plagued the studio during World War II.
And as an employer, Walt Disney is seen as both a demanding and genial figure. He was a perfectionist who demanded his employees share his determination and commitment. But he also fostered a creative atmosphere for all his employees, leaving them room to grow and flourish. He also coined the term “plussing” for his employees: to “plus” the product meant to continually “improve” the product, or to give it more quality. (One example was the “plussing” of Mortimer Mouse’s name to Mickey Mouse).
Gabler’s book demonstrates that Walt Disney constantly took risks to achieve his dreams, and while there may have been some failures attached to those risks, Disney’s successes have been marked down in history. The author seems to conclude that if there is any secret to be learned from Disney’s life, it is that Disney never feared failure. His main goal was to share his dreams with the world despite what anyone thought. And that is exactly what he accomplished.
