The Man Behind the Magic: The Story of Walt Disney

Follows the life of Walt Disney from his boyhood on a Missouri farm through his struggles as a young animator to his building of a motion picture and amusement park empire.

Grade 6-12-- This interesting biography portrays Disney's life as one of vision, disappointment, and phenomenal success. He built an entertainment empire that began with innovative animation techniques and continued, even after his death, with the construction of Walt Disney World and the Epcot Center. This young man from Missouri had a tendency to push both himself and his staff, which led to serious personnel and financial problems in his rocky road to success. This chronological biography documents his career, concentrating more on the man than his "magic." In contrast, Barbara Ford's book (Walker, 1989), capitalizes on the Disney creations, giving more in-depth information about Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Donald Duck, and gang. Both works present a true-to-life picture of the genius of this talented man. However, the black-and-white photographs are more extensive and interesting in this work, and an additional eight pages of full-color photographs from animated movies further enhance it. --Judie Porter, Media Services Center, Portsmouth School Department, RI
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.