The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life
by Steven Watts. 568 pages, 2001.
Steven Watts, professor at the University of Missouri at Columbia, specializes in American intellectual and cultural history. Due to his writings on popular culture, he has appeared on television programs discussing Walt Disney and Henry Ford. I would be hard-pressed to label this work as just a biography--it sits better as a hybrid biography and cultural analysis. Although Watts is an academic professor, his writing is very engaging and he presents theories in a way that most people will be able to follow.
Watts takes a very detailed look at Walt Disney and how the influence of his entertainment empire truly affected American popular culture. We start at the first inklings of Disney's youth and the how the overall effect of living a rural Missouri farm life influenced the young artist and entrepreneur. Watts takes us through every major period in the Studios' history until the opening of Walt Disney World after Disney's passing. Insight into Walt's philosophies and those of the American psyche proves to be the the capstone of the book. We are led to see that through Walt's desire to entertain, he was influenced by popular culture, and then, in turn, became the arbiter of what was considered popular culture during his lifetime.
What I found most intriguing is the presentation of Walt Disney as such a large and popular character during most of his adult life. I was born a few years after Walt's death, so I missed knowing Uncle Walt on TV and through his contact and coverage with the media. To me, Walt Disney was synonymous with the Company; it wasn't until I became a Disney enthusiast (and Junior Woodchuck) that I really came to appreciate Disney and how much of a popular figure he was. During the major periods of the Company's history, Walt was one of the biggest non-celebrity people in Hollywood--meaning that he even eclipsed many movies stars for popularity.
This work focuses on how American popular culture was actually shaped by the profound accomplishments of the Disney Company. From the success of the early animated shorts to the runaway phenomenon of the coonskin caps--Watts looks at most every major milestone in the company's history. Although it is presented as a work on the after effect of Walt Disney, it also goes fairly deep into the story of Walt's life.
A picture of Walt is painted that is familiar to most Disney enthusiasts. He is portrayed as a warm and caring father, a shrewd entertainer with his finger on the pulse of America and an entrepreneur responsible for shaping and creating entertainment as we know it.
This book is a good choice for people that are researching Walt and the Disney Company--and for people looking for another look into Walt and his career. It should not be your first choice for a biographical look (try Barrier's The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney
or Thomas' Walt Disney: An American Original) but Watts does present a thoroughly enjoyable and eye-opening book about Walt Disney.
by Steven Watts. 568 pages, 2001.Steven Watts, professor at the University of Missouri at Columbia, specializes in American intellectual and cultural history. Due to his writings on popular culture, he has appeared on television programs discussing Walt Disney and Henry Ford. I would be hard-pressed to label this work as just a biography--it sits better as a hybrid biography and cultural analysis. Although Watts is an academic professor, his writing is very engaging and he presents theories in a way that most people will be able to follow.
Watts takes a very detailed look at Walt Disney and how the influence of his entertainment empire truly affected American popular culture. We start at the first inklings of Disney's youth and the how the overall effect of living a rural Missouri farm life influenced the young artist and entrepreneur. Watts takes us through every major period in the Studios' history until the opening of Walt Disney World after Disney's passing. Insight into Walt's philosophies and those of the American psyche proves to be the the capstone of the book. We are led to see that through Walt's desire to entertain, he was influenced by popular culture, and then, in turn, became the arbiter of what was considered popular culture during his lifetime.
What I found most intriguing is the presentation of Walt Disney as such a large and popular character during most of his adult life. I was born a few years after Walt's death, so I missed knowing Uncle Walt on TV and through his contact and coverage with the media. To me, Walt Disney was synonymous with the Company; it wasn't until I became a Disney enthusiast (and Junior Woodchuck) that I really came to appreciate Disney and how much of a popular figure he was. During the major periods of the Company's history, Walt was one of the biggest non-celebrity people in Hollywood--meaning that he even eclipsed many movies stars for popularity.This work focuses on how American popular culture was actually shaped by the profound accomplishments of the Disney Company. From the success of the early animated shorts to the runaway phenomenon of the coonskin caps--Watts looks at most every major milestone in the company's history. Although it is presented as a work on the after effect of Walt Disney, it also goes fairly deep into the story of Walt's life.
A picture of Walt is painted that is familiar to most Disney enthusiasts. He is portrayed as a warm and caring father, a shrewd entertainer with his finger on the pulse of America and an entrepreneur responsible for shaping and creating entertainment as we know it.
This book is a good choice for people that are researching Walt and the Disney Company--and for people looking for another look into Walt and his career. It should not be your first choice for a biographical look (try Barrier's The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney
or Thomas' Walt Disney: An American Original) but Watts does present a thoroughly enjoyable and eye-opening book about Walt Disney.
3 comments:
I heartedly agree. Watts' biographies are a wonderful read.
"It should not be your first choice for a biographical look"
I disagree. This is actually my favorite book on Walt Disney, the man. I've read the others and I preferred this one. It seems to have the most small interesting stories that display his character. The Thomas book is too company-friendly and is too by-the-book and typical (I didn't learn anything new). I prefer this to the Gabler book as well.
as the owner of a considerable library of 'walt' books, i ordered this title just this morning as a result of your review. i look forward to reading it upon arrival.
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