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A Brief History of Walt Disney
A fascinating account of Walt Disney's own significant artistic creations and an insightful history of the hugely successful entertainment behemoth he created.
- GenresNonfictionBiography
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2014
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50 people want to read
About the author
Brian J. Robb
79 books23 followersBrian J. Robb is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling biographer of Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, and Brad Pitt. He has also written books on silent cinema, the films of Philip K. Dick, Wes Craven, and Laurel and Hardy, the Star Wars movies, Superheroes, Gangsters, and Walt Disney, as well as science fiction television series Doctor Who and Star Trek. His illustrated books include an Illustrated History of Steampunk and a guide to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth (Winner, Best Book, Tolkien Society Awards). He writes and edits the Chaplin: Film by Film centenary blog site and is co-editor of the Sci-Fi Bulletin website. He lives in Edinburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 22, 2024
A really great and insightful book on Walt Disney as well as the company itself spanning from pre Mickey days to more recent times. I learnt quite a bit I hadn't known about Disney history, so I really recommend it if you're a Disney history nerd like myself.
March 4, 2025
3.5 stars
A good introduction to the history of the Disney company. While I feel like the book could’ve delved more into interesting topics like Walt Disney’s antisemitism, his persecution of supposed ‘communists’ in his company and that unforgettable Michael Eisner quote: “We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make a statement. But to make money, it is often important to make history, to make art, or to make some significant statement.” However, I get that this is a brief history so the author may have been discouraged from really diving into the more controversial topics.
Still, I found this book to be way easier to read than I thought it would be, it keeps up a brisk pace and it also remains pretty neutral although does seem to favor Disney a bit. However I do appreciate that it lets the facts speak for themselves and allows the reader to form their own opinions. If you’re interested in film, animation or Disney in general I recommend it!
A good introduction to the history of the Disney company. While I feel like the book could’ve delved more into interesting topics like Walt Disney’s antisemitism, his persecution of supposed ‘communists’ in his company and that unforgettable Michael Eisner quote: “We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make a statement. But to make money, it is often important to make history, to make art, or to make some significant statement.” However, I get that this is a brief history so the author may have been discouraged from really diving into the more controversial topics.
Still, I found this book to be way easier to read than I thought it would be, it keeps up a brisk pace and it also remains pretty neutral although does seem to favor Disney a bit. However I do appreciate that it lets the facts speak for themselves and allows the reader to form their own opinions. If you’re interested in film, animation or Disney in general I recommend it!
April 12, 2021
A solid book about Walt Disney and the company he founded that follows the fortunes of Disney until about 2015. The book is more interested in the creative and business sides of Disney rather than the personal. It is neither a cheerleader for the mouse maker and his empire nor a book intent on tearing down his legacy.
If you are interested in the development of Disney animation there is much to like about the earlier chapters which I found to be the most interesting part of the book. The later chapters are decent but tend to revolve around the theme parks and business of the studio though there is still some talk of the animated films.
If you are interested in the development of Disney animation there is much to like about the earlier chapters which I found to be the most interesting part of the book. The later chapters are decent but tend to revolve around the theme parks and business of the studio though there is still some talk of the animated films.
September 29, 2020
[Paperback] The book is actually about Walt Disney the man AND the company, so it actually spans to the present day. I didn’t think this was necessary as I’ve read books about Michael Eisner, Bob Iger etc, and I just wanted to read about Walt. However, it has given me more topics to explore in future reading, and I learned a lot of things I didn’t already know about Walt from this book.
May 11, 2024
The most successful capitalist who ever lived, this is a charming yet realistic version of Uncle Walt’s life that offers perhaps light psychological insight but nevertheless, made for a pleasant and illuminating read.
November 1, 2025
I finished the book a while ago but it is a very good book to read if you’re a Disney nerd like me! Learning how Walt Disney made his way from his home town to Hollywood and how he became a household name, even after his death, his legacy is still going strong to this day!
December 8, 2014
Think what you will about Walt Disney -- that he was a Nazi sympathiser, that his head's frozen under the Pirates ride in Disneyland, that he ratted out other industry workers to the HUAC (at least one of those is true) -- but it's inarguable that he was a remarkable man. I've been fascinated by Walt Disney the man for nearly as long as I've been held in thrall to his studio's animation, and that's a damned long time. There are many biographies of him out there (sadly the majority from the Disney publishing arm, so sure to be less than objective) and the only reason this is my first is because it was sitting in my local library and I couldn't bear its garish cover staring at me one moment longer.
As it goes, Brian J. Robb gives a decent overview of the life, career and legacy of Walt Disney. His writing is efficient and fluid, though I could have done with fewer figures and less of his own reviews of films. It's pretty apparent that very little research went into this book (no interviews or poring through archives, just reading a handful of other authours' books on Disney) and the handful of errors even I could spot leads me to believe there are probably a good many more. Perhaps that's the point of the whole A Brief History of... title-line: not so much a comprehensive exploration, but more a starting point for one's own investigation. There is a brief listing of sources in the back, that one could take as recommended reading, so it serves that purpose well enough.
Robb devotes little time to exploring Walt Disney's upbringing or his relationship with his future business-partner brother Roy, and glosses through his early years to bring us up to speed with his animation career beginning. There's plenty of interesting trivia from here on out (although, as stated, how reliable it all is...), following Walt through his creation of several memorable cartoon characters before landing on the one little mouse that was not only a hit, but that he'd by then gained the experience to know to own completely by himself and start an empire on. Disney the man seems to get a little lost in the flurry of activity that was the studio's output for the duration of his life, with only occasional glimpses behind the curtain to see the man who quickly became the icon of the studio without any longer actually creating anything himself. Again, a better look at how the studio worked than at the man himself.
Strangely, Disney himself dies with a third part of the book still to go (in actuality he appears to die twice, due to the strange organisation of the chapters), so this is more properly a brief history of Walt Disney Studios. The remaining pages are devoted to the rollercoaster that Disney the property went through after losing its ingenious overseer and namesake. This is a story fairly familiar to fans of the studio, and Robb goes through it all quite quickly (dedicating a surprising amount of text to Pixar founding-animator John Lasseter).
A little space is used to look at a few of the controversies that have posthumously evolved around the figure of Walt Disney, and that's probably as it should be. Robb does attempt (aside from what appear to be his own views of the movies) to remain objective in his review of the man and his legacy, and reserves any editorialising until his six-page 'conclusion.' This seems to be his chance to air opinions about the life of the man, the journey that was his life and the legacy he left behind, but it feels oddly placed in the tail end of this 'biography.' A little more insight and a lot more research would have made this a better book, or at least some summaries of the sources to guide us to further, more in-depth reading.
As it goes, Brian J. Robb gives a decent overview of the life, career and legacy of Walt Disney. His writing is efficient and fluid, though I could have done with fewer figures and less of his own reviews of films. It's pretty apparent that very little research went into this book (no interviews or poring through archives, just reading a handful of other authours' books on Disney) and the handful of errors even I could spot leads me to believe there are probably a good many more. Perhaps that's the point of the whole A Brief History of... title-line: not so much a comprehensive exploration, but more a starting point for one's own investigation. There is a brief listing of sources in the back, that one could take as recommended reading, so it serves that purpose well enough.
Robb devotes little time to exploring Walt Disney's upbringing or his relationship with his future business-partner brother Roy, and glosses through his early years to bring us up to speed with his animation career beginning. There's plenty of interesting trivia from here on out (although, as stated, how reliable it all is...), following Walt through his creation of several memorable cartoon characters before landing on the one little mouse that was not only a hit, but that he'd by then gained the experience to know to own completely by himself and start an empire on. Disney the man seems to get a little lost in the flurry of activity that was the studio's output for the duration of his life, with only occasional glimpses behind the curtain to see the man who quickly became the icon of the studio without any longer actually creating anything himself. Again, a better look at how the studio worked than at the man himself.
Strangely, Disney himself dies with a third part of the book still to go (in actuality he appears to die twice, due to the strange organisation of the chapters), so this is more properly a brief history of Walt Disney Studios. The remaining pages are devoted to the rollercoaster that Disney the property went through after losing its ingenious overseer and namesake. This is a story fairly familiar to fans of the studio, and Robb goes through it all quite quickly (dedicating a surprising amount of text to Pixar founding-animator John Lasseter).
A little space is used to look at a few of the controversies that have posthumously evolved around the figure of Walt Disney, and that's probably as it should be. Robb does attempt (aside from what appear to be his own views of the movies) to remain objective in his review of the man and his legacy, and reserves any editorialising until his six-page 'conclusion.' This seems to be his chance to air opinions about the life of the man, the journey that was his life and the legacy he left behind, but it feels oddly placed in the tail end of this 'biography.' A little more insight and a lot more research would have made this a better book, or at least some summaries of the sources to guide us to further, more in-depth reading.
April 5, 2017
Dear parents, Jasmine was in a relationship with a dirty homeless boy named Aladdin. Snow White lived alone with 7 men. Pinnochio was a liar. Robin Hood was a thief. Tarzan walked around without clothes on. A stranger kissed sleeping beauty and she married him. Cinderella lied and snuck out at night to attend a party. You can't blame us.
We were taught to rebel since a young age.
We were taught to rebel since a young age.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews