This elegantly compact, jacketed hardcover book celebrates Walt Disney’s worldwide experiences and influences. It’s perfect for any coffee table or library--and can still fit in as on-the-go reading!
From his earliest years, Walt Disney aimed to expand his physical, creative, and intellectual. Throughout his life, Walt was a frequent and enthusiastic "tourist," visiting destinations around the United States of America and across the globe. Whether attending a premiere, supervising a film production, or simply vacationing with his family, the "All-American" Walt became a citizen of the world. From Denmark to Argentina, England to Greece, Austria, Chile, Canada, France . . . all of them welcomed Walt as an emissary of his good name, good works, and good reputation.
In Travels with Walt A Photographic Voyage Around the World , seldom-seen and never-before-published photographs are showcased along with eyewitness recollections and enlightening anecdotes, arranged into a one-of-a-kind "travel journal" as if Walt himself might have documented these exciting excursions in one special place to keep the memories alive and to share with readers.
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This photographic voyage was a nostalgia into Walt's time. Although, I have to admit, I expected to go through Walt's journeys in chronological order. It would have been nice to see how Walt's travels contributed to his development in a coming of age timeline. Rather, it was organized by theme, so jumping around from here to there within the timeline is expected. I had hoped there would be more on Walt's travels to the famous World Fairs. I know these fairs had a huge influence on Walt's work. After thinking about it, it must have been difficult to dig up these photos and nevertheless expect to have an entire chronological album from beginning to end with out having any gaps. Yet, by the end, I was more than happy to travel with Walt, his work, and his family. I highly recommend this book for the Walt Disney fan!
Travels With Walt Disney: A photographic voyage around the world by Jeff Kurtti, 152 pages. Disney Editions, 2018. $30. Content: G.
GIFT – ADVISABLE
From his early beginnings, Walter Elias Disney was always a man on the go. From his short time is a “news butcher” on a railroad to welcome famous guests from all over the world at his Disneyland Park, Walt Disney managed to travel to many countries and continents for rest, business, and inspiration.
Fans of the Disney world will love the insider information and the large amount of never-before-seen photographs in this extensive book. Personally, I loved the reminder of Disney’s early days of live-action films – before it seemed like only animated films would do.
I picked this up at the Contemporary Resort. I was so excited to find an entire display of books on property I felt I needed to buy one just to encourage them to do this more. I was not disappointed. Jeff Kurtti is my favorite of the Disney historians as his text is always to the point yet engaging and always interesting. The photographs are the star of the show here. It is a bit like getting a look inside a Disney Family photo album but it is also a cool look at how varied and curious Walt was about anything and everything in the world. He was also lucky enough to be traveling in the heyday of the "glamorous" family vacation so the photographs very much capture a type of tourism long gone. A great read for travel or Disney history buffs.
As a Disney lover who also likes to travel this was a very enjoyable read. It was fascinating to read the stories and look at all the wonderful photos that depict this aspect of Disney's life.
I did find the organization of the book a bit clunky at times but realize why Kurtti organized it the way he did. The theme of the book is travel and he categorized the photos and stories based upon different modes of transportation. This didn't always follow along a chronological path but rather jumped around and that was a bit unsettling for me. Reading the afterword and discovering this book started as a lecture aboard the Disney Cruise Line did add clarity to the organization.
All in all this is a great book if you are a Disney lover or have a sense of wanderlust.
Definitely a must read for any Disney fan. There were so many pictures in this book that I had never seen before. It was great to read about side of Walt outside the walls of his studio or theme parks. A clever aspect of the book is that it is organized by theme rather than a chronological travelogue. This makes it easy to flip to areas of interest much like a coffee table book. I read the book straight through in one sitting for an upcoming podcast episode, but I think it would make a great conversation piece, as well.
It was an interesting read. I definitely learned things about Walt Disney I didn't know. All of the pictures were fascinating to see too. My only con was how it was organized. Each chapter had a theme and then the author told you about his exploits over his lifetime that fit into that theme. Basically it means there was a lot of skipping around back and forth in each chapter instead of each chapter chronologically moving forward with his life story.
I shouldn't be surprised that this was a little more company line than I was hoping for, since it is indeed put out by the Disney company. But once you accept the propaganda (and I'm a sucker for Disney propaganda) there is some good information here about some lesser-known live action Disney films, and some great photos of Walt Disney and his family in many different places.
More accurately a 3.5. It's a good tabletop book -- pretty but not terribly informative. Additionally, I wasn't a fan of the organization. With such short chapters already, the lack of chronology was frustrating and confusing at times.
It was very pretty and interesting to see how frequently Walt really traveled, however. Lots of great photos and illustrations!
Read in one sitting. Great photos, not a lot of information. Though intentional, the book was not organized in a typical way that made much sense. Buy this book for the pictures.
Interesting perspective on Walt's life. I knew he had traveled extensively, but it was still insightful to read some background commentary about these trips. Of course, the heart of this book is naturally the photos, many of which are ones you have never seen before. Worth the quick read!