As you all know, our little town of Passamaquoddy has been super busy the past week or so. Busy enough that nothing was done pretty much anywhere in town. It’s almost as if our town of Passamaquoddy was actually just one geeky person trying to balance family, blogging and an awkward attraction to cheesecake. But since we know better than that, please excuse the lack of updates to our town blog.

With that said, I took advantage of the wealth of time available to catch up on my reading…

Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination is the largest, dare I say the most thorough examination of Walt that I’ve ever read. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever felt like I knew the man. And at over 900 pages, a number that makes J.K.Rowling spill her butterbeer, I feel closer to Disney in general. Neal Gabler has crafted quite a portrait using data and interviews where many previous Disney biographers use speculation and theories. The information is exhaustive… and the journey is exhausting.

Like most biographies, the early pages introduce Walt’s parents and his early life. The stories help us understand why Walt became Walt Disney. But, it is the middle pages I found most compelling. In these, we read about the creation of the Disney animated features. From the first shorts to SNOW WHITE, all the way up to THE JUNGLE BOOK, we get the greatest understanding of the factors and decisions affecting the final output. I congratulate Gabler in tying his work directly to my own memories of these films, and even enhancing my own experience with them

The last segment of the book is dedicated to the burgeoning Disney organization as it expands into Disneyland, all the way through the initial phases of Epcot. This again is familiar and informative, but is tainted by Walt’s own fading interest and pending death.

The book is a rewarding chore to read, and a great supplement to many of the recent “Treasures” DVD sets. There will be people who are going to hate this book. Anyone looking for a book that finally exposes Walt Disney as a horrific monster, despite the lack of evidence… they will not be happy with this book. On the other hand, anyone who is hoping the book will justify their own view of Walt as a perfect man who would frown on current Disney practices… they will be disappointed as well. In fact, I feel that Walt would have been accepting of any and all changes that have happened in the parks and in films. Walt Disney was a great man who succeeded due tothree things: persistence, a good support team and living in a simpler time. Neal Gabler’s book “Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination is a great book for getting you back in touch with all three.

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