I try to write book reviews on most books that I read. It helps me to process what I’ve read, summarize it succinctly, and either encourage or discourage the reading of the book to others. I finished Bob Thomas’ classic biography of Walt Disney, An American Original, a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been wrestling with how to write a review of it. But I want to take a stab at it, nonetheless!

The Disney brand can be a polarizing subject today. But it is not my intention to defend or attack the brand. I want to consider the focus of the biography, Walt Disney himself, and specifically what he was after. Walt Disney: An American Original is the gold standard of Disney biographies. Bob Thomas was commissioned by the Disney family and company executives to write the biography and was given access to private documents and records of Walt Disney Studios. Thomas was granted assurance that he could write the story of Walt Disney as he saw it, and that’s exactly what he did.

Walt Disney: An American Original reads as if it was a classic Disney story itself. It features a young boy who was born into a simple family and worked hard to achieve his dreams, dreams that no one else was having at the time. Walt’s story includes working morning and evening as a paper boy, driving ambulances in World War I, struggling to become a successful cartoonist, learning the art of animation and experiencing early success, being betrayed and put on the brink of bankruptcy numerous times, and persevering through every imaginable obstacle to ultimately change the entertainment industry. It’s a riveting read, a story that anyone would enjoy.

Aside from being captivated by contours of Walt’s life, one of the things that struck me the most was Walt’s view of fantasy as entertainment. I think that’s what truly set him apart. Sure, he was always on the cutting edge of technology, always pushing himself and his staff to perfection, and always dreaming of what people wanted before they knew they wanted it. But the thread that connects all of it, from cartoons to motion pictures to theme parks- was Walt’s belief that people needed to escape their world of mundanity and experience something truly fantastical, even if it was just for a little while.

Continue reading “The Legacy of Walt Disney: A Christian Perspective” →