4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For Walt Disney fans, November 3, 2006
This review is from: Quotable Walt Disney (Paperback)
This is a wonderful book. Easy and enjoyable to read. The quotes bring you closer to understanding one of the true geniuses in American entertainment.
The quotes are facinating, and humorous, and some are quite profound. This is a great book for any writer, or speaker to draw from, and it is historically educational.
If you are a fan of Disney, or just curious about a figure in the world of entertainment who achieved greatness and had a solid philosophy of entertainment, then you will enjoy this book.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Read it and you'll find gems, August 23, 2001
This review is from: Quotable Walt Disney (Paperback)
Kids growing up these days lose sight of the fact that Walt Disney was, above all, a man and not just a brand name. He followed his dreams, even though many tried to discourage him, told him his ideas would never work and he stuck with his dreams... even resolutely going through a bankruptcy. The Quotable Walt Disney is just that: quotes. But if you're interested in what made the man who founded an empire (with a little help from a mouse he saw one day) tick...then you need to buy, read and even underline this book. True, these ARE quotes. And, true, as a former journalist (who is now a ventriloquist) I recognize a lot of "statements" in there -- pro forma quotes given to journalists, self-serving statements, etc. But there are also tons of gems. There are inspring quotes you can go back to and read again and again. I'm going to read it again and mark the ones I want to go back to, and paperclip them. Some entail the importance of determination; others such qualities as open-mindedness, the importance of surrounding yourself with capable colleagues, the wonder of finding inspiration for creativity in the least likely places. Yes, this IS a book of quotes. A small book. But it'll save you LOTS of time if you "listen" to Walt in this compact book, rather than having to read the many (and sometimes bad) biographies about him. And amid the formal statements given in countless interviews you'll find true gems. Like any gem, you can look a jewel of quote in wonder again and again. If you apply these gems in your life, it will be worth far more than the price of this quote-filled book.
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8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
For Disneyphiles Only, August 22, 2001
This review is from: Quotable Walt Disney (Paperback)
The book is exactly what is claims to be: a collection of quotes attributed to Walt Disney. It is divided into sections according to theme, rather than chronologically, including materials on films and animation, Mickey Mouse, the theme parks, children, family, education, television, art and music, success and failure (there are 16 in all). Some of the quotes are familiar, others less so. Sometimes quotes are repeated in sections.
One of the book's major flaws is lack of context. Quotes are dropped in without explanation. This is quite common for the genre, but it means that the quotes are not useful for anything other than pithy statement unless the reader is already familiar with the context. The quotes do act as quick sound-bites for those interested in a positive look at Walt Disney's rhetoric. I appreciated the correct version of "I make the pictures for entertainment, and then the professors tell me what they mean" (197). Too often the statement gets changed to the plural we, which reconstructs Walt's statements and contributes to the "Cult of Walt Disney." As this example demonstrates, it should be remembered that, despite his claims to teamwork, Walt was interested in representing his vision on screen and elsewhere.
For that very reason, what isn't so useful to this book is its editing of comments and its omissions, both of which ultimately help construct the Cult of Walt Disney. Ellided are the comments about EPCOT (as the community of tomorrow) that state Walt's intention was not to let retirees live in EPCOT, or Walt's belief that EPCOT's residents should not own the land. Of course, these statements were said in a context that talked about urban planning, individuals' committment to community, and the need for control. Still, by editing the comments out, the book presents an overly simplistic picture of a complex man. Also missing are quotes that are critical, like some of Walt's statements during the animator's strike.
It's as if the Quotable Walt Disney simply wants to celebrate the legend and not reveal the man. To be fair, that's what most of these types of books do. But in continuing to reinforce the Cult of Walt Disney, the book avoids presenting Walt Disney as a human being full of incongruities and inconsistencies...it oversimplifies his reactions, influences, and intentions. And by keeping Walt a mythic figure, the Quotable Walt Disney provides a one-sided picture of the man. All on purpose, to be sure, but disappointing nonetheless.
Again, this unbalaced presentation is to be expected from a quote book meant to celebrate Walt Disney, inspire its readers, and reaffirm the ideas that the converted already hold about Walt. But it would have been nice to see more man and less myth in the picture.
For those interested in learning about Walt Disney, I would not recommend this book. It doesn't provide enough information for the basis of the quotes. Instead, read a biography--whether an "official" one like Thomas or 100 Years or the far more satisfying and complex one by Watts. If you're a Disneyphile or looking for a stocking stuffer gift for your favorite fan, sure, pick this up. Just remember that it is exactly what it claims to be: a book of quotations, meant to reinforce the "genius" and legend of Walt Disney and not to suggest the significance and implications of what Walt said.
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