Walt Disney: an American Original, Commemorative Edition

by Thomas, Bob

• ISBN13: 9781368083966
• ISBN10: 136808396X
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781368027182, 9781368101554
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2023-03-07
• Publisher: Disney Editions
• More Book Details

Summary

This is the Commemorative Edition of one of the most trusted and respected nonfiction books about Walt Disney ever written!

Includes 4 commemorative essays; a photo insert with more than 60 behind-the-scenes images; and an endnotes section with insightful passages from 15 Disney historians and authors to provide further context for modern audiences.

Walt Disney is an American hero. From Mickey Mouse to Disneyland, he changed the face of American culture. His is a success story like no other: a man who developed animated film into an art form and made a massive contribution to the folklore of the world.

After years of research, respected Hollywood biographer Bob Thomas produced this definitive biography of the person behind the legend of Disney: the unschooled cartoonist from Kansas City, Missouri, who—though his initial studio went bankrupt during his first movie venture—developed into a creative spirit who produced unmatched works of entertainment that have influenced generations. 

Inside the Commemorative Edition paperback:
• Special essays by Christopher Miller, Jeff Kurtti, Marcy Carriker Smothers, and Rebecca Cline and an updated index from the 2023 edition
• Preface by Bob Thomas from the 1994 edition
• Foreground, 28 chapters, and sources by Bob Thomas from the 1976 edition
• Endnotes excerpting 15 books that have furthered Bob’s research from the 2023 edition
• 32-page photo insert with more than 60 behind-the-scenes images from the 2023 edition

Searching for information about Walt Disney? Explore more books from Disney Editions:

• The Official Walt Disney Quote Book
• People Behind the Disney Parks: Stories of Those Honored with a Window on Main Street, U.S.A.
• Maps of the Disney Parks: Charting 60 Years from California to Shanghai
• Walt's Disneyland: A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney
• The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder

Author Biography

In 1958, Walt Disney encouraged thirty-six-year-old Bob Thomas to write The Art of Animation, the first book that would give full credit to the animators and explore the animation process. Thomas interviewed Walt Disney many times during the years he was a Hollywood correspondent for the Associate Press and in preparation for his two books, The Art of Animation and Walt Disney: Magician of the Movies.

After Disney's death in 1966, Thomas wrote the official biography, Walt Disney: An American Original. He is also the author of numerous other books, including biographies on Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Harry Cohn, Irving Thalberg, David O. Selznick, Joan Crawford, William Holden, Walter Winchell, and other Hollywood legends. His biographies of Howard Hughes and Abbot and Costello became television movies.

His other Disney books include Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire; The Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Beauty and the Beast; and its revision, The Art of Animation, From Mickey Mouse to Hercules. He was issued a special commendation at the Disney Legends ceremony in 2001.