Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105651 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

Synopsis
A creative genius, Walt Disney's films and characters brought love and laughter to children everywhere and inspired the great Disney theme parks. Now Marc Eliot presents the dark side of Walt Disney, revealing his 25 year association with J Edgar Hoover's FBI as an informant, rooting out Communists, subversives and Jews. His phobic behaviour is also examined in detail, as is his obsessive hand-washing, heavy drinking, sexual inadequacies, anti-Semitism and paranoia about having been adopted. Marc Eliot shows how these psycho-sexual conflicts drove Walt to despair and how they found expression in his animated characters.

Customer Reviews

Pessimism in the extreme - a totally unbalanced account
Having read countless biographies on Walt Disney (both authorised and unauthorised) I find this bile-ridden, scathing attack on a creative genius to be totally out of whack with everything else I've read. Its completely one-sided with little or no reference to the hundreds of people closely associated with Walt who had nothing but complete love and professional dedication to him. I doubt anyone truly believes the image of 'Uncle Walt' portrayed as the public face of the Walt Disney company back then, and since his death in 1966 there have been no shortage of people expressing his failings - how he had a foul temper and demanded complete dedication to the task in hand. Anyone not meeting his demanding creative drive would certainly feel his wrath.. What genius in history has been without charater faults? This is not a good book because in offers no balance whatsoever. Sources quoted are usually employees that Walt sacked for one reason or another so there's not going to be any love there is there? Many incredibly talented people followed Walt their entire lives and their opinion is missing here. It really is a case of putting the boot in to sell copy. Anyone looking to seriously understand Walt Disney and his multitude of accomplishments should steer well clear. There are far more balanced biographies out there.

Excellent book!
Even though this is the only biography of Walt Disney I've read, I thought it was an excellent one. The book is really complete with a lot of research to be able to discover the man behind the myth and gives a rounded image from different perspectives, without judging.

Walt Discney was a very complex person, and it was extremely interesting to find out more than the "Uncle Walt" image and to be left imagining the reasons and motives behind his actions. I was left glad to discover more about him and my admiration for Disney and his work is only greater even though I definitely disagree with a lot of things he has done or has been during his life.

If you're interested in Disney in any way, shape or form I strongly advise to read this book, it's seriously worth it!

A marvellous and intriguing piece of biography
Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince :Biography is a marvellous and intriguing piece of life story history. It takes no genius to guess that Walt Disney was the person who introduced Mickey mouse to our screens and it is oblivious to some he is the first person in cinematic history to introduce colour in animations. He is well-known for producing animation feature lengths based on old fairytales. Famous fairytales include Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Bambi, Sleeping Beauty and Dumbo. The Disney animation continues to thrill and entertain millions with animated production of an average of 1 a year but now presented in the growing format of CGI. The absence of computers meant animation remained in the confinement of studio. A large number of professional artists were involved in drawing endless sketches, which you can imagine was a time consuming and long process. Traditionally, Disney productions are known to be magical and musical in nature. Disney contributed significantly to the Hollywood scene in the 1920's to day he lived. The legacy he leaves behind will never be forgotten.

Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince: a Biography provides a valuable insight into the life of Walt Disney focusing on particular aspects. A large bulk of Disney's life is incorporated in this coherent and meticulously researched biography related to childhood, family problems, nervous breakdowns, work stress, trade unions and political issues. The animation front is covered in a different light, which is specifically related to the above areas. Rare pictures and document sources are featured in the biography of his life. It is really amazing how old information has been retrieved. This really increases the credibility of the biography.

This biography reveals fresh information you will discover about Walt Disney, which is in nature both disturbing and really shocking. If you are a Disney fan and curious to know about the creator life history, read Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince: a Biography. It is a first class biography, which is intriguing, comprehensive, beautifully written and well researched.