Steven Watts is Chairman of the History Department at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is the author of several books, including The Republic Reborn: War and the Making of Liberal America, 1790-1820.
Watts' account of the Age of Disney hits the bullseye."--Newsday "A
captivating portrait of a complicated man."--St. Louis Post-
Dispatch
"Requires us to acknowledge two essential truths that are easy to
forget: That where Disney ended up is not where he began and that
his stupendous success arose from . . . his heartfelt understanding
of and sympathy with `average Americans and their hopes, fears, and
values'"--Washington Post
"Steve Watts is both a scholar and a Disneyphile, which makes him
an ideal author for this much-neded volume about Walt Disney's
place in American culture. It told me things I didn't know before,
but even more important, it made me think about things I already
knew."--Leonard Maltin, author of The Disney Films
"The Magic Kingdom is a most impressive achievement. . . . More
than a first-rate biography, this extraordinarily lucid book- -a
work at once of genuine empathy and unsparing criticism--is
cultural history at its best."--Robert Westbrook, author of John
Dewey and American Democracy
"As true a picture as I could have imagined."--Fess Parker
"This exhaustively researched and remarkably judicious volume
should remain our best source on Walt Disney and his manifold
enterprises for many years to come."--Journal of American
History
"This lively, witty, and insightful study is likely to become a
standard."--Library Journal
"Mr. Watts is to be congratulated for producing a subtle,
generous-minded account of [the Disney] legacy, and for reminding
readers, after so much Disney-bashing, that there was a bright as
well as a dark side to the magic kingdom."
--The Economist
"The most responsible and comprehensive book on Disney's
relationship to American culture in a long while."
--Seattle Times
"An immensely thorough, thoughtful survey and syntheses of some
sixty years of commentary about Disney, intertwined with Watts' own
remarkable perceptive assessments."--Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Relying on a mountain of archival and interview material, Watts
does a masterful job of keeping the sometimes contradictory strands
of Disney's life and work together."--Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel
"A thoughtful and well-researched biography . . . which also
provides a starting point for thinking about the Disney legacy
today."--Commentary
"A fine example of academic research that is fully accessible to a
nonacademic audience."--Dallas Morning News
"An admirable even-handed work. . . . Stands well above the
current, permissively silly academic standards for the discussion
of pop culture. . . . A new perspective."--Washingtonian Monthly "A
very thoughtful, reasoned, and entertaining view of a great
American success story--two brothers from the Middle West who came
to symbolize everything good about America."--Roy Disney
"Forcefully and cogently argued, it does an excellent job of tying
together all of the facets--artistic, commercial, and personal--of
the Disney saga. . . . This valuable, unique book will be valued by
fans, cynics, and semioticians alike."
--Booklist The first truly balanced account of Walt Disney's life
and work. Fascinatingly detailed, intellectually vigorous, and
candid, Watts's exhaustive research presents a human portrait of
this extraordinary `ordinary' man and his profound influence on
American culture."--John Canemaker, author of Treasures of Disney
Animation Art and Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of
Disney Inspiration Sketch Artists
"Reveals why the man who created Mickey Mouse reigns as one of the
most important cultural influences of the 20th century. [Written
in] a lively, accessible tone."--USA Today
"An invaluable mine of material on how the American century became
the Disney century."--Los Angeles Times
"Gives us a vivid portrait of the man behind Mickey Mouse, while at
the same time situating his anomalous achievement within a social
and esthetic context. . . . A terrifically readable and
illuminating book."--New York Times
Although the Disney studio was hailed as a dream factory, there was plenty of hard work and hard-nosed business deals behind the facade. Drawing on interviews and research from Disney archives, Watts shows how Disney and mid-America influenced each other, from the birth of the animation empire, through the "libertarian populism" of the Fifties film, TV, and theme-park efforts, to Walt's untimely death in 1966. Other topics include Disney's pioneering role in business "integration" (using one side of the business to promote another side), his idealization of small-town life, his contagious creative enthusiasm, and his growing conservatism and abiding contempt for unions. Whether selling World War II to an anxious home front, lifting spirits in the Depression, soothing America's Cold War fears, or catering to the new leisure and consumer society, Disney had a unique rapport with average Americans. Portrayed as neither devil nor saint, Disney emerges as a human and sometimes sympathetic figure. This lively, witty, and insightful study is likely to become a standard. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. [Two other Disney biographers in recent years have accused the Disney family of attempting to undermine criticisms of him; for a more critical appraisal see Marc Eliot's Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince, LJ 5/1/93.‘Ed.]‘Stephen Rees, Levittown Reg. Lib., Pa.
Watts' account of the Age of Disney hits the bullseye."--Newsday
"A captivating portrait of a complicated man."--St. Louis
Post- Dispatch
"Requires us to acknowledge two essential truths that are easy to
forget: That where Disney ended up is not where he began and that
his stupendous success arose from . . . his heartfelt understanding
of and sympathy with `average Americans and their hopes, fears, and
values'"--Washington Post
"Steve Watts is both a scholar and a Disneyphile, which makes him
an ideal author for this much-neded volume about Walt Disney's
place in American culture. It told me things I didn't know before,
but even more important, it made me think about things I
already knew."--Leonard Maltin, author of The Disney
Films
"The Magic Kingdom is a most impressive achievement. . . .
More than a first-rate biography, this extraordinarily lucid book-
-a work at once of genuine empathy and unsparing criticism--is
cultural history at its best."--Robert Westbrook, author of John
Dewey and American Democracy
"As true a picture as I could have imagined."--Fess Parker
"This exhaustively researched and remarkably judicious volume
should remain our best source on Walt Disney and his manifold
enterprises for many years to come."--Journal of American
History
"This lively, witty, and insightful study is likely to become a
standard."--Library Journal
"Mr. Watts is to be congratulated for producing a subtle,
generous-minded account of [the Disney] legacy, and for reminding
readers, after so much Disney-bashing, that there was a bright as
well as a dark side to the magic kingdom."
--The Economist
"The most responsible and comprehensive book on Disney's
relationship to American culture in a long while."
--Seattle Times
"An immensely thorough, thoughtful survey and syntheses of some
sixty years of commentary about Disney, intertwined with Watts' own
remarkable perceptive assessments."--Cleveland Plain
Dealer
"Relying on a mountain of archival and interview material, Watts
does a masterful job of keeping the sometimes contradictory strands
of Disney's life and work together."--Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel
"A thoughtful and well-researched biography . . . which also
provides a starting point for thinking about the Disney legacy
today."--Commentary
"A fine example of academic research that is fully accessible to a
nonacademic audience."--Dallas Morning News
"An admirable even-handed work. . . . Stands well above the
current, permissively silly academic standards for the discussion
of pop culture. . . . A new perspective."--Washingtonian Monthly
"A very thoughtful, reasoned, and entertaining view of a great
American success story--two brothers from the Middle West who came
to symbolize everything good about America."--Roy
Disney
"Forcefully and cogently argued, it does an excellent job of
tying together all of the facets--artistic, commercial, and
personal--of the Disney saga. . . . This valuable, unique book will
be valued by fans, cynics, and semioticians alike."
--Booklist The first truly balanced account of Walt Disney's
life and work. Fascinatingly detailed, intellectually vigorous, and
candid, Watts's exhaustive research presents a human portrait of
this extraordinary `ordinary' man and his profound influence on
American culture."--John Canemaker, author of Treasures of
Disney Animation Art and Before the Animation Begins: The Art and
Lives of Disney Inspiration Sketch Artists
"Reveals why the man who created Mickey Mouse reigns as one of the
most important cultural influences of the 20th century. [Written
in] a lively, accessible tone."--USA Today
"An invaluable mine of material on how the American century became
the Disney century."--Los Angeles Times
"Gives us a vivid portrait of the man behind Mickey Mouse, while
at the same time situating his anomalous achievement within a
social and esthetic context. . . . A terrifically readable and
illuminating book."--New York Times
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