The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life

The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life
Part biography and part cultural analysis, Steven Watts's The Magic Kingdom sheds new light on the cultural icon of "Uncle Walt." Watts also digs deeply into Disney's private life, investigating his roles as husband, father, and brother and providing fresh insight into his peculiar psyche - his genuine folksiness and warmth, his domineering treatment of colleagues and friends, his deepest prejudices and passions. Full of colorful sketches of daily life at the Disney Studio and tales about the creation of Disneyland and Disney World, The Magic Kingdom offers a definitive view of one of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century.
Customer Review: Where's The Magic?
If you want to take a trip down animated cartoon memory lane as well as look behind the scenes to find out how they were created, Watts' mistitled "The Magic Kingdom" is definitely NOT the book for you. For that trip I highly recommend Leonard Maltin's delightful and highly informative "Of Mice and Magic" (Revised and Updated edition). "The Magic Kingdom" is about Walt Disney the man and is of real interest only to those who are researching his life -- which I am not. So, I'll leave the critiquing of this book as a biography per se to those reviewers who have read similar books about him. However, when I was a child, I lived through many of the events that are mentioned in this book and watched many of the cartoons and the animated feature-length movies discussed by Watts, including those that were made before my time as reruns on television cartoon shows or in the movie theaters. Based solely on the material Watts presents in this book, you would think that Walt Disney Productions (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, et al) was the only company making animated cartoons during its Golden age of the late 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. The only other animated cartoon studio that Watts mentions anywhere is Terrytoons -- and even then merely as a company that some of his employees came from or went to and nothing about the creations that came from it. And what about the equally creative Loney Tunes (Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, et al)? Not a word. Not a single word! As to what Disney did, I find Watts' presentation quite frustrating. As a small child, I remember the craze for Davy Crocket paraphernalia. But that was AFTER I saw the premiere of the revolutionary weekly television program "Disneyland" that changed the eating habits of so many families back then. Watts presents the section about Fess Parker as Davy Crocket and all the sales of coonskin caps, etc. it led to BEFORE he discusses the original broadcast of the "Disneyland" that launched it. But Watts' greatest failure is his total lack of illustrations. Cartoons are VISUAL! How can you explain the birth and evolution of Mickey Mouse or the creation of the feature-length "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs" WITHOUT illustrations? And not merely those of the finished product, but also the many sketches, etc. that led to its creation. Animated cartoon are essentially a series of (until very recently) mostly hand-drawn illustrations. What makes Maltin's "Of Mice and Magic" so delightfully informative is he does not merely give a dry, textual, explanation of the storyboard for a particular cartoon, but also shows the actual illustrations on that storyboard with the written comments of the directors, writers, etc. about certain characters. This book does give much information about Walt Disney that books such as "Of Mice and Magic" do not; for example, his development of Disneyland in Anaheim, and the already mentioned "Disneyland" television program which was not an animated cartoon. But with the very confusing presentation of his facts and total lack of illustrations, this book is a long, tiring, and frustrating read for the amount of information in it. Alas, Watts might give us some of Disney's kingdom, but absolutely none of his magic. .
Customer Review: Great Information
As I am doing research into the American Dream and the lifestyle in the mid century, I found this book usefull for citations in my thesis. It is also an enjoyable read for fans of Walt Disney and the effect that he and his products have had on our cultural society.


Spinning Disney's World: Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent
Disney Legend Charles Ridgway looks back on over forty years of working with the Mouse, from Disneyland, to Walt Disney World, to Euro-Disney and beyond. Filled with light-hearted and hilarious reminiscences of famous people and outlandish publicity stunts, this memoir will delight Disney fans young and old.
Customer Review: Spinning Disney's World
Funny and poignant memories from this Disney P.R. Legend. From his years with Walt to Michael Eisner, Charlie Ridgeway actually keeps us enthralled with his story without glorification of events. He was blessed in a way, that he retired before Michael Eisner and Roy E. Disney had their falling out and drawn out battle and he mentions this in his book. If you want to read about people trashing each other, read "Disney War." Like I said, he doesn't glorify things, He does mention the various take over attempts and the ouster of Ron and Dianne Miller, but he does so without trashing anybody. That, to me is a breath of "fresh air." There are too many trash books on the market anyway.
Customer Review: A Living Legend
This informative book is a true treasure. Thank you Mr. Ridgway (although they misspelled your name as a Legend inductee) for sharing your take on history with those of us in the field of public relations who are inspired by your trailblazing.


Disney's Fabdelight Christmas