Discovering Walt: The Magical Life of Walt Disney

by Jean-Pierre Isbouts

Follows the life of Walt Disney, from his boyhood on a Missouri farm through his struggles as a young animator, to his building of a motion picture and amusement park empire.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, True Story

64 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Jean-Pierre Isbouts was born in 1954. He is a humanities scholar and graduate professor in the doctoral programs at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California. He has published widely on the origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, including the bestseller Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas; Young Jesus: Restoring the "Lost Years" of a Social Activist and Religious Dissident; From Moses to Muhammed; The Shared Origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; and The Mysteries of Jesus. An award-winning filmmaker, Isbouts has also produced Charlton Heston's Voyage Through the Bible, The Quest for Peace, and Young Jesus.

Reviews

[Starla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. All I can say is that my Love and Respect for the man Walt Disney double and tripled as I read this book. Walt was an amazing man, who did amazing things. I am in beyond awe at what this man accomplished. Anyone who loves Disney or not should read this book.
I am sure I will re~read this book many, many times.

[Heather Finger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Book!!!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main theme I interpreted from this book was the innovation of Walt Disney, not just in the field of animation. This is the only book that featured a picture of the multiplane camera in action. There is also more focus on the film Fantasia and its technical achievements. Fantasia wasn't the most popular film of its time, but I think many older viewers appreciate the idea behind the film. Walt made his animation team sit and listen to classical music, inviting them to describe the music in abstract form.

As an added bonus, this book is full of rare pictures that I haven't seen in the others. Also the photos are smaller, so they don't disrupt the text. Text boxes with additional information are installed on the sides of the pages, rather than in the middle. Therefore you can finish your paragraph without being distracted away by a text box in the middle of the pages. Compact and tidy, this book's easy format and wealth of information makes it an enjoyable and quick read.

Read my full review at my blog; The Non-Fiction Manifesto
http://non-fic-manifesto.blogspot.com...