Disney Legend Wilfred Jackson: A Life in Animation

by Ross Care, Didier Ghez (Editor), Bob McLain (Editor)

Part diary, part correspondence, part historical essay, this unique book presents the life of Walt Disney's most acclaimed director, Wilfred Jackson, whose long career began with the earliest Mickey Mouse shorts and continued through Snow White , Lady and the Tramp , and many more. Wilfred Jackson was universally recognized by his colleagues and by animation historians as the best and most thorough of Disney directors. He is the man behind Academy-Award winners The Tortoise and the Hare , The Country Cousin , and The Old Mill and the director of some of the most famous sequences from Disney’s animated features. For seven years, “Jaxon” corresponded with Disney historian Ross Care. In his letters to Care, he discussed in tremendous details his career, his thought process, and his work on the Disney shorts and features. These fascinating letters are a treasure trove for Disney history enthusiasts. In addition, while preparing this volume, Ross and editor Didier Ghez discovered Jaxon’s unpublished diary as well as a series of captivating letters that the director sent to his family in 1945 during the filming of Song of the South . All these priceless documents as well as Ross Care’s in-depth essay about Jaxon’s career are presented in this book for the very first time.

350 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2016

Reviews

[Gijs Grob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm indebted to Ross Care - without him I'd never have written my own book. So I would really, really, really like this book.

Unfortunately Care's own writings on Wilfred Jackson consists of a rather disjointed and aimless list of reviews of Jackson's films, not a biography. It's as if Care didn't know what book he wanted to write in the first place. In this section Care is at his best in rather thorough descriptions of Silly Symphonies and feature sections Wilfred Jackson directed, with an emphasis on music (Care himself is a composer). Jackson's Mickey Mouse films, on the other hand, are largely neglected, and we learn absolutely nothing about Jackson's private life or personality.

The book is saved by the rough material presented in the appendices (which form half of the book): Jackson's personality shines through in his letters to Care from the 1970s, and even more in his dry, but insightful journal he kept from 1943 until his retirement in 1959. These letters and notes are a goldmine for the animation historian. This is important stuff and I thank Ross Care for sharing this material with the world.

Jackson's diary is sparse, with entries like "4.00 P.M.: Call from Navy: project shelved" (May 9, 1943) or "All day sweatboxing and retiming House" (August 17, 1951). So it hits extra hard when Jackson writes "Heart attack in Carson City. I had just recovered from Dr. Todd surgery" (November 9, 1950). Jackson was only 44 when this happened, and never fully recovered. Moreover, later notes reveal that he became increasingly unhappy in a studio which was more and more devoted to live action, television and amusement parks. Jackson retired in 1959, only 53 years old.

Nevertheless, Jackson's letters and journal are for the Disney historian and fanatic only, and this book is only recommended to them.