Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History

by J.B. Kaufman, David Gerstein, Daniel Kothenschulte (Editor)

The Mouse That Changed the World
The ultimate history of a modern icon: The Mickey Mouse Legacy

Celebrate Mickey’s complete legacy with volume two of one of the most expansive illustrated publications on the Disney universe: 1,500 images such as behind-the-scenes shots and rare animation sketches salute the art behind all of Mickey’s 121 cartoons, his timeless comic adventures, and the world of Mickey merchandise and memorabilia. The landmark volume also spans the legendary Mickey Mouse Club as well as unfinished projects.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Collections, Film

495 pages, Hardcover

First published November 8, 2018

Reviews

[Dan Sendker · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I was absolutely baffled that the book somehow omitted the last few Mickey cartoons of the 1940s-1950s, especially his final Golden Age theatrical short, "The Simple Things." Then I learned that the smaller, 40th anniversary Taschen books are slightly abridged, and it made more sense. Still, I wish this edition included more on the later theatrical cartoons. Quite a bit about the comic books could have been cut.

That's my only gripe with this book. As with "The Film Archives," the artwork was incredible here, and there were dozens of pieces I'd never seen before. I read this book in preparation for my own forthcoming book on the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote - I wanted to see how other authors retrospective books on a single cartoon character. This was a great read, especially at the end of Mickey's 95th birthday year and Disney Studio's centennial.

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most expensive book I own and let me tell you, if you are a Disney fanatic, animation enthusiast, or fascinated by 20th century popular culture in general, this book is a treat. I happen to be all three of the above, so I was in heaven. Amply illustrated, this is a book you'll want to savor-- there is no just flipping through pages.

My favorite part was the text though. I love the Disney studio's output between 1928 and 1942, what I believe to be their true golden age, and we get a great sense of how Mickey Mouse evolved during that period. In a sense, the black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons are the quintessential version of the character, certainly the rendition of the character that made the world fall in love with the mouse: adventurous, scrappy, irreverent, and joyful in a time of crisis and hardship. For those who view Mickey as "boring" or a mere brand icon, the 1930s shows him at his best, from the cartoons of the era to the exciting Floyd Gottfredson comics to his appearance in Fantasia as the sorcerer's mischievous apprentice.

The book covers Mickey's entire existence to date, from Steamboat Willie to Kingdom Hearts and the current cartoon, and the journey is quite wonderful. I cannot recommend it enough... though be warned, this is a huge book, one that comes with its own carrying case. Definitely not a traditional coffee table book, that is for sure!

[DrWarthrop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine ultimative Chronik im wahrsten und besten Sinne des Wortes. In diesem ca 500 Seiten langen Werk wird auf informative und zugleich ansprechende Weise die komplette Historie der allseits bekannten und beliebten Maus schritt für schritt durchgegangen.
Das Buch teilt sich dabei in drei Kapitel, die jeweils eine wichtige und zugleich verändernde Zeit für Disney und Mickey darstellen. Angefangen 1928 bei der Entstehung bis hin in die aktuelle Zeit wird hier jede Station beleuchtet. Dabei werden die Entstehungsgeschichten der einzelnen Filme, als auch Comics und Werbung erzählt, wodurch es teilweise etwas schwierig ist am Stück zu lesen. Wett machen das aber die über 1.200 Illustrationen, Bilder und ArtWorks, die dieses Buch zu einem der wertvollsten in meinem Regal macht (und das nicht nur wegen des Preises).
Fazit: falls ihr Freunde, Eltern oder Kollegen habt, die große Fans von Disney sind kann ich euch dieses Buch nur wärmstens als etwas extravagantes Geschenk ans Herz legen. Der Beschenkte wird sich sicher freuen ;)

[Thirza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive, easy to read and complete history of the legendary Mouse! Featuring high quality images.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I did with its companion, The Walt Disney Film Archives…, I leapt into Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse… with enthusiasm. And as I did with its companion, I made it a point to read the material and then supplement that experience by watching the appropriate short, either online or on the DVDs that I have in my collection.

This book outlines the history of Mickey Mouse, the character who provided the starting point for Walt Disney's success. Mr. Kaufman's organization of the material is very straightforward, focusing on The Golden Age, The Silver Age, and The Modern Age of the Mouse. As someone for whom Mickey is primarily either the pre-Fantasia (vintage) Mickey, the Mickey of the televised Mickey Mouse Club, or the Mickey of the theme parks, I appreciated all of the additional material that Mr. Kaufman provided about the print versions of the Mouse's adventures (especially the extensive work produced overseas) and his various video game adventures. There are also some extensive sections on early marketing and merchandise, a revenue stream that Walt Disney recognized before many of his peers.

As one would expect, Mr. Kaufman focused heavily on The Golden Age of Mickey. But I think that he short-changed aspects of the Silver Age and Modern Age Mickeys that could have used more development.

In the end, I have to say that, while this is a book worthy of keeping on my bookshelves for reference purposes, it was not one that changed my fundamental understanding of the creation of and development of Mickey Mouse.

[Arcane(s) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,75/5
L'Histoire de Mickey, de ses films et de son image est passionnante et ça a été un plaisir pour moi d'en apprendre autant.
Mais il y a eu quelques hics.
-Il faut évidemment être fan de Mickey pour lire cet ouvrage de presque 500 pages, mais il faut également être particulièrement fan des BD. A vue d'œil, je pense qu'1/5 du bouquin est sur ce sujet, certes intéressant, mais un peu redondant.
-Il y a BEAUCOUP de name dropping, j'ai pris le temps de lire chaque petite note, j'ai pris des mois a lire cet ouvrage, et aucun nom d'artiste ou d'auteur m'est resté en tête.. J'ai la sensation d'avoir lu une très longue liste
-La mise en page n'est pas terrible et m'a perdu plusieurs fois. Les phrases coupées par une double pages d'illustrations, c'est pas pour moi...

Je me suis tout de même accroché et je suis ravi d'avoir cet ouvrage chez moi, avec toutes ces photos et ces anecdotes à portée de main.

[Nathalia Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. As someone who grew up in the 90's with Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse and Mickeys Christmas Carol this book truly gives another perspective to the modern Mickey we know now. It gives even more importance to Walt's saying of "It all started with a mouse " and it shows how Mickey Mouse along the famous cartoonist that have drawed him over time have paved the way for the modern Disney movies we know now. I just loved reading this book and exploring the illustrations and photographs across the years. And yes, it's only Mickey-focused, not even Walt makes much of an appearance sometimes.

[Goncalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muitas vezes compro livros da Tashen apenas para ficar decepcionado com alguns detalhes e nunca os consigo acabar, neste caso isso não aconteceu.

Embora focado numa descrição despretensiosa, evitando opiniões, polémicas ou temas muito específicos, a verdade é que a evolução e história do famosíssimo Rato Mickey está muitíssimo bem escrita, e foi capaz de me manter interessado por cerca de 500 páginas.

Como já estamos habituados, a qualidade do papel e encadernações é exemplar com a Tashen, aqui não há qualquer excepção.

Uma recomendação fácil.

[Dawn Kravagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t possibly be a more comprehensive history of Mickey Mouse, particularly this quality publication at a fabulous price.

Everything Mickey, for his beginnings to the early creation of the promotional and merchandising machine to comic books and overseas creations. Every cartoon and comic book series, and writers, directors, publishers, and artists.

Filled with hundreds of cartoon drawings.

All Mickey fans should find their favorite Mickey in this book.

[Kathleen Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History

by J.B. Kaufman, David Gerstein, Daniel Kothenschulte (Editor)

Pros: A gorgeous book that shows the development of Mickey Mouse and explains his appeal to generations of fans. Con: The book ignores Mickey’s postwar shorts and provides too much information on his comic strips. Overall: A fun book that should delight Mickey’s fans.

[FrozenDecemberMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Mickey and Disney for a long time. I feel like I know a lot about both but I learned a few things from this book. I love the large pictures where you can see a lot of the detail. This is a must have for any Disney fan who wants to learn about the origins of the mouse that started it all.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge book in size and weight, on the story of Mickey, including abundant details and information about the entire life of this immortal little hero, very good publishing quality (colours, paper), enough to spend many hours back to childhood! Delighted to have purchased this beautiful book, it is well worth it for any Mickey fan!

[Jeroennagtegaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een beetje vakliteratuur voor de echte film- of animatieliefhebbers, maar toch toegankelijk vanwege de enorme bekendheid van de Mickey Mouse producties. Het boek bevat veel historische tekeningen, strips en beelden die duidelijk maken hoe de bijzondere creatie van Walt Disney is ontstaan en hoe zijn identiteit in de loop van de decennia steeds verder is ontwikkeld - maar juist ook gelijk gebleven.

[Sydney Anderson2001 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Disney fan, especially a Mickey Mouse fan, this book was everything. It was full of history because Mickey has a lot of history. The pictures really told the story of Mickey and I just overall thought this was the perfect book to describe Mickey.

[Mirjam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typisch Taschen: prachtige illustraties en een verhaal waar inhoudelijk kop noch staart aan zit.

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un bel hommage à Mickey, et au travail de Walt et de tout ceux qui sont intervenus et ont mis la main à la pâte dans cette magnifique histoire qu'est la création de cette petite souris ❤️

[PottWab Regional Library]

O

[Eric Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good illustrations. The bulk of the book focuses on early history and a lot on comics. Modern history seems glossed over.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting look into the history of Mickey Mouse and the Disney company. I really enjoyed getting to see the very beginning of each of the concepts and how the cartoon, characters and comics developed and evolved into what we know them as today. As my daughter has been watching the newest cartoons for littles I loved getting to read this.

[Gijs Grob · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOTE: The Taschen 40th anniversary edition is NOT a smaller copy of the first edition of 'Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse. The Ultimate History', but a truncated and less complete book. The review below is of the 40th anniversary edition, not the first edition, and many of my problems with this book come from the omissions particular to this lesser edition.

'Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse. The Ultimate History' is a lavish book, even in Taschen's 40th anniversary edition, which is much more compact than the original publication. It's chock full illustrations and tells the story of Mickey Mouse from his origins to the present, with a heavy focus on his glory days (1928-1940), and on the comic strips.

And yet, 'The Ultimate History' this is not. There are a lot of books on the Mouse and each has something unique to tell. Richard Hollis in 'Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: His Life and Times' is better in showing how Mickey changed over the years. Jim Korkis' 'The Book of Mouse: A Celebration of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse' has the definitive account on 'Steamboat Willy' and tells us the most about Mickey the amusement park host. Garry Apgar's book 'Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit' tells us more about Mickey as a cultural phenomenon. And my own book, 'Mickey's Movies: The Theatrical Films of Mickey Mouse' dives much deeper into the films themselves.

'The Ultimate History' is actually a bit frustrating, as it becomes clear Kaufman and Gerstein had access to animator lists of Mickey's films, and to his unfinished projects, but they only scantily give us information on these fascinating aspects. How I'd long for complete animation breakdowns as Kaufman has given us in 'Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies - A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series' and 'Pinocchio - The Making of the Disney Epic'.

Worse, 'The Ultimate History' completely forgets to mention Mickey's postwar shorts, and gives us only a glimpse of Mickey the amusement park host. Also, the postwar years to the present feel rushed and uninspired when compared to the classic period.

'The Ultimate History' is at its best when telling about Mickey's feature projects, 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and 'Mickey and the Beanstalk', which both get a surprisingly lengthy treatment. One wishes Mickey's other films and television series had gotten the same attention.

[AMS]

I have been a Mickey Mouse fan literally since the day I was born when my brother gave me (a newborn) the Mickey Mouse stuffed toy that our grandma bought for him for his 3rd birthday. This book had everything that I could ever ask for, and the different art styles that Mickey went through over the years were just so cute! I could see myself passing this (and the stuffed toy) to my future kids.

[Taylor Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m what some people might call a “Disney Adult”. I grew up going to Walt Disney World and know every word to the song There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow from the ride Carousel of Progress in the Magic Kingdom. My family goes hard at Disney. Hate all you want. The place is magical.

I’m also a history buff. So, this book was tailor made for me and probably nobody else. I greatly enjoyed diving into the history of Mr. Mouse.