Celebrating Walt Disney: the Man Behind the Magic

Walt Disney's name is recognized worldwide and the films produced through his company have left a lasting impression.  In collaboration with our site's previous Disney article, this article will focus more on the man behind the company name rather than the films it has produced. Our libraries have many different books available when looking into the life of this landmark businessman and animation studio executive.

From biographies--
Walt Disney

The Man Behind the Magic

Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination

To documentary--
Walt Disney: He Made Believe

And fictional depictions of the man himself--
Saving Mr. Banks

St Tammany Parish libraries have a nice collection to go through when it comes to Uncle Walt.

And now for some Disney lagniappe!
While researching materials about Walt Disney, I found some material that paints a good picture of the company's beginnings and achievements.  Let's go down the rabbit hole with--!

Alice in Wonderland
This DVD’s feature, “Alice in Cartoonland,” contains two stories from The Alice Comedies.
The Alice Comedies were the first shorts produced by Disney, combining footage of a live actor with animated characters and environments.  This type of hybrid filmmaking would later be improved upon with features like Bedknobs and BroomsticksMary Poppins, and Touchstone Pictures' Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.

The Adventures of Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit
Another property produced while under Universal and lost through Disney's breakaway, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit hopped his way back to the Disney family in 2006.  This collection features new musical accompaniment and spotlights the few surviving shorts found while reclaiming the character rights.  In addition, the second disc features a documentary about Ub Iwerks, key animator and co-creator of the Mickey Mouse and Oswald characters.  A superb item to check out if you want to brush up on American animation history.

They Drew as They Pleased
Releasing since 2016, this collection of artbooks features sketches and drafts from concept artists during various decades of the company's run.
Vol. 1: The Hidden Art of Disney's Golden Age
Vol. 2: The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years (The 1940s - Part One)
Vol. 3: The Hidden Art of Disney's Late Golden Age: The 1940s - Part Two
Vol. 4: The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era

Thank you for reading!