Inside the Dream: The Personal Story of Walt Disney
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Great biographies are a difficult thing to write. They are essentially intended to be entertaining history lessons. The closer you stick to that route, the more likely you are to give readers an accurate picture. History, like opinion, cannot be wrong. It simply is. And once all that is is said and done, every one of us will be subjected to the memories of our surviving acquaintances and the concrete evidence of whatever we manage to produce -- whether it's the Magic Kingdom or a good chili recipe. Even Disney's harshest critics would be hard pressed to deny that it takes a certain amount of genius to transform the kind of folksy simplicity at the core of the latter into the powerfully intoxicating entertainment found in the former. That's the alchemy of creativity. Because the authors didn't meddle with History - or with the opinions of those who reflect on their time with Walt - the man's genius seems genuine and less the product of a good marketing department. The personal accounts from friends, family members, and former employees and colleagues are what really carry the book. They are lovely and sometimes disarmingly candid. It is both refreshing and satisfying to see some volatile topics like the accusations of racism, anti-Semitism and union busting addressed objectively. The book is not afraid to stray from a strict chronological timeline. Like most occasions where you sit down with intimate friends and remember someone, the afternoon can be interrupted by visits from neighbors or co-workers who manage to work the conversation into a direction that includes their favorite memories. The ultimate effect is a richer and more satisfying experience of real life. So the authors manage to make history fun without dressing up the facts with their own editorial.

Sit with it some night, preferably in a big comfy chair or sofa and sipping a good cup of tea or cocoa, and stroll through it with care. The book deserves a slow, easy read. The text is not terribly poetic, frankly. Nor should it be. Once again, the gift the authors bring to their subject is a lack of complication. And for pure visual delight, the book is beautifully assembled and Joel Avirom and Jason Snyder are to be praised for their design under Elliot Kreloff's direction. The pictures are crisp, many of them seen in print for the very first time (both of which are a terrific reason to sing its praises since many other Disney Editions and Hyperion Press efforts of the past twelve months have had appallingly poor quality and unoriginal illustrations for some unknown reason!) The layout never interferes with the text or fights for attention. Its large format which underscores the scrapbook approach may make it look like your boulevard fare coffee-table book, but it never distracts our focus from the writing. Once you've made your way through, the book lends itself very nicely to repeat visits to random sections. Readers who are fortunate enough to visit any of the many Disney resorts - even the parks that were planned and built long after either Walt or Roy could directly influence their design - will be well served by re-reading sections on Disneyland and WED. The same holds true about the focus on Walt the filmmaker for anyone about to sit down and watch anything from the Silly Symphonies through to Happiest Millionaire.

"Inside the Dream" also has countless benefits for anyone involved with the Disney after Walt. For here is an uncluttered reminder of what must in this writer's opinion be understood and embraced in order for the corporate giant to avoid stumbling as it lumbers onward. Here too is evidence of what's been forgotten of late, and I wish the madness of the corporate world afforded each and every "cast member" the necessary luxury of sitting with this book over the course of several uninterrupted hours one lazy afternoon, particularly those at the highest levels of the company. Platitudes on Plaza plaques and snippets in orientation handouts alone will not suffice. No matter what elemental truths are at the core of a random quote or carefully chosen anecdote, they are not sufficient substitute for the full picture of this man's journey as it is presented in "Inside the Dream." The rich and wonderful Dream of the book's title is startlingly inspiring, and if read in earnest by anyone even feigning allegiance to the company, I suspect the global presence of Disney Enterprises would feel much less cultish, and much more authentic.

Disney and their partners at Pantheon and Roundtable should find a way to market these materials together so that more consumers (ouch! That word!) can have the full experience. By itself, the book gives readers a wonderful opportunity to get to know an authentic Walt Disney better than most previous books. Without any dramatic or over sentimentalized build-up, the sadness you feel when you reach the chapter on his passing pulls at something deeper than ever since the sharp turn we all took on September 11th of 2001. It also raises the question of whether or not the modern world can nurture or sustain other such women and men of equal creative stature.