"You know I've always had a feeling that any time you can experiment or do anything you ought to do it. Because you never know what will happen." Full of historic gems and sumptuously illustrated, this big book is a tribute to the man behind Bambi, Mickey Mouse and whichever lovable Disney character takes you back down memory lane to the days of childhood. The family museum, built round the personality of Disney as a husband, father, grandfather and friend, showcases many artifacts from his life including drawings, photos, and possessions, all held together by the recorded voice of Walt himself from a series of 1956 interviews with journalist Peter Martin. The San Francisco-based Museum is a nonprofit organisation, home of Walt's eldest daughter Diane who was a tireless promoter of her father's legacy and an inheritor of his unrelenting perseverance to accomplish and achieve. Disney came from humble beginnings, and the book starts with his grandparents' marriage in Florida, 1888, after which they moved to Chicago. A rather lovely detail is the mosaic-patterned buttons from Flora Disney's wedding dress. Teenage Walt is pictured in his elder brother Roy's Navy uniform and the two would later go into partnership to found the Disney company. Walt and Lillian's marriage certificate is accompanied by touching family photos from when they finally managed to start a family in spite of miscarriages. Portraits of their daughters Diane and Sharon were later drawn by celebrated artist Norman Rockwell. The creativity of the Disney studios is represented by numerous cartoons for animation and merchandise such as Steamboat Willie, Mickey and Minnie dolls, shelves full of ink and paints, a studio scrapbook showing artists inking the cartoons, a process lab notebook from the camera department, an optical printer before digital technology, and also personal objects like Walt's cowboy boots and his downhill skis. Divided into concepts such as Heart, Creativity and Innovation, the book showcases a multifaceted legacy. 230pp, superb colour photos.
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