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jocelynh's review
informative
slow-paced
2.0
Only for the most dedicated fans of the behind-the-scenes bureaucracy of the Disney company. An incredible amount of research and legwork went into this book, and it shows---in excruciating detail. There's so much info about mergers, spats, deals, etc. that my eyes started to glaze over trying to keep track of everyone.
The narrator isn't the greatest about section breaks, so the context switches were sometimes a bit confusing. Kudos to him for the subtle "character" voices, though.
Extremely informative, but probably overly so. The epilogue is a very good summary/brief analysis of the events of the whole book.
The narrator isn't the greatest about section breaks, so the context switches were sometimes a bit confusing. Kudos to him for the subtle "character" voices, though.
Extremely informative, but probably overly so. The epilogue is a very good summary/brief analysis of the events of the whole book.
gothicdouble's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.25
Lots of cool stuff about movie production and Disney execs being terrible, though there are patches in the second half of the book where it's really dry. After the part Ovitz was fired I found myself skimming a lot.
joelevard's review against another edition
4.0
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that even a quote family-friendly unquote company like Disney has a sordid underbelly. What mega-corporation these days doesn't (just a tip, if you enjoy Diet Coke, I wouldn't google their international business practices too hard; it's not pretty).
Disneywar isn't quite that kind of book -- we're not traveling into the sweatshops where orphans with bleeding fingers sew buttons on Mickey's overalls -- but it does air a lot of dirty laundry about the 20-year period in which Michael Eisner took the company from an also-ran in danger of being sold off to the mega-conglomerate we know and love, before his ever-growing ego and focus on the bottom line began to erode the brand and drive Disney animation into the dirt.
I found all of the details immensely entertaining. If you have a favorite Disney movie from that era, it is probably discussed here in detail, from Little Mermaid and The Lion King to massive pirate movie failures like Treasure Planet and pirate movie successes like those Johnny Depp flicks. The scope is impressive (note the page count -- I listened to the audiobook and it was something like 25 hours), covering boardroom coups, theme park development, merchandizing snafus, the battle for Pixar (Eisner's downfall!) and the rise, fall and rise of the ABC network [they hit big and then overexposed Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and passed on a chance at Survivor (whoops!)].
Unfortunately a lot of it is probably a bit out of date by now -- I read it in 2006 when Eisner's walk of shame away from the board of directors (kicked out through the efforts of no less than Roy Disney himself) was still pretty fresh -- but if you like movie industry gossip, it's fascinating stuff.
Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 26: Favorite non-fiction book.
Disneywar isn't quite that kind of book -- we're not traveling into the sweatshops where orphans with bleeding fingers sew buttons on Mickey's overalls -- but it does air a lot of dirty laundry about the 20-year period in which Michael Eisner took the company from an also-ran in danger of being sold off to the mega-conglomerate we know and love, before his ever-growing ego and focus on the bottom line began to erode the brand and drive Disney animation into the dirt.
I found all of the details immensely entertaining. If you have a favorite Disney movie from that era, it is probably discussed here in detail, from Little Mermaid and The Lion King to massive pirate movie failures like Treasure Planet and pirate movie successes like those Johnny Depp flicks. The scope is impressive (note the page count -- I listened to the audiobook and it was something like 25 hours), covering boardroom coups, theme park development, merchandizing snafus, the battle for Pixar (Eisner's downfall!) and the rise, fall and rise of the ABC network [they hit big and then overexposed Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and passed on a chance at Survivor (whoops!)].
Unfortunately a lot of it is probably a bit out of date by now -- I read it in 2006 when Eisner's walk of shame away from the board of directors (kicked out through the efforts of no less than Roy Disney himself) was still pretty fresh -- but if you like movie industry gossip, it's fascinating stuff.
Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 26: Favorite non-fiction book.
megancushman's review against another edition
DNF I do not care this much about Disney executives lol
kimscapturedlife's review against another edition
4.0
Disney War 3.5⭐️Covers Disney company history between 1984 - 2005. After reading and loving the Bob Iger Book last year, I was looking for a book on Michael Eisner. Focuses on his conflicts with other Disney leaders like Roy Disney and Katzenberg, and then also Steve Jobs. Includes back stories of movies and theme parks.
The author had access with interviews and documents, but the book reads more like a sensational tell all and seems to mix facts with what he thinks his subjects are thinking. Overall it was a fascinating read and would definitely recommend. Quite long though…gets bogged down in some reading of documents and letters.
#bookreviews #2022books
The author had access with interviews and documents, but the book reads more like a sensational tell all and seems to mix facts with what he thinks his subjects are thinking. Overall it was a fascinating read and would definitely recommend. Quite long though…gets bogged down in some reading of documents and letters.
#bookreviews #2022books
mountford14's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0