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loriw's review against another edition
Needed editing and more cohesive throughline.
oliviakateamerica's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
smslen205's review against another edition
Flip flopped among the various animators too much; interrupted their story line with detailed explanations of technology, and most annoying had a tone that wasn’t quite non-fiction. Too many “stories” that weren’t really complimentary of the women involved.
cgreenstein's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
The chapters set in the 20s- early 50s are the most interesting. I'm guessing there wasn't enough documentation to really dig deep into things, because a lot of what's given seems like assumptions or surface-level observation, and no one's story is really traced in a comprehensive or linear way, which left me wanting details. I listened to this as an audiobook, and that worked for me. I don't know how much I would've liked it as a print book. Probably a lot less.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Racism
taranicolewilson's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting read! Although I did find myself skimming over some of the technical jargon or films I didn’t know about
briaroche's review
3.0
This was an interesting read. As someone who loves art and grew up on Disney, it was nice to learn about the women in the industry who, unsurprisingly, went unnoticed and uncredited throughout their careers at the studio. One thing to note if you, like me, were excited to dive into the work done during the Disney Renaissance, there really isn’t much there. More than the half of the book spends its time in the early years of the studio, between Snow White and Sleeping Beauty (roughly between the 1930’s and 1960’s).
The chapters afterwards detailing the Disney Renaissance films which feature most of the studios first female characters of color with modernized attitudes, was rushed in comparison to princesses from the earlier days.
While I understand in the context of “Female firsts” in the Disney story, the narrative largely focuses on the some of the first women to break grounds at the studio during its early years, it was still disappointing to see the female characters of my era essentially disregarded. Princess Tiana, was literally only mentioned in one sentence in the book, ironically, it was a sentence in which the movie received backlash for its “throw away” depiction of the studio’s first (and only) African American Princess. The narrative flies through all of this and stops on Frozen, a film that was deemed a feminist victory for its depiction of two (white) heroines and their sisterly bond, rather than their love lives. Of course, I am not shocked by the focus the film received, but I felt the author did a disservice to women of all identities by disregarding the few heroines, however flawed, made outside of the companies blanket of whiteness.
The chapters afterwards detailing the Disney Renaissance films which feature most of the studios first female characters of color with modernized attitudes, was rushed in comparison to princesses from the earlier days.
While I understand in the context of “Female firsts” in the Disney story, the narrative largely focuses on the some of the first women to break grounds at the studio during its early years, it was still disappointing to see the female characters of my era essentially disregarded. Princess Tiana, was literally only mentioned in one sentence in the book, ironically, it was a sentence in which the movie received backlash for its “throw away” depiction of the studio’s first (and only) African American Princess. The narrative flies through all of this and stops on Frozen, a film that was deemed a feminist victory for its depiction of two (white) heroines and their sisterly bond, rather than their love lives. Of course, I am not shocked by the focus the film received, but I felt the author did a disservice to women of all identities by disregarding the few heroines, however flawed, made outside of the companies blanket of whiteness.