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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.
calisotas's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
beautifully descriptive- reading the early chapters is as close as i'll ever get to time-traveling to the golden age of animation and seeing the art form evolve in real time. i like to think i'm pretty good with animation history, particularly disney's, and this book still surprised me with tons of info that i didn't know. as a hopeful woman in animation, it was easy to feel connected to these women across decades and i was both saddened and uplifted by their stories. i appreciate the full context that was given to each time period (though some of the technology descriptions did take a reread or two), including the racism and other forms of discrimination that these individuals were complicit in to various degrees. i do wish we got to hear more about the post-golden age era, as afterwards the chapters were more condensed. i'm sure it's partially because less women were working at the studio at the time and to help the pacing as well, but i was so engaged that i would've loved to read more about the few who remained. this has become one of my favorite books.
lastly i know these are all real people but lee blair was a garbage human
lastly i know these are all real people but lee blair was a garbage human
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Racism
Minor: Grief, Infidelity, War, and Infertility
amlane16's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This book had a broad scope, covering decades of women working for Disney. It reads quickly and I learned a lot. Sometimes the technical details were overwhelming and could have been trimmed down.
I appreciated that the author brought the book full circle and demonstrated the effects those first female employees had on modern animation and story telling.
I appreciated that the author brought the book full circle and demonstrated the effects those first female employees had on modern animation and story telling.
stevenyenzer's review
4.0
What a terrific history. Holt's research makes clear that women played a central role in virtually every aspect of Disney's success from the earliest days, and yet these women have traditionally received little or no credit for their contributions.
The book's "main character" Mary Blair is a case in point. Blair led Walt Disney Studios into the modern art era with incredibly influential concept art that continue to inspire Disney artists as well as design for It's a Small World, the Disney Contemporary Resort, and more. And yet it wasn't until the 90s that her role was recognized. Repeat this story a few dozen times and you begin to wonder why women were systematically excluded from official acknowledgment for so long.
I've unfortunately heard separate from The Queens of Animation that many of these problems persist at Disney, despite the company's corporate feminism. It makes clear that elements like Jasmine's women empowerment song from the live-action Aladdin remake are just lip service, but hopefully even this faux feminism will make a positive impact on the next generation.
The book's "main character" Mary Blair is a case in point. Blair led Walt Disney Studios into the modern art era with incredibly influential concept art that continue to inspire Disney artists as well as design for It's a Small World, the Disney Contemporary Resort, and more. And yet it wasn't until the 90s that her role was recognized. Repeat this story a few dozen times and you begin to wonder why women were systematically excluded from official acknowledgment for so long.
I've unfortunately heard separate from The Queens of Animation that many of these problems persist at Disney, despite the company's corporate feminism. It makes clear that elements like Jasmine's women empowerment song from the live-action Aladdin remake are just lip service, but hopefully even this faux feminism will make a positive impact on the next generation.
_ellisnoble_'s review against another edition
4.0
Quando si parla di artiste che hanno fatto la storia della Disney, si fanno sempre i nomi di Retta Scott, la prima animatrice il cui nome finì nei crediti di un film ('Bambi' per la precisione) e Mary Blair, il cui stile influenzò profondamente l'estetica dei film della Silver Age. In realtà però ci sono state molte altre artiste che hanno contribuito a rendere indimenticabili queste pietre miliari dell'animazione, che dovettero lottare per ottenere di far ascoltare le proprie idee od ottenere un giusto riconoscimento ancora ogg. Ho letto parecchi libri sulla storia della Disney e nonostante questo, ignoravo completamente i contributi di queste artiste così come i loro nomi e i loro contribuiti non erano indifferenti, come per esempio la sequenza de 'Lo Schiaccianoci' in 'Fantasia', sceneggiata da Sylvia Holland e realizzata quasi interamente da artiste perché nessun animatore voleva disegnare le fate e a posteriori è una delle sequenze meglio riuscite del film (altro che 'La pastorale'), o quando Brenda Chapman vide gli storyboard della scena de 'La bella e la bestia' in cui Belle soccorre la bestia e disse che se una persona gli avrebbe urlato in quella situazione, lei gli avrebbe risposto a modo dandoci una delle scene migliori del film (sempre Brenda Chapman avrebbe vinto per prima l'oscar per il miglior film d'animazione per 'Ribelle'... Molto più rivoluzionario di 'Frozen'). Insomma, se adorate i libri sulla storia Disney e volete sapere di più della solita storia canonica, questa è una lettura assolutamente obbligata
charlietilstra's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.75
This is an easy, very light, lo loping read, but the information it gives about the first era of Disney is priceless to me.
If I reread it I want to have the opportunities to pause as I read to watch the movies it mentions as I go.
Incredible. Lit my fuse.
If I reread it I want to have the opportunities to pause as I read to watch the movies it mentions as I go.
Incredible. Lit my fuse.