Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History by Nathalia Holt

12 reviews

catnapping's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

This book was a lovely peek behind the scenes at Disney's animation studios from its earliest days through to modern times seen through the lens of women employees. The author brings their experience to life, often vividly, while placing it within the framework of the time and world events. I learned a lot about both Disney and the evolution of animation. I especially appreciated how well the author explained the workings of both old and new technology and gave the women behind many of our favorite films a voice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Racism

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Racism

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Racism

Minor: Grief, Infidelity, War, and Infertility

angelofmusic317's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

This was a lovely story about the women who helped pioneer the art of animation at the Walt Disney Animation Studio beginning in the 1930s. Stories of their personal challenges and how they challenged the status quo in their professional careers were interesting and inspiring. This was not only a great biography and history of the women featured but also provided a small snippet of information on Walt Disney's animated feature films. Before reading this book, I did not realize how much influence the women of animation had on feature films. The book begins in the 1930s and ends with the release of Frozen, so it covers Disney's animation renaissance of the 1990s and the introduction of computer-aided and computer-generated animation. I highly recommend this read for anyone interested in animation, Disney, and women's rights.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Cancer, Death, Alcoholism, and Sexism

cadybooks's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Racism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Cultural appropriation, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Miscarriage and Infertility

Minor: Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fatphobia, Cancer, Grief, Mental illness, Terminal illness, War, Body shaming, and Rape

clarabooksit's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexism, Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Racism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Sexual harassment

yogomagpie's review against another edition

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.5

I appreciate all the research done to compile the stories of these women and the contributions they made in animation. Their histories, and the innovation and groundbreaking technologies that Disney invested in from the beginning, made for a very interesting read that I didn’t want to put down. I wish that more time was spent on the period between the 90s to 2010s though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Sexism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Cancer

useyourwordsmarisa's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

This book is incredibly well researched and informed! It mainly focuses on the first 50 or so years of the Walt Disney Animation company, and the women who shaped it. The last third is dedicated to the women of Disney since the Renaissance Era, just so you know. It is emotional captivating and flows very well. Sometimes the timeline jumps back and forth so be sure to pay attention to dates and names while reading. Other than that it is a beautiful book that I will cherish always and as a woman in animation is so important and inspiring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Child abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Racism

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Death, Medical content, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Slavery, and War

erinblue's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse

caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring slow-paced

3.0

I finished this book, not for the quality of the writing but for the topic - the history of Disney animation. As a biography, this book is weak, but I persevered because I'm a die-hard Disney fan and love learning new things about the history of the company and the animation studio.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism and Infidelity

Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Alcohol