''Walt Disney'' is a documentary film created by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

for the ''

American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...

'' program. The two-part, four-hour documentary premiered on September 14, 2015 with part two on the following day and centers on the life, times and legacy of

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

. According to Sarah Colt, director of the documentary film, the biggest challenge was "capturing the truth of the man who had such noutsized influence and notoriety ... People think they know him but in reality they don't know him ... He was a human being with many layers of complexity." Rob Lowman, of the ''

Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Dai ...

'', described " Disneyesque" as being "synonymous with a specific artistic style and, eventually, a fantasy world." Richard Sherman, a Disney songwriter, recalled that "Disney was never driven by a desire for wealth or fame. He wanted to be seen as a master storyteller ... He got great joy out of making people happy with his movies."

Participants

The documentary film is narrated by

Oliver Platt Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960) is a Canadian-born American actor. He is known for his starring roles in many films such as ''Flatliners'' (1990), ''Beethoven'' (1992), ''Indecent Proposal'', ''The Three Musketeers'' (both 1993), ''Executiv ...

and includes the following participants (alphabetized by last name): *

Michael Barrier Michael J. Barrier (born June 15, 1940) is an American animation historian. Work Barrier was the founder and editor of ''Funnyworld'', the first magazine exclusively devoted to comics and animation. It began as a contribution to the CAPA-Alpha a ...

(

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

) *

Rolly Crump Roland Fargo "Rolly" Crump (born February 27, 1930) is an American animator and designer noted particularly for his work as a Disney Imagineer. Biography Crump was born in Alhambra, California, and joined Walt Disney Studios in 1952. Initial ...

, (Disney Imagineer) *

Susan J. Douglas Susan J. Douglas is an American feminist columnist, and cultural critic who writes about gender issues, media criticism and American politics. She has published five books on American history, and is currently Catherine Neafie Kellogg Professor o ...

(

media historian Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...

) *

Neal Gabler Neal Gabler (born 1950) is an American journalist, writer and film critic. Gabler graduated from Lane Tech High School in Chicago, Illinois, class of 1967, and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He graduated '' summa cum laude'' from ...

(historian; journalist) *

Robert Givens Robert Herman Givens (March 2, 1918 – December 14, 2017) was an American animator and character designer, responsible for the creation of Bugs Bunny. He was the leading character designer for Leon Schlesinger, creating over 25 successful c ...

(Disney animator) *

Bob Gurr Robert Henry "Bob" Gurr (born October 25, 1931 in Los Angeles, California) is an American amusement ride designer and Imagineer. His most famous work was for Walt Disney's Disneyland Park, and its subsequent sister parks. Gurr is said to have de ...

(Disney Imagineer) *

Don Hahn Donald Paul Hahn (born November 26, 1955) is an American film producer who is credited with producing some of the most successful animated films in recent history, including Disney’s ''Beauty and the Beast'' (the first animated film to be nom ...

(artist; producer; writer) * Carmenita Higginbotham (

art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

;

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

) *

Don Lusk Donald R. "Don" Lusk (October 28, 1913 – December 30, 2018) was an American animator and director. Early life Lusk was born on October 28, 1913, in Burbank, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. He served in the United States Marines durin ...

(Disney animator) * Ron Miller (Son-in-Law) *

Floyd Norman Floyd E. Norman (born June 22, 1935) is an American animator, writer, and comic book artist. Over the course of his career, Norman has worked for various animation companies, among them Walt Disney Animation Studios, Hanna-Barbera Productions, ...

(Disney animator) * Mark Samels (producer) *

Richard Schickel Richard Warren Schickel (February 10, 1933 – February 18, 2017) was an American film historian, journalist, author, documentarian, and film and literary critic. He was a film critic for ''Time'' magazine from 1965–2010, and also wro ...

(historian; film critic) * Richard Sherman (Disney songwriter) *

Ron Suskind Ronald Steven "Ron" Suskind (born November 20, 1959) is an American journalist, author, and filmmaker. He was the senior national affairs writer for ''The Wall Street Journal'' from 1993 to 2000, where he won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Feature ...

(Writer of ''

Life, Animated ''Life, Animated'' is a 2016 American documentary by director Roger Ross Williams. It is co-produced by Williams with Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements. ''Life, Animated'' is based on journalist Ron Suskind's 2014 book ''Li ...

'') *

Ruthie Tompson Ruth Irene Tompson (July 22, 1910 – October 10, 2021) was an American camera technician, animation checker and supercentenarian. She was known for her work on animated features at The Walt Disney Company and was declared a Disney Legend in 2 ...

(Disney artist)

Reviews and criticism

The film was met with mixed reviews for its presentation of Walt. According to

Neil Genzlinger Neil Genzlinger is an American playwright, editor, book reviewer, and theatre and television critic who frequently writes for ''The New York Times''. Family Genzlinger is a grandson of the late ''The Philadelphia Bulletin'' columnist Don Rose. ...

, of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', "Before alt Disneybecame synonymous with a staid, whitewashed version of

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

, ewas considered a boundary pusher, expanding the possibilities and ambitions of his art form ... he documentary film isa workmanlike treatment of a titanic life ... ndmakes you feel the limitations of the familiar '

' format: no-nonsense narration; archival footage and photographs;

talking heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

delivering sound-bite-length flourishes." Cynthia Littleton, of

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

, writes that "Walt Disney was a dictator who ruled his studio with an iron fist. Walt Disney was a generous soul who loved nothing more than making people happy. Both of those sides of the man who has achieved mythic status were on display n the documentary film"

, author of the biography "''Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination''” (2006), notes that “the film takes the measure of alt Disneyas a human being." It was nominated for a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

.The Peabody Awards - American Experience: Walt Disney
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References

External links

* - Official website * {{portal bar, Animation, Art, Biography, Cartoon, Disney 2015 television films 2015 films 2015 documentary films American Experience American documentary television films PBS original programming Works about Walt Disney 2010s American films Films about Disney

Participants

Reviews and criticism

See also

References

External links