From the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, the untold, “richly detailed” story of the women of Walt Disney Studios, who shaped the iconic films that have enthralled generations (Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures). From Snow White to Moana, from Pinocchio to Frozen, the animated films of Walt Disney Studios have moved and entertained … Frozen, the animated films of Walt Disney Studios have moved and entertained millions. But few fans know that behind these groundbreaking features was an incredibly influential group of women who fought for respect in an often ruthless male-dominated industry and who have slipped under the radar for decades.
In The Queens of Animation, bestselling author Nathalia Holt tells their dramatic stories for the first time, showing how these women infiltrated the boys’ club of Disney’s story and animation departments and used early technologies to create the rich artwork and unforgettable narratives that have become part of the American canon. As the influence of Walt Disney Studios grew — and while battling sexism, domestic abuse, and workplace intimidation — these women also fought to transform the way female characters are depicted to young audiences.
With gripping storytelling, and based on extensive interviews and exclusive access to archival and personal documents, The Queens of Animation reveals the vital contributions these women made to Disney’s Golden Age and their continued impact on animated filmmaking, culminating in the record-shattering Frozen, Disney’s first female-directed full-length feature film.
A Best Book of 2019: Library Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and Financial Times
I have always been a fan of anything related to Walt Disney (animation, films, Disneyland, the Wonderful World of Disney, the Disney Museum) so I couldn’t wait to read this book, and I found it fascinating. The author did an admirable job of researching the history of the women who worked as animators for Walt Disney Studios and then weaving the facts into a dramatic true story. From the early animated films of Snow White to the live action feature films, to Pixar and Frozen, the development of Disneyland and the various animation technologies – the book focused on the women who were crucial in developing the look, sound, and branding of Disney animation. What makes this book so readable is that in addition to their professional lives, Holt shared their personal lives. They battled sexism, domestic abuse, workplace intimidation, competition, and relationships. And a most important factor – they successfully fought to transform the way female characters were depicted for young audiences.
Thanks to Book Club Cookbook’s Galley Match program and publisher Little, Brown and Company for a copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book was kind of like getting the other side of a story.
Im a Disney fan and I love watching Disney documentaries this book was like the whole story of some things. Interesting read.
It was the 1956 rerelease of Fantasia that rocked my world. I was four years old and Mom took me to a Buffalo, NY theater to see my first movie. The images and the music made a lasting impression, driving a lifelong love for symphonic music.
I already was in love with illustrative art, thanks to the Little Golden Books that my mother brought home from her weekly grocery shopping trips. My favorite was I Can Fly, illustrated by Mary Blair. And on my wall were Vacu-Form Nursery Rhyme characters including Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue–which I later discovered were also designed by Mary Blair! And even later in life, I learned that Mary Blair had worked for Walt Disney. And of course, growing up in the 1950s, anything Disney was a favorite.
Especially the 1959 release of Sleeping Beauty. I was still in my ‘princess’ phase, which came after my ‘cowboy gunslinger’ phase. Mom took me to see the film. I had the Disney Sleeping Beauty coloring book. I had the Little Golden Book. And I had the Madame Alexander Sleeping Beauty doll! Sadly, my dog chewed it up but in my 40s I purchased one on eBay to satisfy my inner child.
Fast forward to the late 1980s and my husband and I were buying up Disney videotapes for our son, raising another generation of Disney fandom. His first theatrical movie was The Little Mermaid.
My fandom never took me as far as to read books about the Disney franchise or Walt. Until The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History. I remembered my love of Mary Blair and thought, Nathalia Holt has something here. I wanted to know the names and the contributions of these unknown women.
It was a joyful read, at once a nostalgic trip into the films that charmed and inspired my childhood– and our son’s –and a revealing and entertaining read about the development of animation and the rise of women in a male-dominated culture. I put aside all other books.
Holt concentrates on the women’s careers but includes enough biographical information to make them real and sympathetic. I was so moved to read about Mary Blair’s abusive marriage.
Holt also does a stellar job of explaining the rising technologies that would impact animation, eventually eliminating the jobs of hundreds of artists. We learn about Walt’s interest in each story that inspired the animated movies and the hard work to develop the story, art, and music, along with the conflicts and competition behind the scenes.
I learned so many interesting facts! Like how Felix Salten’s novel Bambi: A Life in the Woods was banned in Nazi Germany because it was a metaphor for Anti-Semitism! How Mary Louise Weiser originated the grease pencil, one of the many technologies Disney developed and perfected or quickly adapted.
And I loved the story of Fantasia. Bianca Majolie presented the music selections to Walt, including The Nutcracker Suite’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Waltz of the Flowers. Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker ballet had never yet been produced in the United States at the time! The male animators did not want to work on illustrating fairies (they instead created the Pastoral Symphony’s centaurs and oversexualized centaurettes, including an African-American servant who was part mule instead of horse).
Choreographer George Balanchine was touring the studio with Igor Stravinsky, whose The Rite of Spring was included in Fantasia, and he loved the faires in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies. Fifteen years later he debuted The Nutcracker at the new Lincoln Center and it became a Christmastime annual tradition.
I just loved this book for so many reasons! Thank you, Nathalia Holt!
I was given access to a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.