The disputed disposition of Disney's remains is more than matched by the controversies surrounding his life and work. Was he an anti-Semite, as an earlier biography alleged? Was he an exploiter of other peoples' talent who failed to give them proper credit -- "a genius at using someone else's genius," as an ex-employee put it? Most significantly, has the global ubiquity of Disney parks, products, and artifacts -- the toys and dolls, animated and live-action movies, that we absorb into our consciousness almost before we learn to speak -- had a positive or a deleterious impact on American and world culture?
This last question will always produce more argument than answers, giving added importance to the rich detail and exhaustive combing of sources that Gabler offers in his massive new biography. Both an accomplished cultural critic and a skilled popular writer, with an acclaimed study of Hollywood's Jewish moguls, "An Empire of Their Own," and a biography of gossip columnist Walter Winchell among his credits, Gabler gained unprecedented access to Disney's personal and company archives, and narrates both the good and the bad of Disney in comprehensive chronological form. In a literary environment in which tearing down heroes is the biographical norm, and with plenty of ammunition from Disney's many enemies and detractors at his disposal, Gabler nevertheless has crafted a poised and admiring portrait, if at times admonitory and, at others, poignant and sad.
How could one not stand in awe of Disney's lifetime achievements? A bare -bones list indicates his profound influence on worldwide popular culture and entertainment: The first fully synchronized sound animation, " Steamboat Willie " (1928), introducing Mickey Mouse, who soon became a global icon to rival Charlie Chaplin. Technicolor animation. Feature animation. Pioneering movie studio participation in television broadcasting. Fostering color television. The Disneyland theme park in California -- with plans for Disney World and EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) in Florida underway at his death.
