Winner of the National Indie Excellence Awards for Movies & TV, Finalist of the National Indie Excellence Awards for Arts & Entertainment, and Finalist of the National Indie Excellence Awards for History United States The untold succession struggle at Walt Disney Productions following the death of its founder, and the generational transformation which led to the birth of the modern multibillion-dollar animation industry. “An eye-opening history of one of the most culturally impactful American companies.” —Kirkus Review Walt Disney left behind big dreams when he died in 1966. Perhaps none was greater than the hope that his son-in-law, Ron Miller, would someday run his studio. Under Miller’s leadership, Disney expanded into new frontiers: global theme parks, computer animation, cable television, home video, and video games. Despite these innovations, Ron struggled to expand the Disney brand beyond its midcentury image of wholesome family entertainment, even as times and tastes evolved. Tensions between Miller and Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney, threatened to destroy the company, leading Wall Street “Gordon Gekko” types to come after Mickey Mouse. At the same time, the aging Animation Department—once the core of Walt’s business—was one memo away from shutting down forever. Rather, thanks to the radical efforts of Walt’s veterans to recruit and nurture young talent, it was revived by this sudden influx of artists who would go on to revolutionize the film industry. Additionally, this new generation would prove over time that animation was so much more than just kids’ stuff—it was a multibillion dollar industry. This is the upstairs-downstairs story of the executives and animators who clashed and collaborated to keep America’s most storied company alive during the most uncertain period in its one hundred year history. "Throughout this wonderfully written and fascinating story of talents, ambitions, clashes, failures, and successes I kept thinking, 'Who can ever predict the path that life will turn?' This was a great comfort to me. Again and again it was the serendipitous mix of new 'actors' arriving onto the stage that resulted in the most marvelous artistic and business accomplishments. To my eyes the invisible Hand of Providence is clearly at work in the way this history unfolded and that this book captured so beautifully." —Glen Keane, Academy Award® winning Director, Animator, and Disney Legend "I worked at the studio for forty years and voraciously read many, many books on Disney Studios. I learned more about the man Walt Disney from this book than any other book I've ever read—who he was, not what he did. Neil O'Brien has written an entirely fresh, compelling book full of incredibly well-researched, deep dive personal accounts from the primary players that ran the studio. How could there possibly be this many things I didn't know about the second golden era of animated films—and I was there for the entire run! All written in such an engrossing, intimate way. Kudos to an epic book of animated proportions." —Mike Gabriel, director of Pocahontas and The Rescuers Down Under "On each page, this inspiring book reveals new details regarding the transition from Walt Disney and his Nine Old Men, to the second renaissance of Traditional Animation. How the veterans who invented 'The Illusion Of Life' passed down their tribal knowledge, and craftsmanship to their apprentices who went on to bring you 'The Little Mermaid,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' and 'The Lion King.' This book also reports on the shift from a boutique family run studio to a corporate powerhouse. Mr. O'Brien is a respected journalist who gleaned, and meticulously fact checked each detail with the folks who were actually there—who shared with him their respect, passion, and love for hand drawn animation, soon perhaps a lost art. A page turner of animation history in a book you can trust, that inspires, and delights." —Tony Anselmo, Animator, Voice of Donald Duck, and Disney Legend FIVE STAR REVIEWS from NetGalley " A Brillant read for any Disney fan or even non fan." - Emma J. "This was a fantastic look into what happened after Walt Disney died, it was a fascinating look into what happened after. I never really thought of what happened after as I really only knew after that. The writing was perfectly done and was glad the overall feel worked with the concept. Neil O'Brien wrote this perfectly and was glad I read this." - Kathryn M. "This was a fascinating read into the fraught time period just after Walt Disney's death but before the Eisner/Wells. The research is well done and the author gives enough detail to be interesting but not too plodding. Throughout it all is the existential crisis of the animation film departme... In all, a great read with a lot of fascinating observations about the Disney company during that key transition period after Walt's death ." - Andrea J. "... This book reads like a real-life fairy tale,