Between Books - MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios

 

I love superheroes!

I love Marvel movies! I loved them before they were cool like broadcast poorly produced Spider-Man movies from the 70s love! And I remember sitting in a theater watching the end credits scene of Iron Man where I saw Nick Fury enter the frame and blow my mind with promises of what could happen next!

And I love history, hence an entire section of this site that is really just an index of books, mostly history. Clearly, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios was written literally for me!

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards is a complete and thorough history of Marvel Studios’ projects before its founding in August 1996 under the guidance of Avi Arad. The book outlines how a scrappy studio with a lot of intellectual property and a mission to sell toys, started mainly by leasing characters to other studios and providing some oversight largely to support toy sales. But with 1996 and the coming of Marvel Studios, Marvel looked to make movies itself. Armed with incomplete ownership of their character roster, leadership with a vision, and taking a big bet on itself, the Studio found near-instant success in 2008’s Iron Man. This movie launched the true beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a massive storytelling endeavor under the watchful eye of Kevin Feige. The book details how Marvel Studios came to be, its sudden successes, the long-form storytelling and, the the more recent critical and financial setbacks that the Studio has seen in the 2020s.

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios is deep and wide when it comes to telling the story of Marvel Studios. It is clear writing, despite often detailing complex situations including contracts, legal cases, and personalities. You will not find a more complete one-volume history of Marvel Studios. But that being said, I did often feel like its major accomplishment was bringing together a lot of content in one title and not adding to what fans know about this Disney intellectual properly machine. However, bringing it all together in one read does help refine thoughts on specific themes.

One example that emerges to readers really early is the belief of Marvel Chief Executive Officer Ike Pearlmutter that the purpose of Marvel Studios was to sell toys. Therefore, decisions about the movies supported this belief. This does make sense when you consider that Pearlmutter came from the toy background, not the comics or publishing industries. Therefore, the guidance or interference from Pearlmutter and the Marvel Creative Committee, largely under his influence, looked to support his thoughts on toy sales. And the belief was when you wanted to sell a lot of toys, white male characters sold, not diverse heroes and villains. This drama can seen played out in the characters of Black Widow and Gamora, often hidden in the associated toy lines. This belief would be opposed by Fiege and Disney’s CEO Bob Iger who supported diversity and larger storytelling. While it’s clear that Fiege and Iger found Pearlmutter to be a difficult personality, you can also see how the creative and business beliefs only further pushed this split wider. It is also interesting to watch as the Creative Committee, largely built to act like a Pixar Brain Trust failed to support creativity despite having some talented storytellers included. In the end, the call for toys may have drowned out their voices.

Another emerging theme is how Marvel Studios has strayed from its roots. I don’t mean plausibility, a quality that Jon Favreau sought in the production of Iron Man. Instead they have lost the jazz, the inability for directors, writers, and actors to improv and creatively flex their muscles as productions were in progress. This supported a Fiege principle that the movie mattered more than the whole. But with decades of movies completed and years more in production, the role of Fiege to channel movies and TV to movie together has increased, and play by creative forces now must be limited. Fiege’s role in holding it all together is essential to this endeavor. But it also has the price of limiting creative freedom. Additionally, expensive special effects while visually stunning has blocked the ability to run with a discovered story angle. 

You like superheroes and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards is for you. The book is a complete history with many themes for readers to dive into, with me just skimming a few. The book ends in the recent past, with the future of the MCU at a potential crossroads as real-life legal events have led to a requirement to change story plans, economics have changed the movie and television business, and the MCU has had creative missteps, (I found Secret Invasion to be a giant meh). Maybe someday an expanded or revised volume will detail what comes next. But for now, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios provides fans with a handbook of creative achievement and a record of how we got to this enormous financial and creative success…despite itself! 

 

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Between Books - The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder

No hologram Walts here my friend!

The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder by John Baxter, Bruce C. Steele, and the Staff of the Walt Disney Archives is a companion book to the Disney100: The Exhibition which began traveling the world in 2023 to coincide with the Walt Disney Company’s 100th year. The book is broken into topics that include the foundation of the company, adventure, innovation, the parks, sound, and others. Since the book is topical, each chapter generally covers large spans of the company’s century of history and multiple subtopics. Each chapter comes across as an essay with a variety of supporting color images and interstitials that highlights historic people or moments.

This text is trying to capture in a visually pleasing way 100 years of history. This is a drinking from the firehouse situation. As a reader, you will get deep on nothing. But you will glance off a lot of Disney creations as they get namechecked for their historical contributions. It does at times feel like films and tv get more space than parks, but the parks-specific essay is in the last half of the book. If one was to teach a course on Disney history, The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder could serve as the textbook. But other texts would be required to ensure that students could learn deeply on specifics. The images are visually wonderful, as one would expect from the Disney Archives.

I do find it interesting how Bob Chapek is managed in this book. The book was being completed during the time that Bob Chapek’s tenure began to sour and eventually Bob Iger returned as CEO. Chapek is thanked for his interviews…but he’s never mentioned in the text of the book. But Bob Iger is really prominent as he adds color to the company’s history. I speculate that much of the real estate given to Iger speaking as the company’s leader may originally have been reserved for Chapek. And with him leaving the company, he was replaced and removed from the history. Disney can be very controlling of their history’s image. And I wonder if, like Michael Eisner, who is mentioned once, we will see Chapek have a historical return in a few decades, especially for his work in home video.

The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder by John Baxter, Bruce C. Steele, and the Staff of the Walt Disney Archives is a celebration of 100 years. It is visually appealing with text that varies between historical examination and marketing speak, as one would find in D23 Magazine. And that is not shocking with contributors that are often asked to fill this assignment of informing fans about and marketing Disney products.

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Between Books - Lessons From Epcot: In Leadership, Business & Life

When the idea of a business book themed around Epcot was mentioned to me, well the first thing I thought is a lot of Disney fans are going to be interested in that!  There are several business books in the Between Books library.  The life of Walt Disney and the training techniques of the Walt Disney Company fill the pages of those books.  But I cannot think of one that has focused on a niche like Epcot, a niche with a loyal and engaged fans.

J. Jeff Kober in Lessons From Epcot: In Leadership, Business & Life provides a principled tour of Epcot.  Kober works his way through the park visiting Innoventions Plaza, Future World East, Future World West, World Showcase East, World Showcase South and World Showcase West in his nearly 150 pages.  Each of these sections is further divided into the attractions or pavilions which fill these areas paired with a lesson which can be applied in business or honestly life.  For example, in World Showcase East Kober takes his readers to the Nine Dragons Restaurant and provides a discussion of bad leaders!  In this case, the discussion focuses on how Disney has been proactive in creating critical behaviors in leaders who may have shown expertise in their prior position and then were promoted with little management experience.  The tours through the Epcot areas are based on information linked to the specific attraction or pavilion, historical facts from beyond the parks linked to the discussed topic, or the history of the Walt Disney Company and Parks.  Kober ends his book with an illustration that shows the importance of one person.

Overall, I found this book clear, easy to read and provided me much to think about.  While Disney fans will likely find Disney facts they are very familiar with they are still likely to be surprised as they go more deeply into topics like the inspiration of The Victoria Gardens in Canada, Art Frohwerk, or Department 510.  The Disney history is very sound with the only misstep being linked to Walt Disney's 1935 trip to Europe,  But it is only recently when books like Disney's Grand Tour have begun to separate fact from myth about this trip.  And many have repeated these once believed stories in other texts, likely serving as sources for this book.  Personally, I believe there is more than enough Disney to keep a Disney fan engaged and thinking.  The color illustrations also help to engage and entertain the reader as they dive into the book.  A problem I have is my team that I lead no longer want to hear about Walt Disney or Disney Parks!  But even in this difficult situation, though I may not use these examples with them directly, the Ask Yourself questions at the end of every section provide plenty of thought for self-reflection and assessment.   

I myself wondered how I could implement Bob Iger's rule that all meetings start on time, especially since the day I read that section I attended a volunteer board meeting which started 15 minutes late.  I really did enjoy the examples of Everything Speaks, especially from the China pavilion since it discussed the park and Chinese culture.  I had recently given a presentation in my own field that used Disney parks as my own example of how elements of a whole add up to one (hopefully) unified message and I love finding and understanding more examples of this concept.  And Kober's discussion of Test Track makes it clear what can happen to companies that are not courageous and change with the times.  These are just a few of the many lessons found throughout Lessons from Epcot's pages.

Lessons from Epcot by J. Jeff Kober provides something that will catch many Disney fans' attention, Epcot front and center.  But beyond the hook Kober provides a clear and well-organized text which many will enjoy.  And once one enters it pages self-reflection is impossible to avoid.  Readers come for Spaceship Earth, but stay as one dwells on courage, time-management, and motivating others.   




Review Copy Provided by Author

Between Books - Walt Disney: The Creation of Walt Disney Co.

Usually when you match free with Walt Disney you catch my attention.  So when I saw Walt Disney: The Creation of Walt Disney Co. by Sal Galvan as free on a Kindle site I follow, well I grabbed it.  What I hoped for was an interesting and likely brief discussion on Walt Disney.  But what I got was something very different.

Walt Disney: The Creation of Walt Disney Co. starts with a very brief discussion of the life of Walt Disney and the establishment of his studio.  This is followed by a more lengthy discussion on state of the company today.  Special focus is given to Marvel and Lucasfilm and fan reactions to the Disney acquisition of these media companies. 

Okay, I do not want to sound harsh.  There is an interesting premise here, it is just not one about Walt Disney the man.  It is mostly observations to the company today as seen through the eyes of Marvel and Lucasfilm fans.  And there is plenty of merit to covering that topic.  I just wish it was not in a paper under a cover with Walt Disney on it.  Walt had nothing to do with those two companies and their purchase.  So I really wish this book was retitled.

This really is a paper.  The fact that the second page states "Research Paper" and "History of Broadcasting" makes me think it was written for a class.  I have read enough research papers and journal articles to understand that small in length does not mean nothing to say.  But some readers may have issues with purchasing through Amazon someone's homework.

I think for me the real issues are in the errors and sources.  For the life of Walt Disney no major biographies are referenced, though Wikipedia is!  The section on Walt's life makes it feel like the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio opened with Mortimer, soon to be Mickey Mouse, as their first character.  And even today's facts are jumbled with Lucasfilm referred as Lucas Film and Bob Iger as Roger Iger.  I can understand these mistakes in a mid-term paper, but better editing and fact checking should have been applied when reaching to a deeper audience.  And honestly, it should be retitled.

In the end Walt Disney: The Creation of Walt Disney Co. fell flat for me.  But much of this was based on expectations!  And I would look elsewhere for information about the life of Walt Disney. 

Oswald Opines - End of the Einser Era

For me my Between Book obsession started with Disney War. And it is also a book that helped open my eyes to the story behind the story within Disney. In the end, Disney is a business no matter how much we want to vilify or glorify the magic. The following are just a few of the insights I have picked up on my reading of the Eisner era:

• It’s Never Just Business: When reviewing the business choices made by Disney Board Members, staff and stockholders it becomes clear that emotions are an equation that has to be taken into consideration. I think one incident that brought this forward to me is Roy E. Disney’s agreement to return to the Board after his first resignation if Card Walker was moved off of the Executive Committee of the Board. Walker, a Walt man, was someone who had criticized Disney in the past behind his back and had marginalized him. As part of the agreement to bring the Roy side of the family back to the Board, Disney agreed but required that Walker’s influence would be lessened. The idiot nephew had a hard time forgetting the mockery of the past. And so this business decision was made exclusively on emotion not business needs. This is just one of the many decisions during the Eisner era based on emotions not logic. Another great example would be Michael Eisner’s refusal to not pay Jeffrey Katzenberg his bonus instead of settling for a much lower price.

• Team of Rivals: Disney’s success during the Eisner ear was not built on the backs of one man but several. Michael Eisner may have been a creative genius, but he needed a Frank Wells to provide business know how. And despite any faults he may have displayed, Eisner needed Katzenberg to push and harass the studio staff to complete quality productions. Katzenberg was a force of nature that no one fully replaced at the Studio. And it took Roy E. Disney to help preserve animation as a unit within the company in the face of new leaders who did not see the business sense to retain animation. Much like the Allied high command during World War II, a group that distrusted each other but mostly retained their posts during the war, the Disney team was one based on tension, genius and stability. And once the stability was rocked by Wells’ death the tension increased and the genius evaporated. Disney was very lucky that during half of the Eisner era they had a hard working smart leadership who did not self-destruct sooner because all of the ingredients were needed to move the company forward.

• Pointing Fingers: Everyone was to blame, and I mean everyone. There is a tendency to paint Wells as a saint. But it is his lack of documentation that lead to the debacle of the Katzenberg law suit. Likewise as prickly a personality as Katzenberg could be, Eisner was unclear and failed to provide proper praise to his Studio head (a tendency Katzenberg also shared). I grew up seeing Uncle Mike as a hero. I did not see the Eisner, until now, who ruined a friendship with Michael Ovitz through poor communication and lack of purpose. Now I realize that he was human and should be both praised and criticized for the decisions he made.

• Fingerprints: Eisner’s fingerprints are all over the company today. Before the Eisner/Wells era the company was seen as a family studio with some theme parks. During the Eisner era movie production was expanded, new theme parks were built in the United States and abroad, property management became a key business, and the first acquisitions were added in companies like ABC. The Disney that we have today that is strong and diverse must be attributed to the foundational leadership of Micheal Eisner.

• Teammates: Disney leadership works best when there is a strong creative leader and a strong business leader. This is the model that Walt and Roy O. established. And Disney’s renaissance during the Eisner Era, even with their failures, was kicked off again by the partnership of Eisner and Wells. I ask myself if we are there today and if the model has changed with Bob Iger as the business leader and John Lasseter, Kathleen Kennedy, and Kevin Fiege as creative leaders?

For me the Michael Eisner Era is still a special time in Disney history. I never had Uncle Walt! But Eisner did fill that role for my generation. I am not ready, even reading about all of his warts, to jettison Eisner’s place in Disney history. Instead, I think I will continue to enjoy the advancements Michael Eisner brought to Disney, while attempting to avoid as much as possible the mistakes he made.

Nobody is perfect after all!

Dreaming Disney - Save the Clone Wars

Who Will Fall?

For the last few weeks, JimmyMac of RebelForce Radio has been warning us it could be Star Wars: The Clone Wars that could fall.

I was a big Star Wars fan before Disney bought LucasFilm.  Star Wars probably shaped my childhood just as much as Disney.

And I was super excited when the purchase was announced as it seemed a no brainer to put Star Wars: The Clone Wars alongside Ultimate Spider-Man and The Avengers: The Earth's Mightiest Heroes is a super action animated programming block.  And Star Wars: Detours would have been a fantastic fit next to Gravity Falls on the Disney Channel.  Honestly, with a voice cast that includes Dee Bradley Baker, Corey Burton, and Jim Cummings has Disney written all over it!  It just all seemed to be peanut butter and jelly, a prefect fit!  

But alas it does not seem to be.  New stories are starting to break that Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been canceled.  There could be official news soon!  And honestly while there are season 6 stories in the pipeline and even season 5 episodes that have not seen the light, season 5 did end at a point that some may seen as natural.

So here are our options.  One we can sit around and know we did nothing as this Mousey program was put to rest before it could even reach a Disney network.  Or we can politely let decision makers know that we value this Disney franchise and look forward to more.

Let's join JimmyMac in writing a polite letter to:

Disney Studios
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521
Attn: Bob Iger

You can also write a letter to Kathleen Kennedy…
Lucasfilm
P.O. Box 29901
San Francisco, CA 94129-0901
Attn: Kathleen Kennedy

You can also call 708-320-1RFR and provide your words of support which will be compiled on a CD RebelForce Radio is sending to Disney leadership.

We have seen a lot of changed in the last six months, but let's save Star Wars: The Clone Wars!

Between Books - John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood

I have been a fairly outspoken supporter of Andrew Stantons’ 2012 John Carter. The marketing campaign stole some of my excitement before I saw the film, but the finished product pushed itself into my top five movies of 2012. I am someone who would love a sequel and further exploration of Barsoom. And it is because of the movie that I picked up the original A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs and found myself entranced by a really well developed world in the midst of romantic adventure. I would say due to the film, I am a new convert to Barsoom, and I think there are others like me.

Michael D. Sellers however is part of the pre-movie fan base. For Sellers, awaiting John Carter, was a dream come true where his beloved franchise would finally get its proper due on the big screen. Sellers may have found the final product on the screen satisfactory, but the support given it by Disney was a clear disappointment. For a movie that was budgeted to be a tentpole movie for Disney, the movie was never given the support its $250 million budget should have warranted. The fact that this blockbuster in waiting became either invisible or misunderstood by the potential audience largely led to the label as Disney’s Ishtar.

Sellers in John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood examines the historical development of the film from the Edgar Rice Boroughs decision to write his first short story to the home video release of John Carter. He examines the multiple attempts to bring Barsoom, or Mars, to the big screen including failed efforts by Disney and Paramount. With the Pixar acquisition of Disney just finalized and the John Carter rights being released from Paramount, Carter fan and director Andrew Stanton suggested that Disney studio head Dick Cook pursue the franchise. Cook wishing to please a key member of the Pixar team and a proven director agreed to purchase the rights, despite an earlier Disney failed attempt to develop a Carter film. Stanton, who became a John Carter fan through the 1970s Marvel comics, diligently worked with fellow Carter fans and a supportive producing staff to bring the century old story to a modern audience while staying under the enormous budget. But with the replacement of Cook by Rich Ross, the corporate enthusiasm for Stanton’s first live action release ended. Ross would never give his full support to this project green lighted under the old regime. Ross’ newly hired marketing head, MT Carney, a new voice in movie marketing, was focused on a backlog of projects releasing before John Carter and departmental reorganization. These priorities were placed before the marketing of the potential tentpole film. Additionally, Carney’s research led Disney to remove the phrase “of Mars”, a change that generally meant much of the potential audience was not aware the film was a science-fiction offering. And Disney CEO Bob Iger, while not actively sabotaging the film was interested in acquiring LucasFilm, a desire which could have been hindered by a successful film. The lack of enthusiasm, and marketing, lead the movie to underperformed and be labeled a failure by Disney within ten days of release and before entering the world’s two largest film markets (China and Japan). Sellers finishes his story by discussing a real win for John Carter, being ranked number one in DVD sales upon release. He closes by discussing the possibility of future Carter movies and the circumstances under which a sequel could be made. And Sellers reviews the various personalities in the real life story of John Carter’s failure and identifies their role in the movie’s bust label.

John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is probably one of the best corporate history titles I have read since Disney War. Sellers does an excellent of job of trying to understand the politics of Disney and why decisions were made. And I think it is fair. For example, as a hardcore Burroughs fan it would be easy for him to paint a picture of Carney that is, well, evil. Many have lambasted her efforts in marketing the film including the decision to remove “of Mars”. Instead Sellers attempts to paint a picture where readers can understand what Carney had to overcome and the competing priorities of her short lived Disney posting. One can understand the pressures and blind spots that Carney was not able to overcome. Still he is honest in showing how the social media campaign failed, and was lacking, for this expert in new media. Additionally, he could have painted Iger as a villain killing the Carter film. Instead, Sellers explains Iger’s acquisition strategy, making it clear why he may have lacked excitement for a film that could have hindered his ability to bring Star Wars fully into the Disney family. Additionally, Sellers deeply analyses the Disney marketing strategy for the film including its poor poor results, especially when compared to The Avengers and The Hunger Games.

Sellers as an author is not just analyzing this story but is also part of it. Sellers was a proactive member of the Burroughs fan community who attempted to move the needle in support of the film. He discusses how he built the fan site www.thejohncarterfiles.com and edited his own fan trailer, one that Andrew Stanton declared was the only trailer that got the movie. Sellers is realistic about the obstacles that a John Carter film had to overcome and looked to the fan community to help Disney overcome them. For example, the number of Burroughs fans had declined severally and the Barsoom stories were a century old. So it did not have an active fan base as vocal as more recent The Hunger Games to bolster the film and other films such as Star Wars and Avatar had strip-mined the film of key story elements. Sellers as a character in the book had sought to convince Disney and the fan base that the fan community should be actively seeking new members and explaining that John Carter was the inspiration for many popular movies, not a cheap carbon copy of them. Sellers’ attempts were not supported on many sides. While Stanton may have supported his fan trailer, Disney was not interested in seeking inroads with fans. And even the fan community spoke with negative voices expressing concerns about Stanton’s movie and story changes. Some did not see as Sellers predicted that the movie could bring new fans to the Burroughs’ library, like myself.

John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is a fair, factual and enlightening assessment of what went wrong with the development, marketing and release of John Carter. The book is well written and clear, and has a personal touch as Sellers enters the story describing his own efforts to support a movie sight unseen. Sellers closes with the belief that there could still be life in the Carter franchise, just not with Disney, and for fellow Carter fans I hope he is right. John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is a tragedy, showing us the blockbuster that could have been and how the efforts, or lack of, made it one of the most ridiculed movies of 2012.

Review Copy Provided by Author

Between Books - The Pixar Touch

David Price in The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company details the origins, struggles, and successes of Pixar Animation Studios until its 2006 purchase by the Walt Disney Company.  Price begins his story with college student Ed Catmull who wanted to be an animator but determined that he had limited drawing talent.  The highly intelligent Catmull instead threw himself into computers and became determined to use computers to create animation.  In 1972, he created a graduate film in which he animated his hand.  The video was both simple and revolutionary in showing the potential available in computer animation.  Catmull became recognized as a leader in computer graphics and professionally tied himself to like minded Alvy Ray Smith in the quest to improve computer animation with a shared goal of an animated feature.  Eventually Catmull and Smith found themselves drawn to Lucasfilm, working on computer systems and graphics for the George Lucas’ production company.  While at Lucasfilm, Catmull and Smith recruited a third revolutionary figure, former Disney animator John Lasseter who provided the animation skill needed to create convincing character animation.  Catmull, Smith and Lasseter hid their efforts to achieve their common goal of an animated feature with Lucasfilm, who chose to sell Catmull’s computer unit off or shut down their operation.  They reached out to former Apple executive Steve Jobs who was attracted to the hardware potential in his new acquisition.  Still Catmull lead his team with the goal of animation, despite Jobs’ apprehension.  After years of being a financial lose, Jobs’ incorporated Pixar Animated Studios found enough success with commercials and short films to partner with Disney to complete and distribute an animated feature, Toy Story, which filled with character and innovative animation began an instant hit and classic film.  Price then outlines the problems in the Pixar-Disney relationship including friction between Jobs and Disney CEO Michael Eisner which was leading to an eventual end to their partnership.  Instead of a lasting schism, new Disney leadership under Bob Iger led to the Disney acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios.  This purchase lead to Lasseter becoming Disney’s and Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, including Walt Disney Imagineering, and Catmull being named President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, along with Pixar.  The disgraced Disney animator and the boy who could not draw had become the guiding forces behind the world’s most prestigious animation organization.   

Price does an excellent job of presenting the details of a complex story.  He makes it clear that the leadership of Pixar were always united around a common vision, making an animated movie.  While others may have seen them as computer hardware or software group, the Pixar leaders regardless of their company name, were always dedicated to a common cause.  With their vision not aligned to their owners at times, leaders like Catmull had to make hard decisions or be partially dishonest to do things like add John Lasseter to the payroll.  And Price makes to clear how that vision was shared with others, with Lasseter at one point rejecting a return to Disney in order to make history in the Pixar ranks. 

I was also shocked how my opinions of some within the Pixar story changed.  I had pictured Jobs as a benevolent leader who guarded the Pixar staff from economic forces with his own personal fortune so they could evolve towards making an animated feature.  Price instead gives us a picture of Jobs who is at times more adversary than benefactor, with figures like Catmull protecting the Pixar staff and at times unsuccessfully.  Additionally, Price shows that Jobs was a late comer to the dream of an animated film.  And I found my already high opinion of Catmull being further extended as one realizes the opportunities he turned down for short gain that resulted in his and Pixar’s success in achieving their dream.

The Pixar Touch is well written and engaging.  It is not a fictional thriller, but a straight forward and highly accessible read.  It may be considered a business book, but it is one that any Pixar or animation fan can read and enjoy.  Price takes the time to explain highly technical points, especially around software and hardware, that those not in the information technology realm would not readily know.  And he does a good job explaining these to the common man.  The book clearly demonstrates the power of vision to technical and business leaders.  Additionally, it is well researched based on interviews and primary and secondary sources. 

The Pixar Touch is an engaging and educational book.  It shows how the power of vision and the determination to follow it through can make something clearly amazing.  It is a must read for animation fans, those interested in the history of computing, and Disney enthusiasts.  Those wishing to explore the history of Pixar should begin with The Pixar Touch.