Author Neal Gabler to appear at 2007 NFFC National Convention

The NFFC Welcomes Author Neal Gabler to its 2007 National Convention

Join the NFFC as it welcomes Neal Gabler, the entertainment commentator and award-winning author of Walt Disney - The Triumph of the American Imagination to its 2007 National Convention line up. Neal will be taking the stage on Saturday July 14th to discuss his book, the life and times of Walt Disney and the state of the Walt Disney Company in the decades after Walt’s passing. This is a rare opportunity - in what is certain to be a wide-ranging and fascinating conversation – Neal will field questions from the audience and share the truths that shaped the story of the life of Walt Disney.

Of his 7-year project, Neal noted, “I always advise putative biographers that writing something like this is akin to emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. If you look at the ocean, you'll be too daunted to continue. So you have to stare at the spoon. Years pass… and you look up to find the ocean is now behind you.�? He added, “Disney, both fortunately and unfortunately, was something of a pack rat. He left hundreds of thousands of pieces of detritus, and I determined to read all of them… I also read everything extant on Disney… everything from his grandfather's last will and testament to his baptism certificate to his FBI records.�? Discoveries there were. Myths. Familiar stories. And surprises.

From his early childhood, through the development of the Alice Comedies, the development of the Walt Disney Studios, the building of Disneyland and so much more – Neal has delved into each and every relationship that helped to weave the fabric of Walt’s life – public and private. What would Walt Disney think of the fortunes of the Walt Disney Company today? Neal theorized, “I don't think that Walt would necessarily be surprised by the size of the company or its synergy. Walt was always thinking of ways of expanding his franchise. He might be a bit miffed by the lack in quality of some of the products – he would certainly be disappointed by the direct-to-video animations since he was insistent that the feature animations had a value that shouldn't be compromised…�?

“As for the computer generated animations that have replaced the old hand-drawn animations, I don't think Walt would have been averse – he was always searching for the next new thing – but I do think he would have recognized that CGI animations are much colder than hand-drawn animations and that they lack a certain animus that the old animations had.�? And if he were to visit Walt Disney World, “Well, the first thing he would probably do is nitpick. Walt was a perfectionist who was NEVER satisfied. So he would point out all the imperfections. But I think Walt would have been impressed by the scale of the park and by some of its new attractions. Walt was always pushing the envelope…�?

And what of Walt’s place in the history of American pop-culture? Neal noted, “Walt Disney was such a protean figure that he is a very difficult man to match. He not only reinvented animation, he reinvented the amusement park, pioneered color and sound in film, created the nature documentary, shaped attitudes toward American history, built constituencies for conservation, space exploration and nuclear energy, and finally became one of the chief advocates for city planning… We are very unlikely to see anyone of his ilk… no business today would support the vision of a Walt Disney.�?

Or his legacy, “I think his largest bequest is a matter of the American mind. Walt Disney helped change the national consciousness. He got people to believe in the power of wish fulfillment – in their own ability to impose their wills on a recalcitrant reality. That's what Walt Disney did all his life. He managed to replace reality with his illusions – what some people now refer to disparagingly as Disneyfication. He sold us on the idea of control because Walt Disney was himself a master of control. We see the results everywhere – from film to theme parks to virtual reality to virtual politics.�?

We will discuss Neal’s portrait of a man wrought by his childhood, tempered by those who shaped his life, reflected by those who shared his life and driven by a vision that consumed his life. We’ll discuss the vision which remains. The legacy which remains. More than 105 years after his birth and more than 40 years after his death, Mickey remains, his Studio remains, his theme parks thrive and grow. Neal will share the story of creating his intricately crafted portrait of a genuine American genius. A man and not a corporate icon.

Neal’s book gives us the definitive view of our beloved Uncle Walt, with all the flaws, foibles, demons, obsessions, dark secrets, fear, guilt, passions, wounds, prejudices, disappointments, tragedies, and criticisms that the private life of any public man could possibly hold. As we’re also allowed a share in the triumphs and the staggering successes, the shear will, determination, self-respect and guts it took to gamble everything on a dream again and again and to remain and reap the wind-fall rewards. The native, intuitive brilliance that created the foundation for an unparalleled entertainment empire and fostered a generation – the Disney Generation – and all is fair game for this seminar.

Neal will also be available to sign his book during the NFFC’s Strictly Disneyana Show & Sale on Sunday, July 15th. Please see both nffc.org and http://www.nffc.org/events/eve
nt_newsdketail.asp?id=33 for information and any breaking news as we get closer to the fun.