Frozen in Ice: The Story of Walt Disney Productions, 1966-1985 Paperback – Illustrated, October 31, 2013

I just finished reading an amazing book of the history of Walt Disney Productions post Walt's death titled Frozen in Ice: The Story of Walt Disney Productions 1966-1985. It's practically a time capsule of all the films, TV series, theme park attractions, and other goings-on with the company that were rarely documented in such great length in print.It is one thing to have such a detailed account of the movies I grew up watching, but quite another thing to read just how much the company producing them wavered so much during the 70s and early 80s.At one point I actually had to put my hand to my mouth in amazement as I read this portion detailed in the chapter '1983', the year of my birth..."Disney was in a severely weakened position. This is not to say that they were going to go bankrupt, but their value was so low at this point, that it would have been easy for a wealthy person to buy up shares of stock and take over the company...and that's exactly what was happening."That says A LOT.The book takes inspiration from Film Critic and Disney Scholar Leonard Maltin's book 'The Disney Films', formatted to showcase the entire cast/crew of each film followed by an essential scene-by-scene play of the film from beginning to end, then the author's observations of said film along with behind-the-scenes trivia and notes. It really is like getting a better look deeper inside films that others would simply shrug off as being not as important as Disney's animated features or the live-action films that "matter" (Mary Poppins, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Treasure Island, The Parent Trap, etc...).Each chapter is set up by a specific year followed by descriptions of what was happening either at Disneyland or Walt Disney World, then mentions what shows or films were part of the Disney Anthology series (Wonderful World of Color, Wonderful World of Disney, Disney's Wonderful World, Walt Disney) at that time, and other interesting pieces of information regarding what films/TV shows/music was being awarded or given accolades that year that were or were NOT Disney relating, creating an interesting perspective for the reader. It's like you're being told "Here's some animated films and live action films that did well this year that WEREN'T from our beloved Mouse!" I like that perspective.I had this book in my Wishlist for nearly two years and I am so glad that I finally decided to purchase it. It is such a welcome change from books that get written about the Disney Company by "those that were THERE". It's a lot of hush-hush "Oh, you couldn't pay me enough to talk about THAT" gobbledeegook that you can't get unless it's done by someone OUTSIDE the company and is willing to just give a completely unbiased opinion. I feel like there are so many other great books out there to read about this, which I fully intend to do thanks to this book which cites many other publications about 'what REALLY happened' during this time at the studios.I really love books like this, ones written by fans and not employees of the company that just really want to publish information that others like myself love and want to go deeper into looking at.Since roughly 2016, I've become a bit more cynical about the Disney Company as a whole. I stand by a very blunt statement; "Frozen ruined everything." Anything and EVERYTHING that The Disney Company made prior to Frozen has now been pretty much tossed into the garbage, both metaphorically AND physically. Old attractions are being destroyed, artifacts of classic Disney parks are being painted over and or removed entirely, and the films? Well, let's face it, unless it's animated, Disney doesn't care. As I suspected and most recently, had it pretty much proven to me by way of the latest trailer for the new streaming service Disney+ the ONLY live-action film they included footage of prior to the 2000s was....yup, you guessed it Mary Poppins. Nobody cares like myself and author Mark Arnold about these cherished films and events of the past, and to know there are books like his to keep the spirit alive is a great thing.I think Mark sums up my sentiments exactly with his final words in the chapter 'The Rest of The Story'..."Throughout the rest of the 1980s and the 1990s, Michael Eisner grew the company into a strong empire. However, in doing so he virtually erased all memories of the mom and pop charm that originally existed when it was Walt Disney Productions. The films now could be made by anyone at any studio and no longer have that Disney stamp on them, even the animated ones....It is no longer the family-owned company that was on the verge of a stock buy-out in 1984."As I tell many people about Disney NOW VS Disney in my era, the 80s/90s "When kids recognize Darth Vader more than they recognize Mickey Mouse, you know that it's the end..."

Solid book, but curious about the choice of racy back cover photo. What was that all about? Doesn't quite jive with the book's tone 🤔🙂

While such a book covers a fascinating topic and indeed is long overdue, taken altogether it is a monumental disappointment. Ostensibly a sequel to Leonard Maltin's "The Disney Films," this book follows Maltin's format by devoting a chapter to each film under discussion. Maltin included complete credits, detailed synopses, and representative reviews alongside his own analyses. Arnold does much the same, though his analyses are not at all insightful or complete. Which is a shame, because most of the information in his book can be found in other online sources. Arnold repeats Maltin's procedure of printing all the movies' credits, a stupid move since all that information can be found on IMDB--and increasingly wasteful in terms of space because the credits become longer and more thorough as Arnold's survey continues. The movies under Maltin's purview had very short credits--indeed, they consist really only of heads of department. By the time films like "Dragonslayer" (1981) and "Tron" (1982) come along, everyone involved in a film is credited; consequently, the names listed by Arnold for these movies cover upwards of two complete pages each. Then, Arnold has a disconcerting habit of writing one-syllable paragraphs when synopsizing, an annoying move that makes one feel that one is reading the writing of an 8-year-old. Furthermore, when it comes time to provide background or analysis, Arnold takes most of his information from other sources or resorts to the first person, detailing his own personal feelings or recollections and demonstrating a complete lack of critical acumen. A reader might ask "Who cares?" to Arnold's remembrance of how he felt when seeing a specific movie for the first time. The book's advantage is that it provides a comprehensive list of all the Disney films during this period, and there are introductory sections that list what was going on in the rest of the Disney world each year that inspire interest. An intelligent book on this era is still needed.

There is so much written about Disney's early days. Indeed, there's an entire museum dedicated to that subject in San Francisco. The museum ends with Walt's death, as do most books about Disney's salad days.On the other hand, there is vast amount of media about Disney after "The Little Mermaid", when the company rose from the dust and because a powerhouse again. But what about the days between Walt's death, and "The Little Mermaid"? Finally, there's a book on that mysterious time.This is a fascinating subject, of a time when Walt's Yes Men fought to keep the company alive. Walt filmed several short movies to be shown to the executives every six months, giving them guidence where the company was to go, and what they were to do. On one level, it was comforting, I suppose, but it didn't encourage creative thinking. Even worse, after each screening, the survivors knew there was one less film that Walt made, and that the day they had to stand complete on their own was that much closer.So, how did Disney get back on its feet? Mark Arnold has covered that time, and did it well. Must reading for fans of Disney and film.

Mark provides an amazing compilation of plots and DVD commentary related observations, as well as some of his personal opinion, about an era that most Disney fans have a difficult time coming to grips with.

I love going deep into Disney history and this book is the first I've seen on this era. A must have for the Disney collector in your life!