Overview

From the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, the untold story of the women of Walt Disney Studios, who shaped the iconic films that have enthralled generationsBehind the beloved animated films of Walt Disney Studios, which have moved and entertained millions of viewers, was an incredibly influential group of women who have slipped under the radar for decades. For the first time, bestselling author Nathalia Holt recounts their dramatic stories, showing how these women infiltrated the all-male domain of Disney's story and animation departments and used early technologies to create the rich artwork and unforgettable storylines that have become part of the American canon. Over the decades---while battling sexism, domestic abuse, and workplace intimidation---these women also fought to transform the way female characters are depicted to young audiences.Based on extensive interviews and exclusive access to archival and personal documents, The Queens of Animation reveals the vital contributions these women made to Disney's Golden Age and their continued impact on animated filmmaking, culminating in the record-shattering Frozen, Disney's first female-directed full-length feature fil

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9781549100789

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Reviews

An imminently readable and well-researched work. Highly recommended. -- Library Journal on Rise of the Rocket Girls

The contribution of women to human creations is so often ignored, often kept behind the scenes, unrecognized or even secretly shielded by men who took all the credit--in the halls of power, in NASA engineering meetings, in Hollywood productions, and even, it seems in the world of animation. The Queens of Animation draws on the revealing and engagingly personal stories of many talented women who had a hand in the creation of the animated Disney films we all love--a long overdue recognition for their contributions. It's time to resuscitate and honor all that women have clandestinely--by design--molded and shaped.-- Kara Cooney, author of When Women Ruled the World Nathalia Holt's marvelous The Queens of Animation grips from the first page with its alternately harrowing and inspiring tale of the women who breathed life into iconic Disney characters. Holt's book succeeds on so many levels: as the dramatic story of five creative women; as a candid look inside the secretive Disney studios; as a history of the entertainment industry and women's roles in it. This important book not only corrects cultural history, it subtly changes it. After reading of the personal and professional struggles endured by the women who enlivened Snow White and Cinderella, for example, it is impossible to view those characters as mere fantasies of passive womanhood. As Holt shows so masterfully, the bright colors and curved lines that become those fairy tale figures are the result of a real woman's brains, strength, and passion.-- Mary Gabriel, author of Ninth Street Women Readers who loved Nathalia Holt's Rise of the Rocket Girls will find so much to enjoy in this deeply researched, loving celebration of Disney's long-overlooked female pioneers. In The Queens of Animation, Holt evocatively blends social history, technological advances and the personal lives of these forgotten artists to champion their achievements and their legacy.-- Kate Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls Nathalia Holt's richly detailed group biography shines a welcome light on Disney's true heroines--not the princesses on the screen, but the talented female artists and writers working hard behind the scenes.The Queens of Animation is also a crisp reflection on Hollywood's charged and changing relationship with beauty, race, and fame.-- Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures

A book bound to stir hop, interest, and debate. -- Library Journal

Author Information

Nathalia Holt, Ph.D. is the New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars and Cured: The People who Defeated HIV. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Slate, Popular Science, and Time. She has trained at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard University, the University of Southern California, and Tulane University. She lives with her husband and their two daughters in Boston, MA. Saskia Maarleveld is an experienced voice-over actress and Earphones Award-winning narrator. Raised in New Zealand and France, she is highly skilled with accents and dialects, and many of her books have been narrated entirely in accents other than her own. In addition to audiobooks, her voice can be heard in animation, video games, and commercials.

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