The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History

by Nathalia Holt

Overview

From the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, the untold, "richly detailed" story of the women of Walt Disney Studios, who shaped the iconic films that have enthralled generations (Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures).

From Snow White to Moana, from Pinocchio to Frozen, the animated films of Walt Disney Studios have moved and entertained millions. But few fans know that behind these groundbreaking features was an incredibly influential group of women who fought for respect in an often ruthless male-dominated industry and who have slipped under the radar for decades. 

In The Queens of Animation, bestselling author Nathalia Holt tells their dramatic stories for the first time, showing how these women infiltrated the boys' club of Disney's story and animation departments and used early technologies to create the rich artwork and unforgettable narratives that have become part of the American canon. As the influence of Walt Disney Studios grew — and while battling sexism, domestic abuse, and workplace intimidation — these women also fought to transform the way female characters are depicted to young audiences.

With gripping storytelling, and 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 film.

A Best Book of 2019: Library Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and Financial Times

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316439145
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	10/27/2020
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	90,668
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

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 is a former Fellow at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard University. She lives with her husband and their two daughters in Pacific Grove, California.

Table of Contents

Preface xv

Timeline xix

Chapter 1 One Day When We Were Young 3

Chapter 2 Whistle While You Work 21

Chapter 3 When You Wish Upon a Star 37

Chapter 4 Waltz of the Flowers 59

Chapter 5 Little April Shower 94

Chapter 6 Baby Mine 110

Chapter 7 Aquarela do Brasil 124

Chapter 8 You're in the Army Now 137

Chapter 9 Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah 162

Chapter 10 So This Is Love 181

Chapter 11 In a World of My Own 193

Chapter 12 You Can Fly! 207

Chapter 13 Once Upon a Dream 220

Chapter 14 Dalmatian Plantation 237

Chapter 15 It's a Small World 248

Chapter 16 Up, Down, Touch the Ground 263

Chapter 17 Part of Your World 275

Chapter 18 I'll Make a Man Out of You 295

Chapter 19 For the First Time in Forever 307

Epilogue: Happily Ever After 321

Acknowledgments 325

Notes 327

Index 365

Editorial Reviews

"Nathalia Holt's richly detailed group biographyshines 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

"Nathalia Holt has a deeper, more important motive for revisiting classics...Marshaling scrupulous research, the author makes the case for the role played by female studio employees in bringing to life those classic films...This book scores for telling us something new about the films we thought we knew so well."—Peter Tonguette, Wall Street Journal

"Gripping, galvanizing reading... A beautifully sculpted narrative of hurtlingly fast pace... A bolt of pure reading delight that outdoes even Holt's utterly winning earlier book Rise of the Rocket Girls."—Steve Donoghue, Christian Science Monitor

"A gripping corrective... Few know of the company's female virtuosi, who from the 1930s on injected nuance into characters from Bambi to a panoply of princesses."—Barbara Kiser, Nature

"A remarkable true story, unforgettably told...Holt has unearthed a vivid, soaring, vitally important untold story of women's contribution to technology, entertainment, and art."—Lisa Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls

"Sprightly...Holt, a science journalist and a popular historian, introduces us to a handful of women who worked on some of the classic Disney Studios films, spins them around, sprinkles some pixie dust, and has them take a bow."—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker

"Holt's dedication to telling these women's stories is palpable, narrating their personal histories as if the animators were characters themselves... if it weren't for this book, their work might have gone ignored and overlooked forever."—Rachel King, Fortune

"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. Holt evocatively blends social history, technological advances and the personal livesof these forgotten artists to champion their achievements and their extraordinary legacy."—Kate Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls

"Marvelous...The Queens of Animation grips from the first page...As Holt shows so masterfully, the bright colors and curved lines that become those fairy tale figures are the results of realwomen's brains, strength, and passion."—Mary Gabriel, author of Ninth Street Women

"Disney's female artists and writers have finally been receiving long overdue recognition. Holt's heartfelt, deeply researched tome, however, is the first to truly highlight the sexism they experienced at the studio."—Biz Hyzy, Booklist (starred review)

"Disney fans will go wild over The Queens of Animation... Nathalia Holt digs deep and exposes some of the talented women who finally get some recognition."—Sophie Matthews, Women.com

"This is one you don't want to miss—and won't want to put down. Holt brings her empathy, smart writing, and knack for research to the story of another group of extraordinary, unsung women heroes."—Brian Jay Jones,author of Becoming Dr. Seuss and George Lucas: A Life

"Eye-opening and empowering...Holt rectifies a serious wrong...as she tells the often-omitted stories of these enormously talented women."—Leah Huey, Library Journal (starred review)

"Think of this book as if Hidden Figures were about Walt Disney Studios instead of NASA. The Queens of Animation pulls back the curtain on a handful of influential, and largely under-recognized, women writers and animators who helped shape the early aesthetic of Disney during a time when the industry was largely a boy's club...Holt goes from Snow White up to Frozen in this essential read ahead of the launch of Disney+ this fall."—Jeva Lange, The Week, 25 Books to Read in the Second Half of 2019

"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 molded and shaped."—Kara Cooney, author of When Women Ruled the World

"A riveting and essential read about the women who helped create many of the most famous Walt Disney films. Like Hidden Figures and Rise of the Rocket Girls, The Queens of Animation tells us a story we need to hear, one that was lost to history until now."—Charlotte Gordon, author of Romantic Outlaws

"Engrossing...While restoring these women to their rightful place in history, Holt also covers the evolution of Disney's animated features, such as how the studio continually integrated new technological innovations, including the multiplane camera, stop-motion animation, Technicolor, and many others. Going up to the present to highlight how women have continued to play key roles in making films like Brave and Frozen, Holt's thorough and enchanting account will be a must-read for Disney enthusiasts and champions of women's artistic contributions."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

06/03/2019

In this engrossing history, Holt (Rise of the Rocket Girls) highlights Disney’s largely forgotten female writers and animators. Animation aficionados may know of the studio’s largely female-staffed Ink and Paint department, but the contributions discussed here embraced many other areas. Grace Huntington was the second woman ever hired for Disney’s story department, as well as an avid, record-setting pilot. Artist Sylvia Moberly-Holland supervised key Fantasia and Bambi sequences, while designer Mary Blair masterminded Cinderella’s mid-century modern aesthetic, and was later asked personally by Walt Disney to oversee Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World After All” ride. Despite demonstrating their immense talents, Holt’s subjects faced continual workplace slights and hostilities, from sexual harassment to the denial of credit for their accomplishments. While restoring these women to their rightful place in history, Holt also covers the evolution of Disney’s animated features, such as how the studio continually integrated new technological innovations, including the multiplane camera, stop-motion animation, Technicolor, and many others. Going up to the present to highlight how women have continued to play key roles in making films like Brave and Frozen, Holt’s thorough and enchanting account will be a must-read for Disney enthusiasts and champions of women’s artistic contributions. Agent: Laurie Abkemeier, DeFiore and Company (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld's bright, enthusiastic voice adds dimension to Holt’s well-researched history of the women behind the men behind Disney Studios’ animated features. Usually shunted off to the Ink and Paint department and paid much less than the men, the women fought to break into the male-dominated field at Disney. Maarleveld delivers a fascinating history of the company, its revolutionary advances in filmmaking techniques, and the films that shaped generations. She’s outstanding at delivering this group biography highlighting the lives Bianca Majolie, Walt’s high school friend; Grace Huntington, whose imagination won her a coveted spot in Disney’s story department; artist Sylvia Moberly-Holland; designer Mary Blair, and many more. Maarleveld sounds as captivated by these remarkable women as listeners will be. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld's bright, enthusiastic voice adds dimension to Holt’s well-researched history of the women behind the men behind Disney Studios’ animated features. Usually shunted off to the Ink and Paint department and paid much less than the men, the women fought to break into the male-dominated field at Disney. Maarleveld delivers a fascinating history of the company, its revolutionary advances in filmmaking techniques, and the films that shaped generations. She’s outstanding at delivering this group biography highlighting the lives Bianca Majolie, Walt’s high school friend; Grace Huntington, whose imagination won her a coveted spot in Disney’s story department; artist Sylvia Moberly-Holland; designer Mary Blair, and many more. Maarleveld sounds as captivated by these remarkable women as listeners will be. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2020 - AudioFile

2019-08-28
Inspiring tale of the women who contributed their creative prowess to Walt Disney's creations.

Holt (Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars, 2016, etc.), who writes with a researcher's mind and a storyteller's heart, engagingly chronicles the lives of the women animators at Disney from their humble (and much ill-treated) beginnings breaking into the Ink and Paint Department during the company's rough commencement, through its founder's death in 1966, to the studio's modern age. In the majority of the narrative, the author focuses on five fascinating women who broke into the studio and made significant contributions. The first was Bianca Majolie, who went to high school with Walt Disney. The second, Grace Huntington, is worthy of her own biography. When she wasn't laboring over Snow White or Bambi or dealing with the ingrained chauvinism at the studio, she was breaking aviation records as the highest-flying woman on Earth. There's also Sylvia Holland and Ethel Kulsar, whose vision for Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid would find its way onto cinema screens nearly 50 years after they wrote its treatment; and Mary Blair, the visionary who became invaluable to Walt, creating the concept art for Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and the Disneyland attraction It's a Small World. Though these women have long since passed—Holt based her portrayals on correspondence, notes, photographs, journals, and interviews with family and friends—the author's resurrection of this lost age is eminently readable and inspiring and will appeal to the many fans of Hidden Figures. Disney-philes will appreciate many of the rarely revealed stories, some of which are painful—e.g., the stars of the racist-leaning Song of the South, among them Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel, barred from their own premiere.

A compelling story of women with talent, artistic vision, and spines of steel.

Kirkus Reviews