“Friedman provides enlightening context, offers a balanced account of the traumatic events, and brings all the actors of this colorful drama to life. It feels like taking a time machine and actually being there in person.”
—Didier Ghez, author of They Drew as They Pleased
“The fact that one can come away from this book with a newfound awe and respect for Disney and Babbitt, as well as a knowledge of their all-too-human foibles, is a testament to the love and passion the author has for his two illustrious subjects.”
—Eric Goldberg, director and animator
“A heartfelt in-depth portrait of two animation geniuses, Walt Disney and Art Babbitt. Friedman makes us feel for both men, and the tension mounts and mounts as these two ‘brothers’ get caught in a bloody civil war. I couldn’t put this book down, not even after I finished reading it.”
—Eric Daniel Weiner, cocreator of Dora the Explorer,
executive producer of Disney’s Little Einsteins
“In The Disney Revolt, Jake S. Friedman has written a detailed, no-holds-barred account of one of the most traumatic episodes in American animation. . . . Exhaustively researched, with lots of anecdotes heretofore never revealed.”
—Tom Sito, Disney animator, Animation Guild
president emeritus, author of Drawing the Line
“Friedman brings to life not only Babbitt but a colorful cast of characters ranging from serious artists to government lawyers to tough union organizers to Hollywood gangsters. The story Friedman tells about these people will be familiar in its general outlines to serious Disney aficionados, of which I am one, but there is much here that will be new to them, as it was to me.”
—Michael Barrier, author of Hollywood Cartoons and
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney
“In his new book, Jake S. Friedman shares a very important yet often neglected part of animation history. And it, too, is a story worth telling. Of course, I’m not taking sides. These events took place long before I arrived at 500 Buena Vista Street. If you love Disney animation and animation history as much as I do, this is a book you’ll want to read.”
—Floyd Norman, classic Disney animator
“Friedman confronts the subject head-on with a detailed, carefully researched history that considers all the threads of this complex story. Beginning in the relatively benign 1930s, when the small, unified Disney team was transforming the art of animation, Friedman tracks the inexorable changes wrought by success and expansion, leading to friction, distrust, and finally outright conflict between artists and management.”
—J. B. Kaufman, historian and author
“Before culminating in an engrossing play-by-play, The Disney Revolt thoroughly contextualizes the strike of 1941 with detailed accounts of the shifting politics, artistic advancements, and mythic personalities of a burgeoning animation industry. For anyone who labors at the crossroads of art and commerce, or any animation fan, this is essential reading.”
—Stephen P. Neary, supervising producer of Clarence,
creator/executive producer of The Fungies
“This well-researched, engaging study is a page-turner, relating new information about a studio that has been the subject of many publications. Highly recommended for anyone interested in animation history, American culture, or just a good read.”
—Maureen Furniss, author of A New History of Animation
“This book is SO GOOD. A first-class piece of research and writing. Jake S. Friedman presents the complete story of the strike that established the Hollywood cartoon industry. . . . His writing brings clarity to a most misunderstood chapter in animation history, and is an essential read for those interested in the personalities and politics of its main players.”
—Jerry Beck, historian and author of The 50 Greatest
Cartoons and The Animated Movie Guide
“For the first time the events that occurred in 1941 surrounding Disney and strike leaders like animator Art Babbitt are presented in a thoroughly researched and balanced manner. The fact that Friedman is an animation artist with an interest in history makes him a unique candidate to pen this important book. Artistic passion, business acumen, and social justice challenge each other in this riveting time capsule.”
—Andreas Deja, veteran Disney animator