Author’s Note

WE TEND TO COLOR facts through the lens of memory. Therefore, this book is based as closely as possible on original source material. For the most part, I stuck to resources from the years during or close to the events described: press publications, legal records, studio documents, strike materials, journals, and letters. I largely stayed away from recollections conveyed after 1948, although occasionally I included retrospective anecdotes to add color and character, always being careful to place them in their proper context.

This book aims not to vilify or lionize either Art Babbitt or Walt Disney. Rather, I wanted to explore who the two figures were—what made them larger than life, and what made them relatable. I hope that the reader may identify, however slightly, with both of them and conclude that their stories are all the more remarkable for their humanity.

A final note about wages: At the time of the Disney strike, salary was commonly calculated on a per-week basis. A helpful tip to account for inflation is to keep in mind that a $50-per-week salary in 1937 is roughly equivalent to a $50,000 annual salary today.