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

Author: Nathalia Holt

Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld

Unabridged: 11 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/22/2019

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

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

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sharon on June 25, 2023

Nathalia Holt has done an excellent job researching and excavating the details about women at Disney who brought animation to the movie theater and later to television in The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History. Initially......more

Goodreads review by da on May 20, 2020

Bravo to the heretofore unsung women of Disney and to Nathalia Holt for unearthing their history. As much as I loathe the whole Cinderella scenario, merchandising adding injury to injury, the addictive grip imposes on consumers that Disney has perfected... it's nice to see that the founder wasn't as......more

Goodreads review by MCZ on July 21, 2020

Thank you to Goodreads for my copy of this book! I really enjoyed The Queens of Animation... but not for the reasons I thought I would. This book is rich with Disney history and the evolution of animation, and it highlights the work of more women than I expected. But the sheer amount of information m......more

Goodreads review by Edes on November 08, 2019

This book should have been called The History of Animation at Disney. I had issues with several things. The author would briefly introduce a female animator, give a sentence or two about her, then proceed to move on to minute technical details about the process being used at that time to create anima......more

Quotes

"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...invaluably researched...A bolt of pure reading delight that outdoes even Holt's utterly winning earlier book Rise of the Rocket Girls...Holt has told the story of indispensable trailblazers."—Steve Donoghue, Christian Science Monitor

"A gripping corrective...Nathalia Holt ushers these animators and story developers into the limelight...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 after they've been lost--and nearly forgotten--for so long is palpable, narrating their personal histories as if the animators were characters themselves...And 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)

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