“Of all the many crafts in Hollywood, animation was the last to unionize” – The Disney Revolt: Book Review
I have always held a deep fascination for any book that documents the history of the Disney studio – and there are many out there. Some chronologically chart the films that helped establish the studio; others meticulously analyse Walt Disney and “the man behind myth”. When you stop and think about how much has been written on Disney, you could start to believe that there have been no stones left unturned.
Book cover
However, a book that has been on my reading list for far too long, does just that. The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation’s Golden Age, by author Jake S. Friedman, has been summed up as “an essential piece of Disney history that has been unreported for eighty years”. That piece of history is commonly known as the Disney Strike of 1941, which took place over a nine-week period, and is often summarised in a few pages (or at most, a chapter) in most books I have previously read.
Friedman has taken this chapter of the Disney studio and done a superb job of weaving facts and history into a compelling narrative which kept me reading. I never thought I would class a book about America labour unions as a page-turner, but then I never expected this Disney period to involve the likes of Al Capone gangs, union leader assassinations, and the backdrop of America’s struggle with communism at the time. Quite the recipe for a page-turner.
Essentially, the book is split into 2 sections: Innovation, which documents the rise of the Disney studio prior to WW2; and Turmoil, which focuses on the growing divide at the studio between those who wanted to unionise, and those who did not. The book reaches its climax about two thirds in, with the chapter titled ‘Strike!’, which covers the first week of the strike action.
One thing I noticed early on was that it is not simply a book about Walt Disney and his studio, but equally about one of the studio’s top animators (and union leader); Art Babbitt. Friedman has done a great job of shining an equal spotlight on both Disney and Babbitt – he recounts both their childhoods and life experiences which shaped their world views in the years before the rise of the labor unions in the 1930s. I discovered a lot about Babbitt that I did not know – especially his huge contributions to the Disney studio’s development – and came away with a desire to learn more about him.
A.F.L. Screen Cartoon Guild strike at Walt Disney Productions, 1941 (Source: The Regents of the University of California)
Disney and Babbitt aside, the book is littered with fascinating ‘characters’ from this period: Willie Bioff, a “two-bit wiseguy” who would later negotiate with Walt; Herb Sorrell, an ex-boxer, union organiser believed to be a communist by Disney; and Gunther Lessing, the long-time Disney lawyer who many blamed for such a protracted union war.
Considering that an underlying theme of the book is the American labor unions within Hollywood, I did worry that some of the information may be a little dry or boring at times, but I did not experience that and the book does a good job of giving enough background information without exhausting the reader with unnecessary details. I found it fascinating to discover the influence and power that some of the unions welded; from projectionists that stopped showing Disney films, to Technicolor who would even stop processing the films.
There are some fantastic images included in the book, especially photos of the strike, but also comics and doodles created by the artists at the time which really sum up the mood on both sides. My one regret was I would like to have seen more photos still! (However, Friedman’s website does contain some must-watch footage, below…)
In summary, I found The Disney Revolt a highly enjoyable, very educational and accessible read (in part helped by the 32 succinct and digestible chapters). Of course, it would make the perfect companion for any Disney fan who wants to expand their knowledge of the studio during the ‘union wars’. But equally interesting for anyone who wants to see behind the curtains of Hollywood in the 1930-40’s and how the labor unions established themselves during this time.