Between Books - After Disney: Toil, Trouble, and the Transformation of America’s Favorite Media Company

There are a handful of great books that detail the fall of Ron Miller as the CEO of the Walt Disney Company and his replacement by Michael Eisner. These chronicles often include the role of Roy E. Disney in Miller’s removal and his chosen successor. These books often put Eisner front and center. What has really been missing is a book that outlines Miller’s career, the obstacles he sought to overcome, and the state of the Company during his time as CEO. Would it be cliche to say, until now?

After Disney: Toil, Trouble, and the Transformation of America’s Favorite Media Company by Neil O’Brien provides a study of Disney's corporate history through the Miller era. The text focuses heavily on animation and meets one of O’Brien’s stated goals of developing an oral history of Disney animation during this period. O’Brien walks us through the origins of Miller and Roy E. Disney, who were never close despite externally being seen as the faces of the company after the deaths of Walt and Roy O. Roy E. Disney early on leaves the stage as he sought to create new opportunities for himself creatively and in investments. Miller was faced with the challenge of leading a company in transition as the older animators that Disney films were based on aged but saw no one in-house to fill their creative leadership. The company then fostered the creation of a new Character Animation department at CalArts to mentor a new future Disney animation cadre, with members of that first class including legends like Brad Bird, Jerry Rees, and John Musker. The text gives us a case study, as we watch the old guard and new artists interacting in the development of animated features, especially the stalled The Black Cauldron. The book also discusses how Miller led the company and his attempt to evolve the studio, especially around live-action films with the creation of Touchstone Pictures which would allow more hard-hitting storytelling. Finally, the book discusses Roy E. Disney’s move to resign from the Board and leverage his shares to install Eisner and Frank Wells into Disney leadership. The book ends with the author noting the changes that went into effect during the Miller period, especially the training of new animators, which pushed forward an animation renaissance both internally and externally.

I have one minor gripe, the cover gives us the impression that this is a story of MIller vs Roy E. fighting for the soul of Disney. It’s really not, as Disney removed himself for much of this period as an employee. The real focus in this book is on culture and day-to-day under Miller. A more fitting cover to communicate what will occur in the book might have been Gurgi from The Black Cauldron as much of the tension around staffing, leadership, and storytelling are told through the lens of developing this movie It was the “Author’s Note” at the end that even more clarifies this, as O’Brien notes his desire to write an oral history of animation and his interest in the Lloyd Alexander stories. I will raise my hand and admit that I am of an age and fandom to have also been pulled into those books. I also find myself wanting to know more about why the film I wanted to see so badly didn’t work. So the recurring film and its development helped keep me engaged in Miller’s struggle in running a company and legacy left to him by his beloved father-in-law. But the story is not a duel between two businessmen, that I felt the cover provided me.

The discussion about The Black Cauldron is so strong, that I didn’t even mention the rise of Don Bluth’s star at the studio. This just shows that for readers there is not just one engaging story in this volume, but levels of complexity.

This really is a well-written and sourced book. I will argue that it’s also very well-balanced. While I did find a lot to admire about Miller as I read the book, I also felt like O’Brien didn’t attempt to romanticize him. And I personally think Miller, Eisener, and Roy E. are all figures that should be respected as Disney Legends as while they may not have always worked well together, they did all three leave important contributions to the company. They were people, and this is what O’Brien gives us, interesting people ranging from corporate leaders, to directors like Joe Hale, to even struggling animators like Glen Keane who lived through these interesting times of change. This is the type of story that reminds us that change happens, people are part of it, and we are people. 

 
After Disney: Toil, Trouble, and the Transformation of America’s Favorite Media Company by Neil O’Brien is one of my favorite Disney history books of 2025. O’Brien gives us a story about real people, with real feelings as they transition through changes in corporate culture and American storytelling. The use of The Black Cauldron as a story focus, really helped me stay engaged as it’s a movie release that confused me in its failure as someone who loved the Alexander stories as a child. And it allows the author through it’s long development to talk about the changing Disney corporate landscape. And I think best of all, it gives readers a well-balanced picture of Ron Miller who is often a quick note in Disney's corporate leadership history, hidden by the shadow of Walt Disney, Bob Iger, and Eisner. 

 

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Between Books - Origins of Marvel Comics: The 50th Anniversary Edition

1974’s Origins of Marvel Comics has long been on my bucket list of to read. But other books got in the way or I would say it’s nearly 50 years old and going nowhere fast. I can get to it later. Then editor Chris Ryall pushed this classic volume to the top of the list by packaging the Stan Lee classic into a pretty package that reached out to my nostalgia and history-loving heart.

Origins of Marvel Comics: The 50th Anniversary Edition by Stan Lee and edited by Ryall repackages the Lee text for a contemporary reader. Ryall provides readers with the Fireside book including all of Lee’s original commentaries and the art to match the original, for example, a green Hulk seen in the 1974 book and not the gray Hulk from the original comic. The stories found in the book include reprints of the origins of the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange along with a later issue to show more developed versions of the beloved heroes. Along with the original book are essays that discuss the history and importance of the book. Today’s writers using the light of history also discuss Lee’s original remarks with some looking to provide credit to writers like Jack Kirby, who felt that Lee’s words diminished their efforts. But, this is not a Lee-bashing book with the inclusion of essays from Lee proponents like his brother Larry Leiber. Artist Alex Ross provides the hardcover’s dust jacket with a new homage cover, which he provides a step-by-step process for within the text. As we look back at much of the controversy of the creation of many of these heroes, the new 2024 edition is a very balanced approach, recognizing the efforts of both Lee and his partner artists.

Reading this today, I am really glad I waited and didn’t try to find a secondary market copy of the 1974 or other editions. My assessment of the Marvel creators is that much like Disney corporate history, everything worked best with dual genius leading the way (Walt/Roy or Michael/Frank). I think that the golden age of Marvel creation was pushed forward by Lee and Kirby, Ditko, and other artists. Lee’s original introductions balance this reality, with him calling out the King Jack Kirby and his partnership with the Fantastic Four. But he with Doctor Strange wrote an introduction that was full Marvel publicity machine with Lee highlighting his efforts and framing Ditko’s role as assigned artist not a key voice in the Strange creation. These introductions from Lee give you the two sides found in the Marvel media machine of the 70’s, an all-encompassing Stan Lee with nodes to important artists that made the funny pictures come alive.

The new essays are not going to change everything. For example, the Lieber interview does not fully address the known tension between the brothers. But I do feel like the Lieber discussion does help show how Lieber feels today, as the surviving brother who in many ways is cherishing the memory of a brother who while distant at times was also supportive and brought him into the Marvel family.

Origins of Marvel Comics by Lee was an important cultural moment in the popular acceptance of comic books. Fireside put Marvel stories in a bound book and placed the stories in bookstores. Ray Bradbury wrote a review of the book, included in the text, which demonstrated the important literary moment for comics with this publication. In the book, even Lee calls the comics strips, the more culturally accepted visual media of the time. There were no graphic novels. In fact, this may be one of the first models for a graphic novel. Bookstores were not being kept afloat with large sections fills with graphic novels and anime and all the toys and gear associated with these properties. Fireside with this book made reading a comic acceptable due to the bound nature of the book. This first offering led to other Lee and Fireside offerings in books like Son of Origins of Marvel Comics and Bring on the Bad Guys. And this reader hopes that Ryall is given the chance to repackage some of the other volumes for today. Especially since these hardbacks would look really great side-by-side.

Origins of Marvel Comics: The 50th Anniversary Edition by Stan Lee and edited by Chris Ryall is a must-read for Marvel Comics fans. Even those who have a vintage copy on their shelf, will want to grab the new edition. First, let’s be honest, we are collectors. Second, the new essays and Ross’ art add to the context of the entire project. Finally, for those who have not dipped their two in, this work is an important moment in not just Marvel but now Disney history and you may wish to check it out. Without Lee’s bigger-than-life personality, we would fail to have the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other Marvel stories in so many formats that exist today.  

 

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Between Books - Walt Disney & El Grupo in Latin America

I’m tired! I think Walt Disney may have been tired too!

Walt Disney & El Grupo in Latin America by Theodore Thomas, J.B. Kaufman, and Didier Ghez outlines Walt Disney’s trip to South America in 1941. The book covers the entirety of the nearly 3-month fall expedition, spreading American goodwill as a strategy to win over South American neighbors away from Nazi sympathy. Disney was asked by the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (CIAA) to use his global celebrity to strengthen Western hemisphere ties. The story is told heavily in images with the authors providing narration to the group’s daily doings. The volume does not focus on just Walt Disney but recognizes that El Grupo the 18 Walt Disney employees and family members on the journey, were at times separated into smaller traveling parties or even in the same cities separated to meet with numerous local industries or celebrities. Due to the highly visual nature of the text, it at times feels like a documentary and less than a book.

I’m tired, did I mention that? The goal of the authors is to provide a detailed account of the trip. The trio, therefore, doesn’t provide us a thesis to prove, in fact, the three have other works on El Grupo that have this as a goal. As a reader, you understand this is a very visual book seeking to provide a daily accounting. Hence, I’m tired. It feels like the group, especially Disney, rarely had a chance to rest during this fact-finding and goodwill-building adventure. Even in “downtime” artists like Mary and Lee Blair and Jack Ryman were sketching, painting, and refining ideas for potential future movies Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. Or perhaps, Jack Cutting may visit a local studio to supervise a movie dubbing into Spanish. The book makes it clear that this group of 18 were constantly in motion. And while early in the trip, they may have spent in the reader's mind “weeks” in Rio, it becomes clear to the reader that on later stays the group seemed to only linger a day or two in a location before moving on again.

Design-wise, I was pulled into the book and it often felt like a visual experience and not a book. That is why I feel tired. This isn’t an era of perfect staged pictures. The spontaneous nature of many of the pictures helps one to feel the emotion and action, like a tired Lillian Disney asleep on a train car one can feel the stuffiness within. The closed eyes and the improperly directed glances remind us this is a different time before everyone had a camera and the time to coordinate numerous shots for the perfect social media image.

My only complaint with the design is some pages have maps on the layout that pictures and text sit upon. These maps have notations to locations on the page design. Sadly at times, I read these like image captions and not part of the page design which took me out of the journey for a bit.

Walt Disney & El Grupo in Latin America by Theodore Thomas, J.B. Kaufman, and Didier Ghez is a book for those who want to go deeper into Disney’s trip to South America in a highly visual way. For those who want to see Disney legends like the Blairs and Frank Thomas working, drawing, and immersing themselves into a culture this offering is for you. The authors help me to understand the kinetic and tiring nature of the trip, even without making this an overt goal. I wondered, can El Grupo just kick back and relax? An answer that seems like no as Frank Thomas was teaching himself Spanish even on the long-trip home.


Quick Note: While you can purchase this text on Amazon. I grabbed mine at Stuart Ng books where I was able to pick up an autographed copy. 

 

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Between Books - Contested Kingdom: Fan Attachment and Corporate Control at Disneyland

 

Congratulations Disney Adults, you’ve caught academia’s attention.

Contested Kingdom: Fan Attachment and Corporate Control at Disneyland by William McCarthy provides two discussions. First, McCarthy explores the sense of place attachment developed by Disney fans at Disneyland. Second, the text provides an examination of three decades of fan social media relationships with the power including power dynamics. As part of this evaluation, McCarthy provides insights into the relationship between fans and the Walt Disney Company. The author completed a longitudinal study of fans and media that ranges from the use of discussion boards to the more current Instagram and YouTube influencers. McCarthy demonstrates that the creation of the Annual Passholder program combined with message boards gave fans who had increased access to the parks additional thoughts of ownership and a platform to share their increasingly strong thoughts of ownership. However, with increasing costs and diminished access, many fans have found themselves disenchanted with Disney corporate and limited access to a place they see as their own. But in the current age, many of the expressed fan thoughts are strongly positive as key social media influencers need to maintain positive messages to gain access to Disney resources for content creation. As a reader, we observe a transformation as online outlets were originally a place to state strongly one’s own opinions to today where many of the loudest voices require Disney support to feed their streams.

I totally understand the need for support to create content, right here on this blog. Not to speak out of school, there once was a publisher I had a fantastic relationship with and numerous review copies. But in my promise to be honest, I had some problems with one of their books, which led to a curt email and the end of a relationship! Could I have been softer in my criticism? Well, no! But honesty came with a cost. I understand in a small way how those in the online space creating content need external support to lower the economic cost of creating. A true rock-and-hard place situation is occurring in these online settings. McCarthy does an excellent job of showing how the increased cost of content creation and access online, and the need to pay for the content, has created a situation where even unintentionally, some of the top Disney and Disneyland content creators have been coopted to the Disney publicity machine. I bet the late Jack Linquist would be proud!

I’ve made some observations in the past about serious academic works and largely Disney history intersecting. This is another example of a serious academic study, with McCarthy completing a survey and interviews while employing an academic model to construct an argument. However, in this case, it’s not history but media studies and sociology taking Disney fandom seriously. This could be intimidating to some, with academic language and models attempting to explain relationships. I at times struggled with how to review this text, do I use a more formal academic tone or slide into more casual language? This is the type of study that will gain the attention of researchers and other academics. However, I would urge those interested in Disney influencers and social media, Disney’s corporate relationships with these media outlets, and those with a general interest in the growth of 21st Century social media to consider this monograph an interesting read.

Contested Kingdom: Fan Attachment and Corporate Control at Disneyland is an academic study of the relationship between fans and the location they feel they just not own but also love. McCarthy demonstrates how fans have come to be attached to the park. McCarthy also details through surveys and interviews the changing relationship between fans and the Walt Disney Company’s views of the park on online platforms. While academic, the main points of the study are accessible to non-technical readers, especially for those who consume Disney social media content as part of their fandom. 

 

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