The second edition of Disney Stories: Getting to Digital will be of
interest to lovers of Disney history and also to lovers of Hollywood
history in general. The first edition was planned as a short history of
the companies evolution from analog storytelling to a digital online
presence that closed the chapter on early Disney films with the release
of the groundbreaking Snow White. The purpose of the new edition is to
bring to readers a more complete view of the analog-digital story by
including three new chapters on film that cover key developments from
the live-animation hybrids of the 1940s to CAPS and CGI in the 1990s and
VR in the 2010s. It also includes in the discussion of cross-media
storytelling the acquisition of the exceptional story property, Star
Wars, and discusses how Disney has brought the epic into the Disney
Master Narrative by creating Galaxy's Edge in its US theme parks.
Krystina Madej's engaging portrayal of the long history of Disney's love
affair with storytelling and technology brings to life the larger focus
of innovation in creating characters and stories that captivate an
audience, and together with Newton Lee's detailed experience of Disney
during the crucial 1995-2005 era when digital innovation in online and
games was at its height in the company, makes for a fast-paced
captivating read.
Disney Stories first edition explored the history of Disney, both analog
and digital. It described in detail how Walt Disney used inventive and
often ground-breaking approaches in the use of sound, color, depth, and
the psychology of characters to move the animation genre from short
visual gags to feature-length films with meaningful stories that engaged
audience's hearts as well as tickled their funny bones. It showed Walt's
comprehensive approach to engaging the public across all media as he
built the Disney Master Narrative by using products, books, comics,
public engagements, fan groups such as the Mickey Mouse club, TV, and,
of course, Disneyland, his theme park. Finally it showed how, after his
passing, the company continued to embrace Walt's enthusiasm for using
new technology to engage audiences through their commitment to
innovation in digital worlds. It describes in detail the innovative
storybook CD-ROMs, their extensive online presence, the software they
used and created for MMORGs such as Toontown, and the use of
production methods such as agile methodology. This new edition provides
insight on major developments in Disney films that moved them into the
digital world.
