The Mouse Machine: Disney and Technology | 
| Author: J P. Telotte
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Category: Book
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 64288
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 232
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.6
ISBN: 0252075404
Dewey Decimal Number: 384.80979494
EAN: 9780252075407
ASIN: 0252075404
Publication Date: June 9, 2008
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Product Description
Throughout Disney's phenomenally successful run in the entertainment industry, the company has negotiated the use of cutting-edge film and media technologies that, J. P. Telotte argues, have proven fundamental to the company's identity. Disney's technological developments include the use of stereophonic surround sound for Fantasia, experimentation with wide-screen technology, inaugural adoption of three-strip Technicolor film, and early efforts at fostering depth in the animated image. Telotte also chronicles Disney's partnership with television, development of the theme park, and depiction of technology in science fiction narratives. An in-depth discussion of Disney's shift into digital filmmaking with its Pixar partnership and an emphasis on digital special effects in live-action films, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean series, also highlight the studio's historical investment in technology. By exploring the technological context for Disney creations throughout its history, The Mouse Machine illuminates Disney's extraordinary growth into one of the largest and most influential media and entertainment companies in the world.
Book Description
Throughout Disney's phenomenally successful run in the entertainment industry, the company has negotiated the use of cutting-edge film and media technologies that, J. P. Telotte argues, have proven fundamental to the company's identity. Disney's technological developments include the use of stereophonic surround sound for Fantasia, experimentation with wide-screen technology, inaugural adoption of three-strip Technicolor film, and early efforts at fostering depth in the animated image. Telotte also chronicles Disney's partnership with television, development of the theme park, and depiction of technology in science fiction narratives. An in-depth discussion of Disney's shift into digital filmmaking with its Pixar partnership and an emphasis on digital special effects in live-action films, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean series, also highlight the studio's historical investment in technology. By exploring the technological context for Disney creations throughout its history, The Mouse Machine illuminates Disney's extraordinary growth into one of the largest and most influential media and entertainment companies in the world.
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| Customer Reviews:
Interesting material, dry presentation June 19, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This academic book explores the technology behind Disney's success -- first in cartoons, then in feature films, later in theme parks. The topic is rich, and I enjoyed the book. I did feel like I was reading a textbook, albeit a textbook on a fascinating subject.
Topics covered include Disney's innovations in sound cartoons, using three-strip Technicolor film, creating depth in an animated image, television, widescreen technology, theme park development, Audio-Animatronics figures, digital animation and effects filmmaking.
Author Telotte goes into surprising depth; a full 13 pages are devoted to the technologically pioneering 1945 film The Three Caballeros, which merged animated sequences with live action. About Donald Duck's wooing of a pretty girl, the book notes "it marks a point, quickly noted by reviewers of the era, at which Disney animation becomes overtly sexualized, by depicting the animated duck as a possible suitor for a real, live woman, demonstrating what a reviewer in Time described as `an alarmingly incongruous case of hot pants' that probably discomfited some viewers expecting the usual Disney family experience."
Unfortunately, this interesting material is presented in an unappealing way. The book's pages look dry as dust, with blocks of text unbroken by subheads or tables or diagrams. Long paragraphs are made of long sentences, which are written in an impersonal style. There are no photos or illustrations of any kind.
But if you can slog through, you find gems. I recommend this book, with a strong cup of coffee.
Here's the chapter list:
Introduction: Main Street, Machines, and the Mouse
1. Sound Fantasy
2. Minor Hazards: Disney and the Color Adventure
3. Three-Dimensional Animation and the Illusion of Life
4. A Monstrous Vision: Disney, Science Fiction and CinemaScope
5. Disney in Television Land
6. The "Inhabitable Text" of the Parks
7. Course Correction: Of Black Holes and Computer Games
8. "Better Than Real": Digital Disney, Pixar, and Beyond
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