Yesterday's Tomorrow: Disney's Magical Mid-Century

"In the months and years following the end of World War II, a flood of optimism filled the hearts and attitudes of Americans, especially those residing in the land of sunshine and opportunity--Southern California. Walt Disney was uniquely poised to take advantage of these times, and he was ready for an upswing. While Snow White had been a triumphant success, the ensuing years were tough for the studio. But by the 1950s the man who introduced Mickey Mouse to the world would become a force in the new media of television and a pioneer in a groundbreaking entertainment concept: Disneyland. Walt also transformed himself and his animation studio into the model of a dynamic modern media company. The mid-twentieth century represented a period of unprecedented growth and creativity at Disney. During one period in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Walt and his team were active on numerous fronts simultaneously, making animated features, live-action films, and television shows; building a publishing business; starting a record company; designing pavilions for the New York World's Fair; building a sports center; planning a Sierra Nevada mountain range ski resort; producing entertainment for the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley in California; and embarking on a futuristic civic-planning exercise and "community" that was years ahead of its time. The pure creative output of the Disney Studio during this period is truly monumental. In Yesterday's Tomorrow, Oscar-nominated filmmaker and best-selling author Don Hahn offers readers a cultural context as a backdrop to the magic, art, and craft that made Disney an influential cultural force in the middle of the twentieth century. Lavishly illustrated, with rarely seen artwork and photographs, Yesterday's Tomorrow will delight fans of Disney, design, and the magical mid-century era, when little seemed beyond the reach of society"--Dust jacket.