Description:

A BEST BOOK OF 2019: Library Journal, Christian Science Monitor , and *Financial Times * **

From the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, the untold, "richly detailed" story of the women of Walt Disney Studios, who shaped the iconic films that have enthralled generations (Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures )
From Snow White to Moana, from Pinocchio to Frozen, the animated films of Walt Disney Studios have moved and entertained millions. But few fans know that behind these groundbreaking features was an incredibly influential group of women who fought for respect in an often ruthless male-dominated industry and who have slipped under the radar for decades.

In The Queens of Animation, bestselling author Nathalia Holt tells their dramatic stories for the first time, showing how these women infiltrated the boys' club of Disney's story and animation departments and used early technologies to create the rich artwork and unforgettable narratives that have become part of the American canon. As the influence of Walt Disney Studios grew---and while battling sexism, domestic abuse, and workplace intimidation---these women also fought to transform the way female characters are depicted to young audiences.

With gripping storytelling, and based on extensive interviews and exclusive access to archival and personal documents, The Queens of Animation reveals the vital contributions these women made to Disney's Golden Age and their continued impact on animated filmmaking, culminating in the record-shattering Frozen, Disney's first female-directed full-length feature film.

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Review

" Eye-opening and empowering... Holt rectifies a serious wrong...as she tells the often-omitted stories of these enormously talented women."Leah Huey, Library Journal (starred review) "A riveting and essential read about the women who helped create many of the most famous Walt Disney films. Like Hidden Figure s and Rise of the Rocket Girls, The Queens of Animation tells us a story we need to hear, one that was lost to history until now."Charlotte Gordon, author of Romantic Outlaws " Engrossing...While restoring these women to their rightful place in history, Holt also covers the evolution of Disney's animated features, such as how the studio continually integrated new technological innovations, including the multiplane camera, stop-motion animation, Technicolor, and many others. Going up to the present to highlight how women have continued to play key roles in making films like Brave and Frozen, Holt's thorough and enchanting account will be a must-read for Disney enthusiasts and champions of women's artistic contributions." Publishers Weekly "A remarkable true story, unforgettably told. Walt Disney gave women artists a chance when few others would. Their experiences included opportunity, discrimination, heartbreak, and beauty. Holt has unearthed a vivid, soaring, vitally important untold story ofwomen's contribution to technology, entertainment, and art."Lisa Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls "Disney'sfemale artists and writers have finally been receiving long overduerecognition. Holt's heartfelt, deeply researched tome, however, is the first totruly highlight the sexism they experienced at the studio...Using letters,interviews with family members, and archived documents, Holt captures the fullscope of Disney history, from Snow White to Moana, through intimate portraitsof the women who worked there. This groundbreaking work laments thediscrimination these artists endured while celebrating the verve, creativity,and resiliency they drew on to bring beautiful art and three-dimensionalcharacters to the big screen."Biz Hyzy, Booklist (starred review) "Nathalia Holt's richly detailed group biography * shines a welcome light on Disney's true heroines--not the princesses on the screen, but the *talented female artists and writers working hard behind the scenes. The Queens of Animation is also a crisp reflection on Hollywood's charged and changing relationship with beauty, race and fame."Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures "Think of this book asif Hidden Figures were about Walt Disney Studios instead of NASA. The Queens of Animation pulls back thecurtain on a handful of influential, and largely under-recognized, womenwriters and animators who helped shape the early aesthetic of Disney during atime when the industry was largely a boy's club...Holt goes from Snow White up to Frozen in this essential read ahead of the launch of Disney+ this fall."Jeva Lange, The Week, 25 Books to Read in the Second Half of 2019 "Holt's marvelous The Queens of Animation grips from the first page with * its alternately *harrowing and inspiring tale of the women who breathed life into iconic Disney characters. This important book notonly corrects cultural history, it subtly changes it. As Holt shows so masterfully , the bright colors and curved lines that become those fairy tale figures are the results of real women's brains, strength, and passion."Mary Gabriel, author of Ninth Street Women "Readers who loved Nathalia Holt's Rise of the Rocket Girls will find so much to enjoy in this deeply researched, loving celebration of Disney's long-overlooked female pioneers. Holt evocatively blends social history, technological advances and the personal lives * of these forgotten artists to champion their achievements and their extraordinary legacy."Kate Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls " The Queens of Animation* draws on the revealing and engagingly personal stories of many talented women who had a hand in the creation of the animated Disney films we all love--a long overdue recognition for their contributions. It's time to resuscitate and honor all that women have clandestinely molded and shaped."Kara Cooney, author of When Women Ruled the World " This is one you don't want to miss--and won't want to putdown. Holt brings her empathy,smart writing, and knack for research to the story of another group of extraordinary, unsung women heroes : theremarkable women who overcame sexism, intimidation, harassment, and no smallamount of mansplaining to reshape Walt Disney Studios, and even transform theway Walt Disney himself thought about art and storytelling."Brian Jay Jones,author of Becoming Dr. Seuss and George Lucas: A Life "

About the Author

Nathalia Holt is the author of several acclaimed books. She is a former fellow at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard University. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times , New York Times , TheAtlantic.com, Slate , Time.com, and Popular Science.