My thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for an advanced copy of this book.

Reid Mitenbuler in his latest book Wild Minds: The Artists and Rivalries That Inspired the Golden Age of Animation is a history of mostly American animation from the beginning of the twentieth century to about the 1960s. The focus is on some of animations most famous creators, Windsor McCoy, Max Fleisher, and looming above them all Walt Disney, their troubles with finances, financiers and trying to bring respectability to their chosen profession. Also the stealing that seemed quite prevalent through the industry, stealing credit for Felix the Cat, stealing persona at for the character of Betty Book, and stealing animators and talent, as Roy Disney would offer animators in New York double the pay to move to sunny California. Mitenbuler has a very nice writing style with tons of research to his credit about the creators, creations and the technology that advanced this art to what it is today. A great gift for animation fans or for film scholars and those interested in film technology.

It took me a long time to read this book, because I followed the author’s suggestion to watch the animated shorts mentioned in this book. Together, the book and shorts took me on a great journey through the history of animation. It was very entertaining, and I learned a lot.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Wild Minds is a book about the history of U.S. animation - primarily from the early 20th century through the 1960's. Mitenbuler does a good job of engaging writing, but the flow of time does bounce back and forth in the narrative, and animation buffs may find themselves wishing there was more engagement with the women working in the animation industry, or that there was a little less time spent on Disney. It's more pop history than academic, but it's enjoyable and the discussion of animation of labor rights in animation is still relevant today.

This was an interesting, if incomplete, book. On the one hand, it was great to see Fleischer Studios get the long-overdue credit it deserves, as the original anti-Disney studio. On the other hand, there was next to nothing about Tex Avery who is among the most influential figures in animation and, arguably, film history. Perhaps, the author felt like MGM had been covered sufficiently elsewhere or, he felt the story worked best as a series of Davids (the Fleischers, then Warner Brothers) vs Goliath (Disney).. Either way, it felt like an important part of history was left out.

It also felt like the last few chapters were rushed. Basically, UPA, which revolutionized animation, was given a chapters, Jay Ward (whose influences the author acknowledges) even less.

Again, this was interesting and well-written and maybe I expected something that wasn't promised. Either way, it's certainly worth reading.

I recommend listening to Reid Mitenbuler's history of animation with a laptop nearby so you can look up the animations as they are mentioned. I grew up loving Mickey Mouse and remember Felix the Cat, so learning about their origins and predecessors was fascinating.

Wow! Who knew that the history of animation was so interesting? I couldn't put this down. The rivalries were epic. I didn't know that animation was geared towards adults pre-television. I always thought that there were a large number that were geared towards children.

" Ingenious ideas often seem simple and that is their genius seeming simple when the actually very complex."

Wild Minds by Reid Mitenbuler sets out to show how ingenious minds begin to show how something can be very complex. As the author begins with the very earliest days before anyone thought of animation using the person of Windsor McCoy the one is regarded as the father of animation.
But several things had to be in place before animation actually took hold of the American public.
The first was the invention of the prexinscope. Next came Max Fleischer and the device that made for the ingenious ideas to take a form. For it is one thing to have a idea and not have a way to get the idea from mind to paper or in this a cell out to the buying public. The rotoscope changed all that thus unloosening the ingenious minds.

Reid Mitenbulher now sets the reader through various stages in the history of animation and the people that came along with short little bio sketches of what those people had not only to offer in regards to the advancement of animation but also found themselves, as is normally is the case, competitors trying to out do one another. Names go flying by. Theodore Gisel, Walt Disney, Tex Avery, Margret Winkler, Mel Blanc, Otto Mesimer and so many more. Along with the trials and ever changing public attitudes.
Wild Minds is a book that is engrossing as well as entertaining.

A real treat for animation and cartoon fans, this book explores the genre beginning with Little Nemo who's bed carried him on many a journey, Popeye, Betty Boop, and many more.

My Saturday mornings were filled with cartoons and now I know why and how the history of cartoons got to that point. Of course a large part of the book is about Disney but there is so much more. There were a few parts that got a little seedy but that was the way it was at that time. I wished that the author would have covered a few more cartoons like Woody Woodpecker and Johnny Quest or evening some of the newer ones like Jonny Bravo or the Power Puff Girls but it had come come to an end at some point.
The writing style was very good. However in the first quarter of the book the author bounced around a lot; 10 years ahead, 5 years back and so on. It was difficult at times to keep a good timeline in my head as to what was going on at any one time. But by the end of the book none of that really mattered.
If you have any interest in the history or development of cartoons I would highly recommend this book.

This is a collection of male cartoonists from the early days of the industry. It’s biological in a clinical sense. I find I appreciate the old cartoons less after reading this. Still it is interesting.

I've been fascinated by animation since sixth grade summer school when Mr. Benson taught us how to to make simple flip animation books. Mine showed a stick man jumping over a red ball, and I was hooked. I've an idea Reid Mitenbuler, the author of Wild Minds, has a similar story in his background - his passion for and interest in the animation is clearly on display in this comprehensive and engagingly written book of art history.

Wild Minds is a wild ride through 100-plus years of animation and the men and women who created it - nearly all of whom I'd never heard about - and the techniques they pioneered. Simply put, this book was fascinating.

The writing, structure and scope are nearly flawless, the research is deep and wide, and the storytelling is easy and natural, taking the reader through a well-paced timeline. Seriously, I learned so much, not only about the technology of animation and how it came about, but about the cultural impact of animation, the political and historical context of it (who knew Bambi was a push-back against Nazi antisemitism?), the social references and commentaries, and the forward thinking men and women who made animation what it is today. When I finished reading Wild Minds, I had a whole list of animators and animated projects I wanted to learn more about!

My background in animation history prior to reading this book was two movies about Walt Disney, btw., so this review doesn't represent the beating heart of an animation aficionado. But, I love reading about history in all it's shapes and sizes, and, Wild Minds did not let me down.

This review is based on an advance copy read.

Wild Minds is an informative trip back to a time when cartoons weren't looked at as merely "kids stuff". An opinion I'll admit to holding, having grown up in the era of He-Man and G.I. Joe. The book touches on the creation of Felix The Cat, Popeye, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and many other heavy hitters and forgotten sensations. What engaged me the most was the personalities behind the creations. Fascinating and flawed people who changed culture and profitably heavily from it (Walt Disney) and ones who now linger in relative obscurity (The Fleischer Brothers).

If I had one quibble with the book, it's that the author focuses too much on Walt Disney, which is understandable because of his stature in the industry and his cultural impact, but it feels like well-trod territory. I would have loved more Warner Brothers material. It seemed to receive short shrift. But that's just a personal bias. Otherwise, Wild Minds is a great read for people interested in American history, film history and pop culture.