First, while I adore memoirs, I am not a fan of giving someone else's life a star rating.

Second, Don Bluth played a pretty instrumental role in my childhood. From The Land Before Time to All Dogs Go to Heaven and everything in between. I loved how his company told stories and the art style felt edgier than other cartoons marketed to my age demographic.

For a master of storytelling, Somewhere Out There was just a bit too rambly and winding to hold my attention for all 12 hours. What I could take away from this audiobook is that Don is as kind and warm an individual as childhood me would have imagined but also so SO much more Mormon than I ever could have guessed. I never gave much thought to Mr. Bluth's background but the amount of Mormon theology in this audiobook certainly surprised me. (NOT THAT ITS A BAD THING, just very unexpected). Also the audio quality felt a bit lacking and actually varies quite a bit throughout the course of this recording.

If you are a particularly nostalgic person, interested in animation history, or curious about Mormon missions in the 60s, this book is for you. Give it a try.

This is your typical autobiography in that it provides a lot of great moments/insight into the person and their life but also inevitably glosses over more difficult periods and conflicts. Don Bluth is a deeply religious man (Mormon-LDS) and it is no surprise that this church Sunday school teacher and retired animator/director will infuse much of this book with his faith. At times, I felt like I was listening to an autobiography of Mister Rogers: a genial and kind man who made working in the children's entertainment medium his life's work. But there are some great insights into animation (especial thoughts on hand drawn vs. automated/computer) as well as the industry and the Walt Disney Studios. I listened to the audio version and fully appreciate that it was narrated by Don Bluth himself; as such, I highly recommend the audio version.

The book is told chronologically - from humble origins on farms and small towns in Texas and Utah to the big move to Southern California during the era of the aerospace industry growth. Animation was always his passion and a personal dream to work for Walt Disney came true when the family found themselves in Los Angeles.

Many will likely want to read about his time at Walt Disney Studios. Walt doesn't figure much into the story; Bluth was there right before Disney succumbed to lung cancer. It is a time that isn't documented all that much so it was interesting to see an inside perspective of that transitive period in Disney history. Bluth was there when the studios was in freefall, with shortcuts overtaking quality, computers replacing hand drawn/inked work, and no one was quite sure where to take the animation. In succinct terms, it was the time of The Black Cauldron, Frank Miller, and the loss of so many of the original "9 old men" animators.

As with most autobiographies, the author is never sure why certain individuals work against him or dislike him. With Bluth, who was hard championing a return to more expensive yet higher quality methods for the studios, it is easy to read between the lines that he both alienated himself as well as was too high-handed/authoritative. It is easy to see that there was no future for him at Disney and that he had burned too many bridges.

The golden period of his animation soon happened afterwards, when other studios leapt at the chance to fill the void that the Disney Studios fall had created. Bluth was the perfect person to lead the charge of non-Disney animated feature films and found success first with Steven Spielberg and then more on his own, with the last big hit being Anastasia with 20th Century Fox Animation. But as we know, the movie industry in the 1970s/1980s/1990s was highly volatile and Bluth experienced many ups and downs. The down period and failed films are glossed over here sadly.

The reminiscences of doing non-traditional animation were especial interesting - from working in the early computer game industry with a very controversial figure to make Dragon's Lair to the disappointment of follow up Space Age and countless failed later attempts to revive the franchise by fans. Those who have ever been involved in a fandom know the ups and downs experienced by Bluth in this regard. I also found the time spent in Ireland trying to create an animation studio through Irish funding interesting.

The tone throughout the autobiography is easy-going and reflective. The underlying theme is Bluth's frustration with having to enter the animation industry when it was about cost saving rather than the quality that inspired Bluth in the first place. Bluth's greatest antagonist throughout the book is money/funding, though he rarely calls it out by name.

There are a lot of spiritual observations and at times it can feel preachy. It's not obnoxiously so and this is clearly an autobiography and not an attempt to convert. Bluth believes his talent was God-given, that he was looked over by a guardian angel, and that he can remember times from before he was born. These are all aspects of the man that I do feel need to be there to gain an understanding of his thought processes and to explore the person behind the animation.

In all, I am very glad I had a chance to listen to the audio version. As noted earlier, at times I thought I was listening to Mister Rogers rather than a famous animator/director; perhaps not surprising since Bluth is currently a Sunday school teacher at his church. Bluth never married but donated much of his work to the Savannah College of Art and Design. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Fascinating, wholesome, and accidentally preachy. Iconic creator and animator Don Bluth is a passionate and kind soul. Clearly, his relationship with the Mormon (LDS) church is one of the most important things in his life. This is why he spends a great deal of time telling us about it. It is very sweet but started to come off as him needing to constantly testify to the reader. I do feel that this was mostly unintentional but be forewarned it comes up a lot.

Full Disclosure: I am a recovering Mormon, and I was surprised to find out about Mr. Bluth's religion. It is entirely possible that this is the reason it chaffed every time he mentioned the church, which, as already established, is many, many times.

I loved hearing Mr. Bluth narrate his own words. He did well and his voice was full of whimsy.

It was fascinating to learn about not only his journey working with and for Disney but his own amazing creations. I enjoyed the behind the scene access to many animated movies that I grew up with. Overall this was an enjoyable, tender story of a genuinely sweet and natural genius of a storyteller. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Don Bluth, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for the chance to review this book.

What a delightful account of the creator's life and work told through his own words and in his own voice. Truly one of the great and hardworking animators, writers, directors, and character designers of our world. Though some aspects of the telling were a little odd and corny at times, I enjoyed hearing about the creator's beliefs and how they directly affected his life and work.

When he first saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Don Bluth was fascinated. Later in life, with a lot of creativity and no formation, he became an animator in Hollywood, working for Disney on films like Sleeping Beauty, The rescuers and many more. He soon realized that the company was not "The Happiest Place on Earth" and that it did not align with his beliefs, so he started his own animation studio, where he directed An American Tail, among others.
This was a super interesting dive into the behind the scenes of animation movies, of a man pushed by his ambition and his creativity, challenged by "The Man in the Mirror", ie his inner critic and own obstacle.
I received and advance review copy for free from NetGalley and HighBridge Audio, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.