Inside the Whimsy Works by Jimmy Johnson

Inside the Whimsy Works

I pre-ordered a copy of Inside the Whimsy Works: My Life with Walt Disney Productions by Jimmy Johnson (Edited by Greg Ehrbar and Didier Ghez). 2014. 196 pages.

inside the whimsy works

A full review will be coming soon to Communicore Weekly (the Greatest Online Show™) and the Disney Review at Mice Chat.

I’m a huge fan of Mouse Tracks (by Tim Hollis and Ehrbar)  and the Walt’s People series (by Didier Ghez) but I wasn’t sure what to expect from Jimmy Johnson’s biography.

Inside the Whimsy Works

The book is based on the diaries that Jimmy kept and gave to the Disney Archives. Greg and Didier did a bit of editing magic on it and present this amazing Disney resource to us. Jimmy had a pretty amazing career and, at times, seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He really pushed the music publishing for Disney and was instrumental in helping to shape the company.

What truly is spectacular about Inside the Whimsy Works is that you get a really good sense for what it was like to work at the Disney Studios, but not in animation. Most of the memoirs that we see deal with animation; very few step outside and look at other areas of the company. We’re fortunate that Jimmy’s memoir has been released. You get a great feel for how Jimmy was able to grow the fledgling part of the company and turn it into a money-making arm.

I definitely recommend this Inside The Whimsy Works as a purchase, even though I’m not more than two-thirds through it. Besides getting a great book about the history of the company, you’re helping to support more independent Disney-related research and publishing!


Buy a copy of Inside the Whimsy Works today!

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