I have always been interested in the story behind great industries, and/or persons who devoted their lives to make the world a better place. This documentary which provides great insight into both Walt Disney's early life before he created "The Wonderful World of Disney" and his latter life when he and his brother Roy (who handled the financing end of the Disney empire) created and then every year grew the Disney brand name to become synonymous with family values and highly entertaining animated and adventure cinema.I was fully engulfed in learning from this documentary all I could about the history of Walt Disney and the film proved to be worth every minute of film time. Walt passed away at a relatively young age of 65 from lung cancer but his Disney production company was the recipient of 26 Academy Awards, which is a record he holds all by himself.I laughed, I listened in awe, and I cried in some scenes as Walt's life was not without his own personal tragedies. Although some viewers may see this Disney produced documentary as self promoting the Disney brand, I for one would have loved to have been involved in producing this documentary as in my personal opinion, there are far and few in between who had to overcome so much adversity and with so many financial constraints, but yet Walt persevered and he created an empire with the Walt Disney brand that will eventually go down as one of the most influential companies that denotes family values and a quality of cinema that is unsurpassed by even the big box office CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) films of this century.My hat is off to this documentary and I thank the producers for providing a well crafted documentary that explains in some detail (without going into the nitty gritty of the financial deals) the life and the family man, Walt Disney, who loved trains.I give the documentary a perfect 10 out of 10! Thank you Walt for providing myself and my family so many decades of wonderful entertainment. Ms. Shullivan and I also recently visited Disneyland in California and although we are well past our mid life point we had a hoot!

I forgot about this film until I was reviewing tapes in my video library for a friend. This documentary was nominated by the TV Academy for 'Outstanding Non-Fiction Special' years ago. I got a screening copy sent out to me being an TV Academy member. Commemoratring the 100th anniversary year of his birth, the film offers the most intimate look at this artist. It was a great treat to watch because it literally followed the Disney family from their earliest origins through the present day formation of the mega corporation(2001). The liberal use of family photos and private film footage gives us a real insightful look into the genius and risk-taker of Walt Disney. Outstanding info on the building of the TWO studios and TWO amusement parks by the Disney folks. If you are a fan of Disney films and TV shows, this will be a must-have documentary. This film also clears up the many Disney urban myths about all things Disney. And, NO, Walt Disney was not frozen for future re-animation after his death. Walt was quietly cremated according his wishes and the wishes of the his family. After seeing this memorable docufilm, it is very obvious that our world, society, and mankind has wonderfully benefited by the efforts of Walt Disney. This film was produced by descendants of the Disney clan. This is a labor of love and you can sense that in this loving film tribute.

Speaking as a fan and amateur historian of Walt Disney, this is quite an amazing film about Walt's life. There is so much in this film about Walt that isn't easily found in the books written about him.I'm so happy that Walt's daughter Diane and the Family Foundation decided to create this film to preserve Walt's history. And it's emotional to see the interviews of his friends, family, employees and business associates who all thought so much of this unique man.I've watched this many times with many different types of people, and everyone has been interested in this documentary.HIGHLY recommended for those who love history, or Walt Disney! As I used to say when I was a "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" Tour Guide at Disneyland - "There aren't many individuals in the history of the world who have touched so many people in the countless ways that Walt Disney did."

I never really knew much about Walt Disney, so I bought this film. And I think it was a great place to start. It gave a lot of background information, and you really got to see things from the point of view of the time. Instead of looking at it from 2005, I was looking at the film from the early 1900s and into the future. Walt's early life really interested me. He was basically a regular guy (aka genius) following something that really interested him.I recommend this to anyone who wants a nice base of information about Disney. It's got that warm fuzzy feeling to it as well, but without hiding much. I think most will enjoy it.