Nonfiction

Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life

Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life

  • Downloads：4934
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-26 08:51:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Don Bluth
  • ISBN：1637740530
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

After more than five decades in Hollywood， Don Bluth， the man behind some of the most iconic animated films ever made， tells his story。

Don Bluth never felt like a Donald。 So people have always called him Don。 A matinee of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs awakened something within him。 Despite growing up in rural Texas and Utah， he practiced and worked hard to become a Hollywood animator。 And after working alongside his idol Walt Disney， and on films including Sleeping Beauty， The Sword in the Stone， Robin Hood， Winne the Pooh， The Rescuers， and Pete’s Dragon， he realized that the company had changed into something he didn’t necessarily believe in。 So made the industry-shocking decision to start his own animation studio。

It was from that studio—Don’s studio—that came such award-winning， generation-defining films as The Secret of N。I。M。H， An American Tail， The Land Before Time， All Dogs Go to Heaven， Anastasia， and the video game Dragon’s Lair。

Now， after more than half a century in the movie business， Don is ready to tell the story of his life。 How his passions for artistry， integrity， and his Mormon faith shaped him into the beloved icon whose creativity， entrepreneurship， and deeply-held beliefs entertained， enthralled， and inspired millions across the globe。

Exclusive original art makes this book perfect for fans， cineasts， and anyone looking “somewhere out there” for inspiration and motivation。

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Reviews

Michelle Smith ，

Very thoughtful autobiography by a man whose name you might not know， but whose work you’ve undoubtedly seen plenty of times。I was very impressed with Mr。 Bluth’s tale and his insight; living long doesn’t always guarantee that one looks with such reflection at their own lives， Bluth has。I like how he goes into his own issues with self-doubt; I think reading this would help a lot of creative people suffering from the same （I’ve already planned on getting a copy for my own house， for my creative t Very thoughtful autobiography by a man whose name you might not know， but whose work you’ve undoubtedly seen plenty of times。I was very impressed with Mr。 Bluth’s tale and his insight; living long doesn’t always guarantee that one looks with such reflection at their own lives， Bluth has。I like how he goes into his own issues with self-doubt; I think reading this would help a lot of creative people suffering from the same （I’ve already planned on getting a copy for my own house， for my creative teens）。Original art makes this a must for fans and those looking for an inspiring voice in animation。* I must note that Bluth’s strong faith has obviously shaped who he is as a person and that this does feature prominently in his book。 However， I didn’t find this to be preachy or over the top， but I think it’s something to consider based on your feelings for the LDS church and/or organized religion。Let me also say how this autobiography really， really brought me back to my own childhood in the 80’s as I remember seeing so many of Mr。 Bluth’s wonderful films in the movie theater and on video。eARC kindly provided by SmartPop / BenBella Books and NetGalley。 Opinions shared are my own。 。。。more

Keith Chawgo ，

Don Bluth lifts the lid on his life and his works of art that includes his time at Disney， the computer game Dragon’s Lair and the masterpieces that is the Secret of Nimth。 This is an interesting story on how a man who works for Disney and against all odds was able to strike out on his own to start his own animation studio and fight against the grain。 Bluth gives us a story that gives us so much more information on the man behind the classics and how a dream can spark a career in the love of wha Don Bluth lifts the lid on his life and his works of art that includes his time at Disney， the computer game Dragon’s Lair and the masterpieces that is the Secret of Nimth。 This is an interesting story on how a man who works for Disney and against all odds was able to strike out on his own to start his own animation studio and fight against the grain。 Bluth gives us a story that gives us so much more information on the man behind the classics and how a dream can spark a career in the love of what he does。Bluth has given us Thumbelina， Anastasia， Land Before Time， An American Tale and of course my own personal favourite Secret of Nimth。 You watch his films and you can see the passion that he has for his projects and this comes through in the narrative of his story。 He is a testament that if you dream it and never take no as an answer you can live your dream and conquer against all odds。Interestingly enough， he had no formal training and this gives his story even more pathos。 He is a truly remarkable man who has left behind a great legacy。 He also gives a story that it will not be easy but if you fight and work hard， you can accomplish anything your heart desires。 Inspirational， awe inspiring and a truly great book especially if you are a fan。 A man who hides his light under a bushel and it is great to see this light shine even brighter than before。 A true master in his field。 。。。more

Rob Smith， Jr。 ，

The book starts as a fairy tale and then the autobiography unfolds。 An odd approach for such a book， but this may also indicate the mind set of Don Bluth。 He comes across a gentle bloke and the book is certainly set at that speed。 Bluth lays out his story in a well written approach that has as much fantasy sprinkled throughout as experiences。 Lots of talking to his reflection int he mirror and viewed magical experiences。 The approach is an excellent one。 Especially in that Bluth is writing of hi The book starts as a fairy tale and then the autobiography unfolds。 An odd approach for such a book， but this may also indicate the mind set of Don Bluth。 He comes across a gentle bloke and the book is certainly set at that speed。 Bluth lays out his story in a well written approach that has as much fantasy sprinkled throughout as experiences。 Lots of talking to his reflection int he mirror and viewed magical experiences。 The approach is an excellent one。 Especially in that Bluth is writing of his animating fantasies。 the tenor is perfect。 As one that has read of writers and creators of fiction and fantasies， I have to wonder if others have such layout。 haven't read one， myself。 If this is an original approach， bravo to Bluth。Something else I like of the book layout are the chapter breaks。 There is a terrific balance of chapter content。 Not sure how Bluth did that。 Either an outstanding editor （A rarity these days） or Bluth should be writing much， much more。 The clear approach to the writing is also outstanding。 There's no guesswork， yet not as stupid-simple as many celebrity biographies are written these days。 There's a clear-eye view by Bluth to how to get his tale across and it works very well。There are illustrations， but my access was through NetGalley。som and the illustrations are very small。 Knowing well as an illustrator myself， don't know how the printed version will have the illustrations appear。 I think the book would have benefited from more than I saw in the digital version。 Noting， as I have as I have been taking advantage of NetGalley。com， that I don't write these as other reviewers do: 5 stars and all praise。 I'm writing these as I each volume comes across to me。 This is one of the few I found very well done。 That and i believe Bluth needs to write more。 He mentions 'Dragon's Lair' as animated。 Why not write a fictionalized version？ He's really already done it。 Just edit it to an entire novel。Bottom line: I recommend this book。 10 out of ten points。 。。。more

Nathan ，

Exceptionally incredible， whimsical， and as entertaining as you'd hope it would be。 Clearly a man led by his Christian faith， Bluth describes how he's used his relationship with the man upstairs to inspire him， to absorb the proverbial punches of life， and to focus on positive aspects。 That the great animator has evidently been witness to myriad events that seemed nothing less than providential definitely serves up some good food for thought。 Like many autobiographies， it's laid out by section/c Exceptionally incredible， whimsical， and as entertaining as you'd hope it would be。 Clearly a man led by his Christian faith， Bluth describes how he's used his relationship with the man upstairs to inspire him， to absorb the proverbial punches of life， and to focus on positive aspects。 That the great animator has evidently been witness to myriad events that seemed nothing less than providential definitely serves up some good food for thought。 Like many autobiographies， it's laid out by section/chapter to represent key events/projects; what's unique about this book is that Bluth imbues it with a colorful quality that gives it the hue of a fantastical， dreamy story （e。g。 the inclusion of a "man in the mirror"）。 Bluth discussing his inner-most thoughts with his reflection is a neat device for revealing to the reader what was going through his mind during the ups and downs， especially when he parted ways with Disney。 To cap it all off， it'd not really be a Don Bluth book if there weren't great drawings on certain pages。 His behind-the-scenes recollections are every bit of the interesting experience that you'd hope for。 No "spilling of the tea"--just some anecdotes and key memories， but splendid ones all the same。 I've already seen some that were taken aback on social media by Bluth's faith taking practically center-stage in this book， but he never stops to prosthelytize， instead just letting his own life moments speak for themselves。 It's what you should expect if you go into a book wherein an artist is revealing what drove them through what's undoubtedly one of the most storied careers in animated film history。I must mention that I'm bummed about the absolute loss of the "too scary for kids" T-Rex moments from THE LAND BEFORE TIME， and would also be interested in hearing the flip-side of many of the cataclysmic events he recounts （for the sake of getting the whole portion of a great story）Bluth's movies are much of what I grew up on， and thumbing through this was a delight in every way。 Many thanks to NetGalley， BenBella Books， and Smart Pop for the advance read。 。。。more

Alexandra ，

Thank you NetGalley and Smart Pop BenBella Books for letting me read this book。 I am grateful but my thoughts are my own。I am sure everyone at least ever watched Disney's classic animation Sleeping Beauty， The Sword in the Stone， Robin Hood， Winne the Pooh， The Rescuers， and Pete’s Dragon。 Never？ Let try this The Secret of NIMH， An American Tail， The Land Before Time， All Dogs Go to Heaven， Anastasia， and the video game Dragon’s Lair。 Now I am sure it sound the ring。 An animator artist is one ki Thank you NetGalley and Smart Pop BenBella Books for letting me read this book。 I am grateful but my thoughts are my own。I am sure everyone at least ever watched Disney's classic animation Sleeping Beauty， The Sword in the Stone， Robin Hood， Winne the Pooh， The Rescuers， and Pete’s Dragon。 Never？ Let try this The Secret of NIMH， An American Tail， The Land Before Time， All Dogs Go to Heaven， Anastasia， and the video game Dragon’s Lair。 Now I am sure it sound the ring。 An animator artist is one kind of proffesion that recognizes more by result but rare by individual name。 And this biography makes me so happy because at least I will knew one of the greatest of them。 Don shared his art journey since young age as a farm boy to become one of the famous Disney illustrator and build his own company。 His narration is smart， humble and funny。 It shared genuine about his experience， his life lesson， his personal motivation and his dedication。 I personally love how he remembered all of quotes from his teachers/mentors and give credits to them。 His biography is easy to read even for reader who not familiar with this type of nonfiction book。 I will happily recommend this book for friends who love art and information insight the animation movies。 。。。more

zasou。reads ，

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 beh 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。 。。。more

Dan ，

My thanks to both NetGalley and Smart Pop BenBella Books for an advanced copy of this biography and animation history book。 A young man with no formal training， a country boy with a love of drawing and a dream approaches the largest animation studio at the time looking for a job。 His sketches are examined， comments are mumbled and soon he has a job working in his hero's studio， one that he excels in and moves up quickly in。 Until he makes an important decision。 Add some songs and a cute mouse an My thanks to both NetGalley and Smart Pop BenBella Books for an advanced copy of this biography and animation history book。 A young man with no formal training， a country boy with a love of drawing and a dream approaches the largest animation studio at the time looking for a job。 His sketches are examined， comments are mumbled and soon he has a job working in his hero's studio， one that he excels in and moves up quickly in。 Until he makes an important decision。 Add some songs and a cute mouse and this sounds like a Disney movie。 And in many ways for Don Bluth， famed animator and creator of many a person's childhood memories， it was a Disney story。 Until it wasn't。 Mr。 Bluth in his autobiography Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life reminisces about his life， his faith， animation， working for the Mouse， and working for himself and much more。 Don， it was always Don never Donald， was born in Texas and moved to Utah to live the life of a farmer， one that he found he was quite unsuited for， though it did instill a love of animals， and hard work。 Watching Snow White for the first time instilled in him a love of drawing and animation， plus a dream of working in Walt Disney Studios， with Walt himself。 After moving with his family to California， Don soon had a job at Disney and after some starts and stops was moving his way up in company that was changing in many ways after the death of their founder。 Soon Don set off on his own， starting his own company and making films like An American Tail， Land Before Time and others。 The book is very comprehensive about the life of Mr。 Bluth， his faith， successes and failures。 Mr。 Bluth is very honest about mistakes， and paths not taken， but if very proud of his work。 Which he should be。 The writing is interesting discussing and sharing behind the scenes information about working for Disney， which seems very swim with the sharks and not even close to the happiest place on Earth。 However Mr。 Bluth seems to have no grudges， and at his age still is excited about plans for more entertainment and other projects。 There is a lot of humor， but a bit of sadness too， as the commerce side of entertainment seems to crush the creative side， and one thinks of all the things that might have been animated or brought to screens。 A very interesting telling biography about a very creative man， who went through quite a bit and came out happy and still creating。 Don Bluth is responsible for a lot of things that made my childhood great Robin Hood， The Rescuers and a lot of lost quarters on Dragon's Lair。 Recommended for animation fans of course and readers of Chuck Amuck by Chuck Jones， and Wild Minds by Reid Mitenbuler。 Also for creative people who deal with a inner voice that makes creating anything even harder than it should be。 Mr。 Bluth refers a lot to the man in the mirror that second guessed everything he did。 His ability to use that inner voice to soar is inspirational to us all。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0