The Disney Company is an inescapable force in American life that is often detached from the stigma of big business and instead viewed as something particularly valuable, the United States’ foremost storyteller. In addition to the stories that the Disney Company
produces through its animated and live-action productions, there is another story directly tied to the Disney Company that has the ability to affect audiences, the story of Walt Disney himself. This study focuses on how the documentary Walt: The Man Behind the Myth moves the audience towards adherence to the Walt Disney life-story presented within the documentary. In order to achieve this end, a narrative analysis of the documentary that is influenced by the works of Fisher (1987), Barthes (1966) and Genette (1980) is conducted. In addition to providing insight into how the Disney
Company presents an acceptable narrative to the audience, the narrative analysis of the documentary also provides a model for uncovering persuasive techniques through the lens of narrative rationality. The narrative analysis reveals Walt: The Man Behind the
Myth utilizes a variety of techniques throughout the narrative that result in the narrative reaching a high level of narrative coherence and fidelity, giving the version of the Walt Disney life-story presented a strong chance at achieving audience adherence. In exploring the techniques used, the study lends insight into the way other fact narratives and life-stories may achieve narrative persuasiveness within an audience
