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Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World | |||||||
 
| 80% Recommended by our customers. Publisher: Bonaventure Press Catalog: Book Release date: 2007-10 Media: Hardcover Number of pages: 334 Ean: 9780964060524 Book Isbn: 0964060523  Tip: compare prices with similar booksAuthor:
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 Written on August 1, 2008 Summary: The hard facts behind creating the ultimate fantasy land David Koenig wrote Mouse Tales. Realityland continues his detailed `behind the ears look,' but this time he looks at Walt Disney World (WDW) in Florida rather than at the original Disneyland in California. David's introduction surprised me: `I thought I knew most of the `secrets' of the Disney theme park," he wrote. I was surprised because Disneyland and WDW are radically different from each other. David wrote that before WDW came to town, central Florida was considerably more rural than Anaheim had been before 160 acres of orange groves became Disneyland. For example, on page 55 Realityland says that some of the 14 original cast members staffing the Preview Center during WDW construction were normally barefoot prior to being hired by Disney. Today Disneyland in Anaheim remained the most provincial of the two parks. I had thought it was obvious--Disneyland is small-town America and WDW is the big city. I am prejudiced by visiting both as a regular guest--and by taking the guided tours of both places. Mr. Koenig was able to overcome his original impression--one he earned while interviewing 250 Disneyland cast members over seven years and while researching records and libraries for Mouse Tales. In 1995 David Koenig got his `I don't think we're in Kansas anymore' moment when he began interviewing WDW cast members at the Big Bamboo Lounge in Kissimmee, Florida. From there this enjoyable history of Walt Disney World delves right into Project X days. There is a connection between the CIA and WDW--see page 24: William Donovan (World War Two OSS chief--the forerunner of today's CIA) was a partner in the New York law firm used by Walt Disney for his Florida project. Tradecraft (as spy techniques are called) was used to hide Walt Disney Production's identity as the company acquired 44 square miles of swampland. One measure was co-opting the owner and publisher of the Orlando Sentinel, Martin Anderson. The history lesson is only part of Realityland--an enjoyable part. The role played by the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair and Walt's death and the `ghost town' opening day are all in here. The heart and of the Florida Project was an experimental city that Walt called EPCOT. Walt was the soul of the Florida Project--when Walt died, EPCOT went from bonfire to glowing cinder. That cinder was enough to become Walt Disney World. Reading history shows that Walt Disney Productions/The Disney Company has always had hard times. EPCOT Center was opened in 1982 as a permanent world fair, a second theme park near the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. Today's United States has more homogeneity than when Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971. That is why people like Buzz Price of ERA were hired--to make sure that culture shock didn't sink the Disney Company. Still, there were culture shocks. Many WDW guests that first year were from New York and New Jersey--and not laid-back like the majority of the Disneyland guests. The crepe craze had hit the West Coast--but the East Coast guests wanted `real food'--hot dogs! Sometimes Planning doesn't ask Research the right questions. David Koenig's Realityland is packed with gems for the Disney fan--such as a Utilidors diagram on page 120. WDW was one of the first `green' companies--its waste water is treated so that it is fit to drink (but isn't--the treated waste water us used to keep WDW's lawns green). Page 122 goes into the innovations at WDW--significant ones. For Mouse Tales fans, the injuries and fatalities are exposed in Chapter 8, Crash Mountain. Chapter 11, Starring in the Show, is about cast member (employee) experiences. There are uniquely WDW experiences that Disneyland cast members never deal with--wild hogs and alligators for examples. The roller coaster Eisner years at WDW are told--including the sad transformation of the world's finest theme parks into shopping malls with $100 cover charges--shopping malls that carried the same merchandise available at any mega warehouse store, but at twice the price... So how did EPCOT transform from the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow to an Experimental Prototype Theme Park of Tomorrow? David writes on page 321 that the Spirit of EPCOT has all but vanished--on the last page (324) David explains why: "Sadly, this world doesn't produce a whole lot of Walt Disneys." Written on July 31, 2008 Summary: Fascinating and Not the "Same Ol' Stuff" I'm a big Disney fan and thought I knew more all less all the history of Disney World . . . I've read all the prior books and thought that was pretty much it. Nevertheless, as a true fan, I had to have this book. I was delighted to find out this is not the same ol' rehashed material! It's about the building of the Walt Disney World resort (not just Epcot) and it has stories and perspectives not found elsewhere. It's also very readable -- no "textbookishness" -- it reads more like a novel and definitely keeps your interest if you're a Disney fan. If you're a fellow fan and think you've read it all, go ahead and buy this book anyway. You'll be as pleasantly surprised as I am! Written on July 21, 2008 Summary: Great Disney Book This is a great behind the scenes look at the Walt Disney World. It covers the intial planning, building, and later expansion of the entire resort. Gives a lot of insight in how the company reacted after Walt Disney's death and what happened with the several managements after. Great companion with David Koening's Disneyland books! Written on June 27, 2008 Summary: Loved the book. A "must have" for every Walt Disney World Fan. Full of behind the scenes information from the acquisition of the land through building/opening of the resort and beyond. A very easy read (I don't read much) and very entertaining. Written on June 18, 2008 Summary: Good, But Not Great, History of Magic Kingdom This book is basically a history of Magic Kingdom, with some information on EPCOT's beginnings and then a little about Disney World since 1983. About half the pages are devoted to Magic Kingdom. Of the 300 pages, the first 250 are devoted to the theme parks through about 1983, which means the author compacts the last 25 years of Disney World into the last 50 pages! That really shortchanges all of the many recent changes to the complex and makes this more of a history book than something current visitors would be interested in reading. It does clearly show, through many examples, that almost everything the Disney company has done in Orlando has been filled with errors and problems. And the company always puts on a good face, not wanting to admit publicly that there are problems. Yet the whole Disney World complex seems based on thousands of compromises, bad decisions, and cheap methods that undercut its claim to be one of America's best-run businesses. No one would want to work there after reading this book. The author seems to want to make a point that Walt Disney's original vision of EPCOT has never been followed by his survivors and that Michael Eisner has done terrible things to make Disney World a much less pleasing theme park experience. But neither of these points are fleshed out. Instead the book is mostly just a history of the parks. There are some glaring errors in the book but for the most part it is well written and easy to read. The author has a good handle on the beginnings of Disney World and offers some great inside stories from former employees. But those stories focus on mostly the 1970s--there are very few recent examples and by recent I mean anything since the 1980s. It's interesting to hear about inside problems, the many injuries and even the crime. The title is one of the worst I have seen--the book has nothing to do with Disneyland, yet the title (and the font on the book's cover) evokes the Disneyland theme park. "Reality World" would have made more sense but even then there isn't much reality here--it's all about how Disney tries to create fantasy and repeatedly fails to live up to its own proclaimed standards. |
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| Collectible price | - | - | $24.95 | - | - |
| Catalog | Book | Book | Book | Book | Book |
| Release date | 2007-10 | 2007-09-11 | 2007-03-25 | 2006-01-30 | 2008-08-26 |
| Media | Hardcover | Paperback | Hardcover | Paperback | Hardcover |
| Number of pages | 334 | 128 | 240 | 117 | 160 |
| Ean | 9780964060524 | 9781423101550 | 9781887140676 | 9780977375806 | 9780786855599 |
| Book Isbn | 0964060523 | 1423101553 | 1887140670 | 0977375803 | 0786855592 |
| Reading level | - | All Ages | - | - | Ages 4-8 |
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