Book Description
Disney Legend Charles Ridgway looks back on over forty years of working with the Mouse, from Disneyland, to Walt Disney World, to Euro-Disney and beyond. Filled with light-hearted and hilarious reminiscences of famous people and outlandish publicity stunts, this memoir will delight Disney fans young and old.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable But Lacks "OOMPH".......2007-08-16
Charles Ridgway was Disney's public face to the world for almost forty years. In an easy style, he takes us through some of the behind the scenes stories and anecdotes that are of interest to Disney students.
Ridgway is a Disney fan which results in the book lacking any real meat. Gentle memoirs written in a gentle style do not make compulsive reading. The book is imbued with the Disney spirit where everyone loves everyone else and everyone lives happily ever after. Ridgway seems to have only met wonderful people who create wonderful experiences in his lifetime. Thus the book lacks OOMPH and bit.
The author though does have a nice pleasant writing style who takes us through many enjoyable anecdotes and adventures as to how he helped create noise and media excitement around a wonderful brand.
Good read for Disneyholics.......2007-08-08
If you've ever wanted to know some of the ins and outs, and behind the scenes info about DisneyLand and DinsneyWorld (more WDW) this is the book for you.
Spinning Disney.......2007-08-01
This is one of the best books that I have read in over 5 years, if you are a fan of Walt Disney or the Disney Parks you'll greatly enjoy it. When reading this book it's almost as though you were in the room with the author who was speaking to you telling these stories. There are places in this book that will touch your heart and bring a tear to your eye. This man lived an amazing life with the Disney Parks and it shows. Buy the book you'll be happy that you did.
I loved the inside stories.......2007-06-20
I have been a Disney fan for years and years. I think that this book is interesting because it's written from the view of a true insider. All the stories of working for Walt were great. I also loved the stories about each of the theme parks opening.
Charles Ridgway is a 'Disney Legend' acknowledged by the Disney Company for his four decades of service to Disney.......2007-06-04
Charles Ridgway is a 'Disney Legend' acknowledged by the Disney Company for his four decades of service to Disney, so SPINNING DISNEY'S WORLD: MEMORIES OF A MAGIC KINGDOM PRESS AGENT is a key to understanding the Disney structure. Ridgway's ingenuity in publicizing and creating the Disney magic is revealed in chapters that cite Disney history and his major contributions. Readers need not be Disney fans to appreciate this survey: any business collection, especially those featuring public relations titles, will find SPINNING DISNEY'S WORLD holds plenty of marketing insights key to understanding Disney's attractions and public relations at its best.
Average customer rating:
- could have been great . . . but isn't
- Upset by Disney urbanizing the State
- Not at all what I expected
- Just the thing to read while you wait for the parade!
- Fundimentally flawed, but a fun think piece.
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Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World
Carl Hiaasen
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0345422805
Release Date: 1998-05-05 |
Amazon.com
Let's get one thing straight: Carl Hiaasen doesn't like the Walt Disney Company. Whenever the giant entertainment conglomerate stumbles, as it did with its proposed Civil War theme park in Virginia, Hiaasen cheers. When a rhinoceros mysteriously dies at Disney's new theme park, Animal Kingdom, Hiaasen secretly hopes for the worst, because, as he writes, "no scandal is so delectable as a Disney scandal."
A native of Florida, author of such thrillers as Lucky You and Strip Tease, and a journalist for the Miami Herald, Hiaasen comes by his dislike for Disney honestly. He has witnessed the relentless success of the Disney machine firsthand with the development of Disney World and other properties around Orlando. In Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World, Hiaasen paints a witty and sarcastic portrait in this nonfiction account of a company who can control the press, manipulate local governments, and because it's Disney, get away with it. Team Rodent is a quick, entertaining read that even the most loyal Disney shareholder (except maybe Michael Eisner) will find enlightening and amusing. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
"Disney is so good at being good that it manifests an evil; so uniformly efficient and courteous, so dependably clean and conscientious, so unfailingly entertaining that it's unreal, and therefore is an agent of pure wickedness. . . . Disney isn't in the business of exploiting Nature so much as striving to improve upon it, constantly fine-tuning God's work."
--from TEAM RODENT
TEAM RODENT
How Disney Devours America
"Revulsion is good. Revulsion is healthy. Each of us has limits, unarticulated boundaries of taste and tolerance, and sometimes we forget where they are. Peep Land is here to remind us; a fixed compass point by which we can govern our private behavior. Because being grossed out is essential to the human experience; without a perceived depravity, we'd have nothing against which to gauge the advance or decline of culture; our art, our music, our cinema, our books. Without sleaze, the yardstick shrinks at both ends. Team Rodent doesn't believe in sleaze, however, nor in old-fashioned revulsion. Square in the middle is where it wants us all to be, dependable consumers with predictable attitudes. The message, never stated but avuncularly implied, is that America's values ought to reflect those of the Walt Disney Company, and not the other way around."
Customer Reviews:
could have been great . . . but isn't.......2007-07-20
I've never read anything else by Carl Hiaasen, but I know that he's a well-regarded novelist, and judging from the quality of (most of) his prose is this extended essay, it's a well-deserved reputation.
However, this book falls way short of the mark if you consider its aim to be exposing the Disney coprporation as a monstrous devourer of world culture. There's nothing fundamentally flawed with Hiaasen's approach -- he just didn't go far enough.
Look, I'm a Disney fan. I've got a Disney DVD collection consisting of nearly 100 titles, a soundtrack CD collection of nearly as many, and I've been to the Florida theme parks nine times. I've also got a decent collection of books about the place, which is what led me to "Team Rodent." So count me firmly in the pro-Disney column. That doesn't mean that I'm going to blindly lash out at anti-Disney material, however, especially if it's well-researched and fair-handed.
I'm not sure that Hiaasen's book is either. He obviously despises Disney and all that they represent, but he can't really seem to come up with a reason -- good, poor, or otherwise -- WHY he hates Disney. He spends the first few pages talking about Disney's store in Times Square and its proximity to smut shops, and praises the smut shops in comparison -- not for their virtues in and of themselves, which he seems to find nonexistent, but for the mere fact that they represent the dark underbelly of life that has no place in Disney's world. Hiaasen's beef seems to lie is his assertion that Disney is attempting to clean up the entire world by virtue of selling its brand of purity across the globe. But why is this a problem? Obviously, that dark underbelly of base human desire and wants -- which probably ARE essential to our very natures in some way -- can never and will never be purged. It's not like Disney is attempting to purge it (except maybe from Times Square, according to the book), so why should people despise Disney for providing a safe haven for people to avoid the seamier side of life? Hiaasen's argument, such as it is, makes little sense.
The worst section of the book relates the sad tale of a female rhinoceros purchased by Disney for its Animal Kingdom theme park. The rhino died in captivity, and the autopsy revealed that the death was caused by infection resultant from a large piece of wood having been forcibly put into the rhino and left there in a place where no foreign object belonged. It was also proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this had happened prior to Disney's purchase of the rhino, and that it was IN NO WAY Disney's fault. Hiaasen points all of this out, and yet the tone of his writing makes it very plain that he wants us to associate this tragedy with Disney; he actually wishes that it HAD been Disney's fault. This is the worst kind of muck-raking.
That's not to say that the book is all of that type, however. There are good passages about raunchy lyrics on a Disney-released CD, and a couple of scary parts about Disney security. It's obvious that the Disney company has made some serious mistakes in its history, and all of those stories deserve to be told.
But make no mistake. This book, though entertaining and easy to read, is overpriced, underresearched, and deficient in its reasoning. It is a screed, nothing more. That it is a screed with at least some basis in truth, and one written by an obviously talented writer, makes it of moderate interest . . . but that's ALL it is.
The definitive anti-Disney tome has yet to be written, as far as I know. When it is finally produced, I will welcome it with great interest.
Upset by Disney urbanizing the State.......2007-04-17
A novelist and Florida columnist laments the overwhelming presence of the Walt Disney Company, especially in his state.
Hiaasen blames Disney for the ugly sprawl that is Orlando while pointing out that Disney World itself is not subject to urban planning regulations. On this count he is accurate. When Disney moved in, all land they purchased seemed to be exempt from many regulations. But as much as he laments on the evils of the Mouse, the largest damage is done by all the smaller companies that build up around Disney to take advantage of the millions of tourist flocking to the Magic Kingdom.
But he fails to mentions all the jobs they provide. Though many employees say they do not like their rules and regulations. All successful companies must have them, especially when your business is the entertainment and safety of children. And lets be clear, all children love the Disney experience.
Hiaasen asserts that Disney building their store was the genesis that cleaned up Time Square in New York. While in truth, they only agreed to open their store if Giuliani promised and followed through to clean up that part of town. And the Mayor was able to accomplish the required goals, at least on the surface.
It is worth reading, but it is not up to his normal standards. It would have been better if the author used his investigative skills to gather some facts. This small book it is a very short and easy read. There is strong language.
Not at all what I expected.......2007-03-22
To begin with, it was a lot shorter read than I had hoped. For the price of the book, it seemed more like a phamphlet than a book.
Secondly, it certainly wasn't very Hiaasen-like. As an admirer of his fiction, it seemed that he abandoned his writing style for this book. It appeared to be more of a personal rant than an enlightening look at Team Rodent.
Just the thing to read while you wait for the parade!.......2007-01-11
The basic premise of this little treatise is solid. The Walt Disney Company is too big for its britches, too controlling, to paranoid and just not as good for society as they'd like you to think. Okay, so a few more details to back all of that up would be nice. But too many details would probably make this book far less readable and not nearly as enjoyable.
To be fair, Carl Hiassen lays a lot of the damage wreaked on his beloved state of Florida on the neighbors that Disney attracts. Of course, as Hiassen points out, the mouse guys insulate themselves with a healthy buffer of manicured "wilderness" between them and their lower class hangers-on like the outlet malls, themed dinner theaters and miniature golf courses. But he rightfully takes Team Rodent to task for their anal desire to control the information and image that filters out of their controlled environment in exchange for gazillions of dollars from tourist and entertainment seeker wallets.
Even though this book is almost 9 years old, Hiassen's wit and style make it an enjoyable (albeit a very quick 83 page read). If anything, time has simply validated a lot of the points that he makes. Something tells me that you won't find it at many bookstores in "the World" as they like to call it, so order it before you head to Orlando. And just for fun, make a show of reading it on one of the benches at EPCOT.
Fundimentally flawed, but a fun think piece........2006-07-22
In Team Rodent, Carl Hiaasen delivers an honestly entertaining picture of his own reservations at what he sees as the Disney Corporation's attempts at becoming a culturally omnipotent force. This piece is more of a political pamphlet in format: it's too long to be considered a simple essay, but it's certainly short enough to be read in a single sitting.
As I suggest in the title of my review, Hiaasen's biggest issue with this piece is the fundimental flaws that underlie this work. Hiaasen's thesis isn't really much of a thesis at all: Disney sucks, and they're gradually taking over the world. Whether or not Disney sucks is certainly a matter of taste. The largest part of Disney's product and service line is devoted towards entertainment for children and families, which is naturally not the preferred choice of entertainment for intelligent, literate adults, myself included. No one is obliged to love Mickey Mouse. If a parent who dislikes Mickey finds themselves buying products bearing Mickey and Co., it's certainly regrettable but they're hardly the only parents who have found themselves suckered into supporting obnoxious and bewildering children's entertainment.
Whether Disney is taking over the world is yet again a matter of perspective. Disney certainly acts like the megacorporation that it is, but it's hardly the only megacorporation out there. This doesn't necessarily exempt Disney from well-intentioned criticism, and Hiaasen does present some fairly potent items: Disney's maintenance of an autonomous hegemony over its occupied land in Central Florida, the notorious dictatorial micromanagement of now-former Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, Disney's shoddy business practices and shady legal dealing surrounding its 1980s Country Walk housing development, and Disney's ethically sketchy policies of bribery for positive news coverage, among others.
Yet, some of Hiaasen's criticisms seem misdirected, if not elusive. Hiaasen spends the early part of the book bemoaning the notorious Disneyfication of Times Square, and seems to place the blame squarely on Disney for this. Yet, he ignores the facilitation of the Disney takeover through Rudolph Giuliani's policies, which it could be argued are vastly more malignant than the simple presence of a Disney Store on the Great White Way.
Hiaasen also points to the example of the Insane Clown Posse's short-lived recording career with a Disney-owned record label. Hiaasen does little here but muddle his point--he certainly dislikes Disney's Bowdlerization of culture for blatant kiddie-centric consumerism, but he sees nothing hypocritical in ridiculing Disney for both releasing and recalling the Insane Clown Posse. Hiaasen neither advances nor supports any clear, cogent points other than his distaste for rap music and his drive to engage in gleeful schadenfreude against Disney whether it's journalistically sensible or not.
In yet another part of the book, Hiaasen criticizes the opening of a Disney cruise line which docks at a private island which had previously been used as a stopover for drug smugglers (which it should be noted, obviously had no connection to Disney's later purchase of the island). Hiaasen criticizes Disney for providing a tourism option so far removed from the actual cultural environment of the Carribean, but it seems unlikely that Disney would be making unrealistic promises of an authentic Carribean cultural experience. Even Jamaica, an island noted for its poverty and unrest, has sanitized resorts just as far from authentic as the Disney experience, operated by companies with no relationship with Disney.
Hiaasen makes it clear that he finds the environment around Disney World to be ugly, describing the tourist-oriented sprawl of central Florida. Yet, just as ugly would be a Florida deprived of the jobs which Disney supports--Sure, Disney is a big, soulless company, but they are a massive force in the Florida economy, likely providing the livelihood for any number of families.
It should be noted that, despite these flaws, the book does not suffer from lack of readability. Hiaasen is engaging with his material, despite the problematic nature of his core ideas. His descriptions of his experiences at a Disney-sponsered press event featuring a journalist who faced KGB detention in the Soviet Union. Hiaasen's work would have made a much better long magazine article than a book, but it's still very enjoyable.
If you're fond of relatively skilled op-ed writing, Hiaasen's work here is certainly worth prerusal. This is not a piece of investigative journalism per-se, and there are many better examples of extensive critical writings on Disney corporate culture. Hiaasen's book is at least worthwhile as a quick and easily digestible version of the arguments.
Book Description
When Walt Disney was a child, he loved to draw. It's no wonder he grew up to create such memorable and loveable characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
Walt Disney spent a lifetime entertaining and delighting millions of children and adults alike--on film, on television, and in his magical kingdoms of Disneyland and Disney world. This is his story.
Customer Reviews:
The Most Imaginative Man in the History of Mankind.......2006-04-09
Walt Disney is Legend, he changed the world with entertainment unlike anybody's ever seen and ever since his death, millions have honored in Animation, filmaking and theme parks. This is his story in a 7 and up chapter book spaning from his birth in 1901 to the Laugh O' Gram film company to Mickey Mouse, to Snow White, to Disneyland, to Mary Poppins and to his passing in 1966. His life and career is remarkable, extrodonary, amazing and I think his life should be a biographical movie with either Johnny Depp or Edward Norton as Walt. I Idolize Walt Disney like no other celebrity.
walt disney bio.......2006-03-07
This book is perfect for 3rd and 4th grade students. My students enjoyed the anecdotes about Walt's childhood. I liked that it was meaty enough to encourage discussion. The book also includes a section of fabulous photographs of Walt Disney and some early Disney characters. It does not include much info about the Walt Disney Company after Walt's death in the early 1960's.
Decent Walt bio for 12 to 17 years.......2005-08-30
Yet another bio on Walt Disney, this one written for young people, ages 12 and up. 96 pages in length, it tells the story of his life and career. It is fairly accurate, from a reliable publisher. If you have a child that is younger than this age group, I might suggest "Walt Disney, Young Movie Maker". It focuses more on his childhood, explaining how the events, persons, and places he lived when he was young affected his career as an adult. It really helps kids connect with him.
Book Description
Documents the stunning accomplishments of Disney's imaginative genius. It is not a flattering portrait. Library Journal
Customer Reviews:
Informative........2006-01-17
I found "Disney's World: A Biography" very informative. New little known facts that I did not know. Leonard Mosley humanized Walt Disney, which isn't bad. Did not change my opinion of the great Walt Disney at all. His legacy will always be with us. A great man.
Good door stop.......2005-08-30
This book has a bit of a reputation is scholarly circles, an infamous one at that. This is due to the fact that many of the more sensational items have been exposed as inaccurate since its release by respected historians of our day such as John Canemaker, Paul Anderson, Disney family members, co-workers, and employees. Much of the true material in his book is in other books, but then he trots out some old negative rumors without citing their sources. Anonymous comments don't cut it in this type of book. No source documentation or supporting material is included to support his wild tale about cryogenics, an old red herring that has been proven false in recent times. He has a story about an attempted suicide that never occurred and he seems to tie it time-wise to the well documented nervous breakdown that Walt had at that age. Big difference.
If you like books that bash famous people just for the sake of doing it, you may enjoy this. But for historic accuracy there are much better biographies of Walt Disney available, and they are not all candy-coated. Walt was human and had human faults.
I enjoy hearing the juicy details about an icon as much as the next person. This book is at one end of the spectrum, overly negative to sell books. There are candy-coated books out there too on the opposite end, like the book by Richard and Katherine Greene, that only comment on the positive.
If you want something that is fair and in the middle, there are other books. The Bob Thomas biography is considered the most accurate available, and his other book, a bio of Roy Disney (Walt's business partner and brother) is equally honest. Thomas carefully documents and quotes all of his sources, who are reputable people that were there for the incident in question. Then he confirms that person's version with others and quotes them as well, in the normal journalistic process known as confirming and double checking. That is what we expect.
The DVD "Frank and Ollie" is a documentary on two of the animators that spent the most time with Walt, see it for some real stories. Also see for example the book "Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation" and many other books about some of the other former animators and employees that really worked with him. Some of them have their own bio books like Walter Broggie, Shamus Culhane, Charles Show, Bill Peet, Ub Iwerks, or Harry Tytle. They include their own interactions with Walt rather than some anonymous source. Their books are not always flattering since Walt as a boss was a demanding perfectionist, but they stick to the truth. To hear what kind of a man he was, maybe you should read about his philosophy on things. The book, "Quotable Walt Disney" tracks over 30 years of his comments on just about everything. You can tell a lot about a person with their own words. Another book, "Remembering Walt: Memories of Walt Disney", with hundreds of direct quotes from people about their experiences with Walt. While the vast majority of the comments were good memories, there are some bad ones too, but they were the honest remarks from people that were not afraid to put their name down. Your legacy is really in what people that knew you, think of you when you are gone and unable to defend yourself.
Finally I want to address this business of criticizing his relationship with his family. Indicating he was anything but a good family man, loving husband, and father - flies in the face of what his daughters, wife Lillian, brother Roy, and nephew Roy Jr. have said about him. In fact with the amount of work he accomplished, they are always amazed how much he doted on his family.
This book should be listed as fiction. Bottom line, this does book makes a good door stop, or for a good tabloid reading. But don't read it to find out about the real Disney.
Full of rubbish.......2004-10-17
The author either did very little research or just didn't care for the truth. He chose to present many rumours surrounding Walt Disney's name as facts. Mosley provides no source for his statements, other than to assert that Disney's "closest colleagues and advisers" were "confident" that Walt Disney "eventually became convinced of cryogenesis as a viable medical process and was persuaded that, even in 1966, it was possible for a human being to have himself brought back to life after death". In fact, these "close colleagues" of Disney's turned out to be a few employees on the periphery of the Disney organization who had never spoken to Walt about cryonics, and were merely repeating the same decades-old rumor for Mosley's benefit.
Realistic Disney Biography.......2004-05-23
This is a great biography of Walt Disney, and in many ways it is similar to Bob Thomas's biography "Disney: An American Original." Both books emphasize Walt's early Midwest childhood, his strict father and good-natured mother, and his experience in WWI in shaping the young man he became. The two biographies are different in their perceptions of Disney, and it could make a difference for you, dear reader, regarding which one you want to read first.
I would describe Mosley's biography as "more realistic" than Thomas's, but I would say that Bob Thomas's was more inspiring to read. Mosley doesn't hesitate to describe Walt as an ill-tempered ringleader who suffered from emotional instability in his early adulthood, whereas Bob Thomas's portrays such behavior in a more favorable light and seems to grant that it is the stuff of genius. One very clear example: Mosley describes Walt's suicide attempt at 31 where Lillian Disney found her husband out cold with sleeping pills and booze, called a doctor, and had Walt's stomach pumped. In Bob Thomas's book, there is no mention of this incident whatsoever.
Both books describe Disney as an inspiration to the people around him, but I think Mosley's goes more in-depth into Walt's character and describes more thoroughly some of the difficulties associated with working with him. What Mosley describes as "overbearing," Thomas would call "entrepreneurial." What Mosley would call "unstable," Bob Thomas would call "emotionally invigorating." The point is: the subject is the same; it's the perception of the subject that's different in the two biographies.
I think both do a great service to the world in representing quite possibly the most influential voice in 20th century entertainment. It's a fascinating reading, and it will excite you to explore your own creativity. Walt Disney was a man that would risk everything to make people laugh, to entertain, to push the medium of film, cartoons, and theme parks to a level unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. He truly was an inspiration, and, of course, I hope this review is helpful to you!
Stacey Cochran
A well rounded biography.......2002-10-13
Walt Disney's name has become a household word. Wholesome entertainment and DisneyLand and Disney World come to mind. This book is a well rounded look at the man. Neither Saint nor Sinner this book sees Walt as a well rounded human being. Many pictures are included. Many celebrities were interviewed including Hayley Mills. The book seems to be well documented and is quite interesting..
Book Description
For over twenty-five years, Disney artist Carl Barks (1901-2000) created some of the most brilliant and funny stories in comic books. Gifted and prolific, he was the author of over 500 tales in the most popular comic books of all time. Although he was never allowed to sign his name and worked in anonymity, Barks's unique artistic style and storytelling were immediately evident to all his readers. Barks created the town of Duckburg, and a cast of characters that included Donald Duck's fabulously wealthy Uncle Scrooge, the lucky loafer Gladstone Gander, the daffy inventor Gyro Gearloose, the rougish crooks the Beagle Boys, and the Italian sorceress Magica de Spell.
Carl Barks and the Disney Comic Book: Unmasking the Myth of Modernity is the first critical study of Barks's work in English. From a cultural studies perspective, the author analyzes all phases of Barks's career from his work in animation to his post-retirement years writing the Junior Woodchucks stories.
Andrae argues that Barks's oeuvre presents a vision strikingly different from the Disney ethos. Barks's central theme is a critique of modernity. His tales offer a mordant satire of Western imperialism and America's obsession with wealth, success, consumerism, and technological mastery, offering one of the few communal, ecological visions in popular culture. Although a talented visual artist, Barks was also one of America's greatest storytellers and, Andrae contends, lifted the comic book form to the level of great literature.
Customer Reviews:
sociological perspectives and critiques in Carl Bark's comics.......2006-08-31
Certainly Carl Barks is well-known for his vivid, singular drawings of the Donald Duck characters in the Disney comics and cartoons. He would have a place in the pantheon of 20th-century comic illustrators for the imagination of his portrayals and scenes on the basis of their entertainment value alone. But beneath the prodigious output were deep undertones reflecting concerns and mores of popular culture and an implicit critique of many of these--which aspects of Barks's comic illustrations Andrae fully brings out. "Barks's tales are inextricably linked to the politics of his time and offer one of the most trenchant critiques of patriarchal capitalism in any popular media." One sees this inhering in the character Uncle Scrooge with his boundless love of lucre and joy in diving into his swimming pool filled with coins. Born in 1900, Barks lived to be nearly 100. He teamed with Disney in the 1930s. In his later decades, Barks evolved from implicit perspectives on general foibles such as greed and materialism to criticisms of specific aspects of U. S. politics and its effects. Many of these later strips "call into question the tentacle-like homogenization of both the Third World and the United States by consumerism and global capitalism." Andrae covers amply all of the layers of Barks's illustration art from unique style with lasting appeal to incorporation of issues of popular culture and often critiques of these. Readers will look forward to subsequent books following this first in the publisher's Great Comic Artists Series.
Excellent historical look at the work of Carl Barks.......2006-08-22
Thomas Andrae's new book is an informative explanation of the historical and personal backgrounds of the Disney comic book work of Carl Barks. Beginning from the obvious--but often overlooked--premise that Barks did not write in a vacuum, Andrae explored the various social and historical phenomena of the 1940s-1960s. Probably even the most amateur Barks scholar could see that Barks's later Asia-based stories, like "The Treasure of Marco Polo," were grounded in the political turmoil of the day (the Vietnam War, rise of the Khmer Rouge, etc.). Much less obvious, however, is, for example, his treatment of the feminist movement following World War II, or the national shift from an economy of hard-working, entrepreneurs to a bunch of wage-slave desk jockeys. The former is most often represented in Donald's interactions with Daisy; the latter actually is part and parcel to a shift in the theme of Barks's Donald ten-pagers--Donald becomes a downtrodden, one-of-the-masses employee, no longer with any hope for his future. Throughout one realizes that intentionally or not, Barks chronicled history in his stories.
Andrae also delves into Barks's personal background as it pertains to his stories. While largely abstaining from writing a biography, he frequently makes specific note of events in Barks's life that influenced a given story. For example, Barks went through a wrenching divorce in the late 1940s, in which his wife enlisted the help of a lawyer and took from him literally everything except his art supplies, clothes, and a blanket. From that we get stories involving lawyers like Sharky, the shyster of "The Golden Helmet." Andrae also examines less personal influences, like the real town of Hemet that spawned Uncle Scrooge's money bin.
On both of these points, the book is fantastic and well worth reading. There are a handful of criticisms I have to offer, though. For one thing, a great deal of the first two chapters focuses on Barks's cartooning career prior to his career as a comic book artist. While Barks learned a great many lessons from these experiences that are employed in the comics, they do not require nearly seventy pages in a treatise on "the Disney Comic Book." For another thing, Andrae, in his efforts to offer interpretations of Barks's stories beyond the historical, much too often resorts to psychological explanations involving repressed or socially inhibited sexual desires, fears of castration, fetishes, and the like. It is absurd to think that Barks's characters are undergoing such stresses in the majority of his stories. I strongly suspect that the emotional turmoil Donald et al. experience is much more related to simple social anxiety than anything sexual. The main criticism I have of the book, however, is that it relies too heavily on editorials in the Carl Barks Library and on interviews from Conversations with Carl Barks, by Donald Ault. Not so much, by any means, that this book isn't worth reading; just that parts of it can be skimmed by a CBL-owning reader. Andrae was one of the chief editors of the CBL, and therefore can be excused for maintaining the same theories now as then; however, a new book ought to bring new insight, not regurgitation of existing thought. As stated, however, I do not believe the book seriously impaired as a result of this flaw.
On the whole, however, I recommend this book. The historical study is excellent, as noted, but additionally, I came away with greater understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment for Barks's work (which is saying something, since I had though highly of him to begin with), especially the stories I hadn't liked as much. For that alone, it is well worth reading.
Robert Hutchings
North Dakota State University
Book Description
The Unofficial Guides® are the "Consumer Reports" of travel guides, offering candid evaluations of their destinations' attractions, hotels, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, sports, and more, all rated and ranked by a team of unbiased inspectors so even the most compulsive planners can be sure they're spending their time and money wisely. Each guide addresses the needs of everyone from families to business travelers, with handy charts that demonstrate how each place stacks up against the competition. Plus, all the details are pulled out so they're extremely easy to scan.
Who better than the Unofficial Guides® to bring you an behind-the-scenes look at how the Disney empire runs? The essays in this fascinating, completely updated guide reveal how the parks were created, how Walt Disney and his successors have run the company, what it's like to be a Disney character, what imagineering is, and much, much more. If you love Disney and Mickey or pop culture in general, Inside Disney is for you.
Other Unofficial Guides® to Disney and the rest of the central Florida parks include The Unofficial Guide® to Walt Disney World®, The Unofficial Guide® to Walt Disney World® for Grown-Ups, The Unofficial Guide® to Walt Disney World® with Kids, Mini Mickey, and Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Universal, Sea World, and the Best of Central Florida.
Customer Reviews:
It's OK.......2006-03-31
Review from my wife:
The only reason I give it 3 stars and not 2 is that it has the basic "Behinds the Scenes" information in it that most Disney buffs know already - but a newbie would not know. So for a new person, it would be interesting for them.
Yes, there are factual errors in it and some "smugness" in certain areas. Take it with a grain of salt - all of the UnOfficial Books are like this.
It was fun to read in retrospect. It talks about future plans, etc. So that was interesting.
I read it while on the treadmill. It kept me entertained for a few 45 minutes for a few days.
Rushed and incomplete.......2005-07-22
Don't get this book if you're a Disney nut, because you're going to get a rehash of 99% of what you already know. You're not going to find much in the way of insider secrets or funny antecdotes about Disney or the theme parks. Also, the book has a number of glaring factual errors, once you come across one of them, your faith in the rest of the material isn't going to last long. Skip this one.
Little new, with condescension to boot.......2003-09-25
I came to the book looking for interesting inside tidbits. What I found was a book not well-researched, with a number of outright factual errors, such as the old urban legend that the top of the castle can be removed in the event of a hurricane.
All this is wrapped up in a post-modern smugness that makes the reading experience, while fast-moving, downright unpleasant at times.
AUTHOR DOES NOT MAKE THE CUT.......2003-07-15
This book COULD have been so much better. This book SHOULD have been a lot better. I am a big Disney World fan, and was looking forward to reading this book when I first saw it, but I was very disappointed in it. The author in this book, Eve Zibart, is not very good. She shares her opinions way too much, which don't even make sense, and she is trying to write this book like she is turning it into her english teacher. The phrases and words she uses are too complicated at times, and again, do not make any sense. You get the feeling she is trying to impress someone with that. Those kind of things are not suited for this type of book. Also, she does not cover nearly as much as she should in a book like this. This book is a great concept, and if done right, would have been very interesting. I was expecting to learn some behind-the-scenes things about Disney World, but throughout the whole book I probably learned one thing. If someone else writes a book with this same concept, I would love to read it, but I do not recommend reading this one.
A Fun and Interesting Read.......2003-03-04
This little book is packed with lots of fun and interesting history and trivia about Disney. It covers everything from parks to rides to hidden Mickeys to the main players such as Walt Disney and Michael Eisner. I've read many books about the parks, Walt, Eisner, etc., and I honestly expected this to be a condensed re-hash of all that. I am pleasantly surprised to find that's not the case. I am also surprised that some of the other reviewers mentioned negativity on the part of the author. I didn't find it negative at all -- and as a Disney enthusiast, I surely would have picked up on that! In contrast, I found it fresh and just an incredibly FUN book. And the price can't be beat!
Average customer rating:
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Walt Disney: Creator of Magical Worlds (Community Builders)
Charnan Simon
Manufacturer: Children's Press (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
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ASIN: 0516211986 |
Book Description
Before Walt Disney died in December 1966, he assembled a dedicated team to create a new theme park near Orlando, Florida. Walt's brother Roy would eventually name the attraction Walt Disney World so that no one would ever forget whose dream it was. People who had worked for Walt since the 1950's designing, building, and operating Disneyland in Anaheim, California anchored the team.
Team members were guided in the years after Walt's death by asking each other, "What would Walt do?"; This question was asked countless times during the design and construction of the huge theme park. It was asked about issues involving quality, creativity, safety, and the guest experience. The team usually knew the answer would be that Walt would have done the right thing. The team knew what that right thing was, and they always did it, regardless of cost.
This book chronicles the experiences of a young Florida engineer who served the team during construction of Walt Disney World from 1968 to 1971. Mr. Miller suggests that Walt Disney World may be the highest quality construction project ever built.
Customer Reviews:
Glad I got it at the library............2007-07-21
for had I paid money for this book, I would be quite upset. The book is written as if the reader has an IQ of 50. There are many typos and poor sentence construction. These typos are even evident on the back cover of the book. I am surprised an editor would have let this book go to publication in the way it stands. Even worse, the author uses a supposed history book about WDW to rant about his own political views. I don't care what one's political thoughts are when I am supposed to be reading a book about the design and construction of WDW. Several pages are devoted to the author's views about unions and past presidents. He states that Walt was anti-union, and then takes this opportunity to write a few pages on why HE is anti-union. Who cares? Then there is a favorite quote of mine on page 22, "Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President, and he seemed to me to be a real jerk." Again, what does this have to do with the topic on hand? There are many other great books about the creation of the theme parks and Disney's vision. Do not waste your time on this one.
Good but not exactly as expected..........2007-05-07
Being a Disney fanatic, I always seek out books about Disney and Disneyland/World. This book was very interesting in the fact that it was more about the author's life during the construction phase of WDW. It did contain some interesting nuggets of information regarding the park but it was mostly a personal story about the author, his family, friends and coworkers during the construction of WDW. Not exactly what I was hoping for but it was an interesting read.
Constructing A Dream.......2007-04-14
What Would Walt Do? is a first hand look through the eyes of a young civil engineer into the contruction of Walt Disney World from Walt's Seventh Premliminary Plan to Opening Day, 23 October 1971. It's a good read for engineering students, "wannabee" engineers and lovers of all things Disney. Readers will smile at the story of Levi, the arm wrestling champion of champions; the author's night on the town with an "Acadian Queen" and amused when engineers and technicians are dumped into a very cold Reedy Creek from a supposedly all terrain (including water) 4 wheel drive vehicle called a "Coot." The Coot was hoot!
Although the author had never met Walt Disney who died in 1966, he learned through the leadership of Walt's brother Roy and others with long standing at Disney to apply to difficult construction decisions, union conflicts, contractor disputes, quality control issues the question: "What Would Walt Do?" In their considering that question, the ideal always sought was to apply Walt's standards of quality and safety to accomplish even the smallest details in the spirit of Walt's Dream. The ultimate compliment came on opening day from Walt's widow Lily who said, "I think Walt would have approved."
Other accounts of this remarkable engineering/construction feat may be more technical or more historically accurate. However, WWWD gives insight not only into the day to day operation, construction ups and downs, but also into the personal lives of the men and women who helped to bring Walt's dream into a reality. They were a very special team who soon realized that after the gates had opened, the Boston Pops had played and Mickey had paraded....they had left a part of themselves in the dirt, steel and cement that covered hundreds of acres of Central Florida called Walt Disney World.
Skip This One.......2002-12-28
A very short book. No pictures. Lots of fluff. Information about the author that has nothing to do with Walt Disney takes up pages in the book. Stories about mean foremen and inspectors. Boring.
What would Walt do? He'd do it right no matter what the expense. There. Save your money and buy a good book on Disney.
Really an autobiography about the author - not about WD.......2001-12-26
The book was an easy read BUT was really an autobiography of the author and his life. It's about his working days, especially while working on the constrction of WDW. Besides the very infrequent mention of the title "What Would Walt Do" there was next to nothing in the book about Walt's philosophies, work ethic and thought processes. Not what I exptected or what the title infers.
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- The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1
- The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories
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- The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors
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- The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece
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- The Making of the Movie Trilogy (The Lord of the Rings)
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- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
Books Index
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