Between Books - Buying Disney's World

 

I had heard some great buzz about Buying Disney's World, so I set myself up to enjoy this text on a long bus ride.  Yeah, a bus!  As I attended a trip with some of my favorite people I hoped that this journey into Florida of five decades ago would keep my interest and make the miles pass.  But in the end it got my interest in other ways as I began to question how some of the research was used.  

Buying Disney's World:The Story of How Florida Swampland Became Walt Disney World by Aaron H. Goldberg provides a fairly straightforward account of Walt Disney's interest in developing a East Coast city of tomorrow in Florida.  Goldberg breaks down the decisions of where to build in Florida, the steps taken to purchase the massive number of acres that Walt Disney wanted for his new project and Roy Disney's leadership in completing Walt Disney World.  The style is highly accessible with readers lacking Disney or in some cases legal knowledge able to understand the complicated steps taken to build the Florida resort.

For me Buying Disney's World is a mixed bag.  The text is very approachable and often engaging.  Goldberg really underscores the efforts and drive of two men in completing this park.  First, Walt Disney the man who would never see the finished dream who chose the site and had a vision that went beyond a theme park.  Second, Roy Disney, who cancelled his own retirement to build his brother's dream to the point of demanding that it open on time.  These personal aspects are fully drawn out and easy to see in the author's prose.

But I have concerns about the scholarship.  This monograph is full of extensive citations and provides a clear message, I am a serious historical study.   But I worry about how the author uses external sources.  One chapter includes what is in effect an extensive transcript of "The Florida Project" film which extends for pages and pages.  This text expands the chapter size and would perhaps could be better placed in an appendix with Goldberg providing readres analysis of the film instead.  But the piece that I found me scratching my head was another long quote, this time from Walt Disney discussing his love and respect of Roy Disney.  The citation is not to the original source of the quote.  Instead it is to a secondary source written about the brothers by Goldberg for a youth audience.  It wonder in this work what citation was provided, as it feels odd with the author citing his own work and for a less academic minded audience.

For me, Buying Disney's World is an accessible account of the development of Walt Disney World.  It was clear and at times emotionally engaging.  But for a more academic view of this time frame I still rely on Chad Denver Emerson's Project Future.  I hope that Buying Disney's World can draw readers into this fascinating story so they explore this topic in even greater detail.       

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Between Books - Project Future

Project Future: The Inside Story Behind the Creation of Disney World by Chad Denver Emerson tells the story of how Project Future, an idea for a East coast Disney parks, was developed and became reality.  Emerson details Walt Disney’s quest to expand on his success at Disneyland to create a larger more controlled experience elsewhere.  Project Future carefully tracks the efforts to determine the future location of what would become the Walt Disney World Resort, the acquisition of the land desired for Disney’s massive project, the planning for land use and finally the completion of stage one by Roy O. Disney after Walt Disney’s Death.  The book especially focuses on the legal and political hurdles the Walt Disney Company had to navigate to control and develop their Florida property to opening day.   

This is a well researched and written book.  Emerson’s legal knowledge including Florida statutes brings a new dimension to the story of Walt Disney World.  He goes beyond the Disney search for a new location and authoritatively explains the legal code that Disney had to navigate in order to reach.  Once the reader sees all that legally had to be cleared before the Walt Disney Company could control their 47 square miles, the story becomes infinitely more complicated than a real estate purchase.  Adding to this complexity is the lengths that Disney took to create an improvement district and 2 municipalities to provide governance and infrastructure for their property.  And of course most readers will enjoy reading the cloak and dagger efforts taken to keep their land acquisition in Florida secret while uniting the diversely owned land parcels. 

This is an enjoyable book.  It is filled with legal phrases and legislation.  However, it is presented in such a way that the casual reader can understand.  Personally, I unexpectedly found myself learning about Florida statutes on municipalities and improvement districts.  This book is an essential for Disney history enthusiasts as it clearly demonstrates the complicated story of creating Walt Disney World. 

This post contains affiliate links, which means that Between Disney receives a percentage of sales purchased through links on this site.  

Between Books: Four Decades of Magic

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort.   Chad Denver Emerson celebrates this anniversary in Four Decades of Magic: Celebrating the First Forty Years of Disney World.  The book consists of over 25 essays on various aspects of Walt Disney World history.  These essays are written by respected Disney enthusiasts and historians such as Sam Gennawey, Jim Korkis, Lou Mongello, Michael Scopa and others.  The topics found in the collection are as diverse as the authors. Essays rank from topics including ghosts, parades, extinct attractions like Horizons, Discovery Island and even two separate essays on the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review.  This diversity makes for a rich and often surprising experience.

I love this book.  My copy sits on my book shelf filled with little flags to mark pages that I want to quickly reference.  Michael Scopa's essay "The Carousel of Progress: What Would Walt Think?" is one that tugs at my heartstrings and reminds us how far cast members will go to create a magical experience.  Mike Lee's "Thunder Mesa & the Western River Expedition: A Neverending Story" makes me hope that is really is true Imagineering does not throw any good idea away, and maybe someday this surefire Marc Davis classic can come into existence.  Overall, these essays brought me back to a park I love to share with family and take me away from cold Midwestern nights (and days) back to the warm Florida sun.  This book is a fitting tribute to 40 years of magic moments and I look forward to other offerings from Ayefour Publishing which cater to the Disney Dork!