Cap's Comics - W.E.B. of Spider-Man

 

 

Here I sit, stuck between two Disney parks, and it has been years since I have been able to visit Orlando or Anaheim. And one of the dreams that has become a reality since my last visit to the Disneyland Resort is Avengers Campus. Yes, I want to go there! Marvel and Disney with W.E.B. of Spider-Man, which collects the five single issues of this comic title, are trying to get myself and my younger self motivated to visit the new land and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.

In W.E.B. of Spider-Man, writer Kevin Shinick and artist Alberto Alburquerque introduce Peter Parker to the Worldwide Engineering Brigade (W.E.B.) established by Tony Start to gather great young thinkers together to solve the world’s emerging problems. W.E.B. members include Harley Kenner from Iron Man 3, Lunella Lafayette the Moon Girl, Onome, a genius girl from Wakanda, Doreen Green the Unstoppable Squirrel Girl, and Amadeus Cho also known as Brawn. The youngsters are joined by the Spider-Bots found in the ride. The team is drawn into a battle with some familiar-faced villains attempting to steal key data from W.E.B. Peter struggles in this adventure to determine whether he or his alter ego, Spider-Man, best fits within the W.E.B. team dynamic.  

This title is for 10+. And honestly, it is for that age, and a little bit older, this best would work. As an adult, I found the lack of foreshadowing for the big bad to be a major miss. And I think for young readers, the lack of foreshadowing and general low visibility of this villain is problematic. I do not believe the ten-year-old crowd knows who the villain is and may not care about them. I think all readers needed to Scooby-Doo this where we take off the mask and yell it was you! But that is lacking. The story is what you need and expect from a comic from this age, with Alburquerque providing very professional and well-done art. I can see an 11-year-old reading this a few times before hitting the park, but it will likely never be any adult readers entry comic to the ride, where the movies should be taking that role for most of the audience.  

W.E.B. of Spider-Man is a story with a hiccup or two. But it performs as needed by creating a comic story accessible to young readers. And best of all, from a Disney synergy window, it likely will make some young people feel closer to the Spider-Man ride and the backstory and lead to pleas to get into line! 

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Between Books - Going to Disney California Adventure

I am a big fan of Disney California Adventure.  My third favorite domestic park is not Epcot, sorry fan boys! But it is the second California Gate that takes that honor for me.  So when Shannon Willis Laskey's newest book surprisingly appeared in my mail box, and knowing how much I enjoyed her first offering, her latest guide went to the top of my reading pile.

Going to Disney California Adventure: A Guide for Kids & Kids at Heart by Shannon Willis Laskey brings the fun to Disney trip planning.  Laskey hits the basics that every guide book on the park needs.  She provides history and a tour of the park to prepare readers, especially the youngest ones, for their trip to Disney California Adventure.  But along with the expected descriptions of attractions and in park dining, Laskey gives her readers room to plan their trip and to reflect afterwards.  For example with each attraction, readers can rate their experience and leave a one word review.  Additionally, Laskey provides games.  These games include ideas for killing time in lines with word and memory games, coloring pages, in book activities and more.  The book like her last volume, ends with a journal for capturing memories and autographs making the book not just a guide but a souvenir for what could be a once in a lifetime vacation.

I love this book.  It really is much more than a guidebook, but an experience.  The bountiful and fun images on every page help set a tone that makes vacation planning with a child approachable.  And as an adult, the fun design provides a guide book experience that is beyond bland text and descriptions. I do not want to say it...but I'm going to do it.  The super fun imagery and bright colors are enchanting.  As I sit here and consider what park I go to next, which in Betweenland is a big decision,  I really find myself leaning towards California.  After reading through this book,  how could one not be charmed into wanting to visit again or for the first time.

By buying the book directly from the author the experience is extended.  Laskey provides customers a fan club membership card, a bookmark (which really is twirly), and a sticker.  This is while supplies last.  And while they are just little extras, it helps feel like the fun is brought out of the pages.  

I will say that one of the things I monitor when looking at guide books is how the author handles change.  At the time I received my copy the California version of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror had closed forever. Laskey does include over a page about the extinct attraction.  This inclusion is sure to make many happy as Hollywood Land goes through transition.  The Between Tween loved this Tower, and so it is sure to please at least one fan.  But to go along with the extinct Tower, the text of the second page includes a description of what is to come with Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission BREAKOUT.  It provides a nice mix of what was and what will be.  It is a nice way to transition an attraction out and another one into existence.    

Going to Disney California Adventure is simply fun!  Okay, it is far from simple.  Laskey has provided her readers a well-thought out reading experience and interactive production.  I sincerely hope that she can extend her library to the other U.S. Disney parks.  Because her first two book have been delightful.    

Review Copy Provided by Orchard Hill Press

Between Books - Hatch! Brainstorming Secrets of a Theme Park Designer

I have read several books that attempt to give you insight into the mind of an Imagineer.  But honestly many of those books gloss over the skills of theme park design and creativity without giving the reader the tools to use those skills in their professional and non-work life.  You often think to yourself, yes I want to be creative, but how do I go beyond the nugget that has been presented to skills building.  C. McNair Wilson bucks in trend in Hatch!, a book that provides a formula for successful brainstorming and a blueprint on making this formula work!

Hatch!: Brainstorming Secrets of a Theme Park Designer by C. McNair Wilson showcases Mr. Wilson's expertise in brainstorming that has proven to be successful during his time as an Imagineer, private consultant (including for Disney), and within numerous stage productions.  The book is broken into two halves.  In the first portion, Wilson presents his "7 Agreements of Brainstorming", the principles that he shares with groups when he leads a brainstorming endeavor.  The second half focuses on the nuts and bolts of brainstorming from creating your own sand box to brainstorm within, setting up brainstorming teams and the ever terrifying doodling!  The author has illustrated the volume with doodles of his own, which reinforce his lessons, and inspirational quotes.

I feel like C. McNair Wilson has freed me!  That may be overstatement, but it is a fun one.  I work within a field where I brainstorm solutions to problems all the time.  And recently I even gave a professional presentation where I used Marty Sklar's "Mickey's Ten Commandments" to urge my fellow professionals to quit seeing ourselves as bland and dull writers of vanilla passages but instead as creatives who are artists when fulfilling external regulations.  I feel like Hatch! has further provided me tools to continue screaming this fact.  So for me, when reading through the "7 Agreements of Brainstorming" it was the liberating principles that stuck out to me.  For example, "Agreement No. 6: Wild Ideas" with the mental picture of putting doughnuts on the moon really hit home with me, especially after he showed it was possible to find ways to get doughnuts on the moon!  It helped show me that in brainstorming it is not just that no idea is a bad idea, but it was the fact that a wild idea may either be a good idea or provide the seed of a great idea.  For me, the six first principles that Wilson provides are about creativity and having the freedom to be creative when brainstorming.  Though he still provides space for critical thinking.  But even in this phase of planning, Wilson's formula provides plenty of space for creative thoughts.

The second half of the book is really the nuts and bolts of how to make the "7 Agreements of Brainstorming" work.  Throughout the book it becomes clear that Wilson respects doodling as a way to both foster thought and to express ideas.  But, I raise my hand and say, what about me who has little to no drawing skills?  What can I do?  I am happy to say that Wilson addresses this issue.  He provides suggestions on tools and how to practice one's doodling skills so one can have confidence in them.  Of course he also gives us a healthy reminder that we do not have to be perfect.  Honestly, as I read through this book I thought of a recent business situation where I lead a team through the critical thinking stage of brainstorming a problem without the help of Hatch!.  At one point I started doodling on our group notes.  This included simple doodles like happy and sad faces, and a burning house.  The funny thing is it helped us make a consensus decision for a recommendation, and when we presented it to others we included graphics as part of our presentation!  Though someone did have to ask me if one face was crying or just needed a shave!  So despite the fact I have no drawing skills at all, I had already seen the power of doodles.  (Recently I was faced with a project where I had to draw, an artistic friend gave the great advice of simple geometric shapes.  If you are worried about drawing it is a good place to start).

Disney fans will be interested in this book since the cover makes note of Wilson's Imagineering past.  And the Disney stories within it are enjoyable to the Disney history fan.  He recounts the day Michael Eisner asked a team to consider options for the parking lot across from Disneyland.  And one of my favorite examples was the evolution of an idea when Wilson suggested they build a hotel in a theme park (thank you, my few days there were very enjoyable).  And there are even stories of plans that never fully developed.  So overall a Disney fan will be pleased.  But one should keep in mind that included stories go well beyond Disney, with stories from his stage productions and even his 40th birthday party.

So despite the Disney connection, this really is a book for those interested in creative thinking and effective brainstorming.  As I have thought through the book I have found more application to how I support creative thinking at work than adding to knowledge of my Disney fandom.  So, one should realize this is a brainstorming book that anyone can use, with some Disney sprinkled in.  Hatch! really is a guidebook to creative thinking in group settings, not a history of the creation of Disneyland.

When it comes to the question of where to buy Hatch! there are several options.  At the author's website you can see all of the purchasing options, including one that helps support some good causes.  He has made available a PDF excerpt from the book that you can look through.  You can also read some of McNair Wilson's thoughts about Disney and non-Disney things, including his take on Saving Mr. Banks.  But being the selfish guy I am, I suggest purchasing the signed personalized copy.  My copy has a bit of whimsy to it since the author added his own personal touch.

Hatch!: Brainstorming Secrets of a Theme Park Designer by C. McNair Wilson is a liberating book.  It allows the rational being to release themselves into a creative one by providing a simple set of seven agreements.  By following these steps one can make a good thing great, much like Imagineering does!  But even if you are not a Disney parks fan, you can still gain much by sharpening your brainstorming skills while having some fun. 



Review Copy Provided for Purposes of Review

Walt's Windows - Disneyland Resort: Remember the Moments a Magical Souvenir

When the Between Family first visited the Disneyland Resort we picked up a DVD in Adventureland that I have not seen since. Disneyland Resort: Remember the Moments a Magical Souvenir provides a glimpse of the full resort including Disneyland Park, Disney’s California Adventure (DCA) as it was named at that time, Downtown Disney and the Disney hotels. Our tour guides Karen and Mile provide a land by land, park by park tour of the Disneyland resort with video and narration highlighting the attractions and features of the park. Additionally, facts about the current topic of discuss graphically pop onto the screen as the video plays. Honestly, it is a pretty straight forward promotional tour of the park. And this fact can somewhat be found in the special features which includes “Making the Video Guide”, “The Twilight Tower of Terror Time Lapse”, “Two Great Shows” which provides information about the Snow White and Aladdin stage shows, and “Traveling with Preschoolers”. Many of these would be useful to someone planning a trip.

The presentation is set around 2005. There are references to the Disneyland 50th anniversary, the Parade of the Stars which ran from 1999 to 2005, and Snow White an Enchanting Musical which ran from 2004 to 2006. For me this is a Disneyland that I never saw, despite that fact that it is relatively modern. For me that most interesting portion of the video is Disney’s California Adventure still in its youth. With a Sun Wheel, the Orange Stinger and the Maliboomer all prominently featured, it show me how much DCA has changed and greatly improved. It is amazing how quickly this park has matured.

I do not know if I would advocate purchasing this video. We picked it up in the park for a reasonable price and do not know if it is still available. A search on Amazon uncovered copies for $50. Now I will admit that the Between Kid really likes this title. But he likes it just as much as the most current Disney Parks Planning video, which is free. The value in trip planning is also limited since it almost a decade old. So, as much as I enjoy the early DCA video, financially I would not spend a lot on this window to the past.

Disneyland Resort: Remember the Moments a Magical Souvenir provides a peak at Disneyland in the years before I visited. I am sure for many of you, you remember this Disneyland Resort well. Viewing this again and again and again over the last three years has helped remind me that these parks do change quickly and for some of us a window looking a few years back is the only way we will see an era of the parks.

Between Books - Poster Art of the Disney Parks

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I think it’s pretty safe to say that Bjorn Aronson is my favorite artist.  I had heard the name, but not truly ever connected my fandom of Aronson with the actual artist.  Well, not until I read Danny Handke and Vanessa Hunt’s Poster Art of the Disney Parks.  Handke and Hunt provide readers a brief history of Disney attraction posters including their production.  This is followed by a tour of each land within the Magic Kingdom style parks, showing off the striking posters that Disney artists have created.  Pages include comparisons of posters from the same attraction in parks in the United States, Asia and Europe.   After displaying the art of the Magic Kingdom’s, the authors add chapters on Disney California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea. 

There has been a lot said about this book.  These words have included artistic, beautiful, delightful, wonderful, fantastic, and probably awesome.  This is all true.  This book is a must have for Disney fans who will be delighted by the images included on Poster Art of the Disney Parks’ pages.  The discussion of the creation of posters may be insightful for some, but the images and posters are the star of the book. 

My criticism is I want more.  I would have other parks including in the book, such as Epcot.  The authors hint of this by showing us posters from Disney California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea.  Basically, we are given a peak at great from other Disney parks but we do not get the final full payoff.

Well, some of you have probably already purchased this book.  Congratulations, and enjoy this book.  If you do not have it yet, put Poster Art of the Disney Parks on your radar, Christmas and birthday lists.  It is a wonderful book that will become a cherished volume of your Between Books library. 

Oswald Opines - DCA 2012

I have to come out of hiding and scream it.  BEFORE 2012 I LOVED DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE!  Please do not judge me.  My ego will not hold up against your judging eyes.  Disney California Adventure (DCA) before this summer had a number of my favorite rides such as Toy Story Midway Mania, Soarin’ Over California, and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror which would have required me to visit two separate parks at the Walt Disney World Resort.  And there were new favorites that I discovered on my first visit a few years ago such as Monsters Inc. Mike and Sully to the Rescue, California Screamin and World of Color that helped me make this park a full day park for the Between Family with multiple visits. 

Now, I admit my love of this park, making it my third favorite Disney park I have visited after the Magic Kingdoms, came after the days of its opening.  I did not experience DCA’s awkward years.  I had time for the park to mature.  I never for example lived through Superstar Limo!  And I am really glad that I did not. 

So now we arrive at the summer 2012 and I finally walk around a DCA that I had never experienced, a DCA without construction walls.  Here are some of my initial thoughts as I reflect on my recent trip to DCA.

·         Cars Land:  Cars Land is a delight.  It is immersive, fun and colorful.  I really love this addition to DCA and often visited even if I was not riding Radiator Springs Racers.  You just cannot help but smile when walking down the main drag.  Radiator Springs Racers is a hit and one of the best dark rides I have ever seen.  That being said I still would not wait 2 plus hours in line to ride it, especially with a small child.  If you do not have a Fastpass, I recommend you jump into the much shorter Single Rider line.  I only rode Luigi’s Flying Tires once and it was not with anyone I knew on other tires.  We did not have problems moving the tire around and it was enjoyable.  But since I did not have anyone I knew to bump I think it was not as fun as it could have been.  Who wants to bump strangers?  Some in my party rode later with multiple tires in play and they seemed to have more fun.  And Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree is really fun and a Between Kid pleaser.  Dining wise I would recommend that Chili Cone Carne, but I found Flo’s V8 Café satisfied a hungry tummy.  If any food item was a surprise it was Ramone’s Pear of Dice Soda.  In the end Cars Land is really fantastic addition to the park, even if it is just three rides, some dining and some shopping. 



The view of Ornament Valley

·        Buena Vista Street:  Buena Vista Street really is basically another shopping and dining addition.  But it does set atmosphere!  We did not eat at Carthay Circle, mostly because the Between Kids would not have enjoyed the menu in our opinion.  I really love the new Storyteller’s statue and the period piece dressed characters.  I told young Mickey a few times that he was going to make it big.  Buena Vista Street does an excellent job of setting the mood as you walk into DCA.  The entertainment options also helped set the mood by providing live background music even if you were not focusing on the acts. 

·        Glow with the Show:  The Between Family was pretty pumped about the Glow with the Show Mickey hats before we arrived.  I had heard accounts on podcasts about these ear hats and the interactivity they had with World of Color.  But as our trip passed, we kept pushing our viewing of World of Color back and just kept passing the shelves with the ears by.  By the time we actually saw World of Color buying the ears was no longer a priority, especially since for the whole Between Family to have ears it would cost us $100.  So we did not buy the ears and we did not regret it.  Though recently Disney has stated that a few hundred people are wearing the hats per show, I only saw a few scattered Glow with the Show hats at the presentations I went to, and many of them were worn by cast members.  If we had bought them, since we could not see the hat on our heads we would have entertained others instead of ourselves.  

Merida joins the World of Color

I am still excited about these ear hats and the technology.  But I think two things are going to need to happen.  First, the price has to drop or they need to package them in such a way that it attractive to buy them.  And there needs to be greater opportunity to use them.  Now, I know they glow in Cars Land.  But whenever we walked through Cars Land at night I never felt like we would have enjoyed our experience more if we were glowing.  Maybe if there was an advantage to be glowing there I would have considered buying them.  For example, and not my original idea, if there was priority seating in a special area for World of Color I believe we would feel motivated to both buy and wear the ears!  I am hopeful that now they are moving Fantasmic to interact with Glow with the Show that the ears will be more prominent.  Because honestly if my family could feel like we are part of the experience by wearing the ears, I think we would go for it.  And honestly their just needs to be more ears out there in the audience before we will feel like the ears are must haves, especially since we live in Betweenland. 

·        Mad T Party: The Between Tween loved Glowfest!  And the same Tween and I both found ElecTRONica amusing.  So I knew that the Mad T Party would be a homerun with the Between Tween who loves Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.  Instead this was a huge miss!  Of the three night time parties held at DCA to date this is the one that the Between Tween wanted us to leave the quickest.  The Tween was happy we picked up a souvenir tea cup that contained a non-alcoholic orange slushy drink.  But the Mad Hatter Band and the depictions of the Alice in Wonderland characters was found slightly odd but the Tween, who spent most of the time trying to convince us to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  Fortunately the Between Kid was rocking out so we could stay awhile.  It seems the Mad T Party succeeds with more adult tastes than I expected.  Personally, I found the band entertaining and full of energy.  The Tween disliked the over the top costumes, and really did not appreciate the mix of music either.  The Tween was more happy with the DJ playing dance hits.  A big part of the Tween’s dislike of the event was the inability to reconcile sweet little Alice as a hard rocking diva!  Maybe the Tween wanted a more traditional Alice singing Disney standards.   

The Mad Hatter and Alice rock out on the Mad T Party Stage

You have my confession.  I have loved and continue to love Disney California Adventure!  Not everything was a hit for the Between Family, but a park that we have loved for years has only gotten better thanks to Cars Land and Buena Vista Street.

Before 2012 this may have been a secret shame for me to carry.  But now I welcome you to the bandwagon my friends.  I’ve been waiting for you!  

Lightening and Mater Welcome You to the Bandwagon!

Oswald Opines - In Defense of Disneyland

My first Disney parks experience was the Walt Disney World Resort.  And from my window Walt Disney World was all I ever needed.  Seriously, everything I needed was just a bus ride away so why would I ever go anywhere else for vacation again?

The Matterhorn and the Lagoon

 Then I rethought things.  Well, Disney rethought things for me.  With the Fantasyland expansion kicking up a few years ago the Between Family made a decision.  We did not want a Magic Kingdom Park that was filled with construction walls.  So, we decided to look elsewhere for a vacation, one somewhere in Betweenland.  We considered Kansas City since we have a lot of friends in the area.  But we wanted a vacation where we could relax and not impose on others.  So we limited our search to Duluth, Minnesota and The Wisconsin Dells. 

Faced with the brochures of two Big D vacation destinations, we chose Disneyland!

It’s a choice we never regretted!

But on our journey to prepare to go somewhere new, I was kind of shocked about the amount of disrespect Disneyland has received from Walt Disney World fans.  It makes me sad, because in many ways Disneyland is better than Walt Disney World.  In fact at this moment I claim Disneyland as my home park (which will probably change the next time I go to Walt Disney World).  Here is why the Disneyland Resort is a superior vacation experience.

·         Walt’s Park: Disneyland may have changed a lot since 1955, but it’s still Walt’s Park.  Even when one watches “Dateline: Disneyland” from opening day you get the general sense that it is the same park we have today.  And you know that Walt helped design a number of the attractions that we see today like Autopia or the original non-punny version of The Jungle Cruise.  For me a big moment when I leave the park is to look up at the lamp in Walt’s old apartment over the Firehouse and remarking to the kids that as long as that light burns the spirit of Walt Disney is still here.  Sometimes I imagine that Walt still walked the streets before the guests arrive, something he never got the chance to do in Orlando.  I have never gotten the sense that Walt Disney was with me in Walt Disney World, but I have always gotten a feeling that a visit to Disneyland was a visit to Walt’s Park. 

·         Walking Distance: At Walt Disney World we assume that it going to take us at least 30 minutes to get from room to park and back again.  Being planners we actually give ourselves an hour in our planning for when to leave for the park.  At Disneyland this is a non-issue.  If staying off property, feel free to stay across the street.  Yes, across the street!  From off-site hotel rooms we have watched fireworks over The Matterhorn, Monorails zooming to their next stop, and guests walking onto Disney property.  When we have stayed on-property I have literary gone from pool, to FASTPASS machine, back to pool.  And there was nothing like the nights we spent with the curtains open looking into Disney California Adventure wondering when Mickey’s Fun Wheel would no longer be illuminated.  One of the Between Kids and I once got soaked on Splash Mountain at the back of the park.  We left the attraction, walked to our room, changed, and were back in the park within 30 minutes from our off-property accommodations.  That is a trick we could have never pulled at Walt Disney World.   

Matterhorn from the Hotel

·         Walking Distance II:  It really is location, location, location!  One night a few years ago a Between Kid and I finished a night alone in the parks.  We went from Disneyland Park to Downtown Disney to Disney California Adventure and hopped back to Disneyland.  We did this in a few hours time and rode rides that we could find in The Magic Kingdom Park, Disney Hollywood Studios and Epcot if we were in Orlando.  But we had ridden the same rides in Orlando we would have spent at least an hour and half traveling between locations instead of just completing quick walks.

·         Disney California Adventure Park:  Even filled with construction parks DCA is likely my third favorite Disney park!  There I said it.  I have lost all credibility.  But for me DCA has some of my favorite things from Epcot (Soarin’) and Disney Hollywood Studios Park (Toy Story Midway Mania) and enough original attractions (World of Color, California Screamin, Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue) to make me very happy.  Basically with the addition of Cars Land this summer there is so much awesome I think we seriously have to consider this question with future trips, “Which park first?”

Paradise Pier Before World of Color

·         Kid Friendly: The Disneyland Resort is so much easier to get around with kids.  There is no loading and unloading of strollers on buses.  It is easier to get a crabby kid to nap time within10 minutes, and back again when we are happily rested.  Attractions are closer together making it easier for one parent to be riding a E-Ticket while the other parent is taking their shift on a kiddy focused dark ride, I can’t tell you how many times I have waited for Splash Mountain while riding The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh over and over and over again.  Basically when things are closer together it is easier to navigate the needs of a small child.

Yes, Disneyland Resort is my home today.  I really wish someone had told me these things before my first visit to Anaheim.  I love this park and considering a visit to Walt Disney World almost makes me feel dirty.  Seriously, should I be scolded for considering Orlando over Anaheim?  Disney fan, you really have to give Walt’s original theme park a chance. 

Dreaming Disney - Google Maps

I was alone in my office.

It was late and the lights were dimmed.

I sat in front of my computer.

The door was closed but suddenly it swung open. I was caught by Mrs. Between Disney surfing images on the Internet.

And what she saw made her grab a seat next to me!

I was on Google Maps looking at images of the Disneyland Resort and our hotel for our future first trip to California.  And what we saw was too engrossing for us to look away.

Disneyland Park from Google Maps

Seriously, Google Maps is a great resource for both planning a visit to a Disney park and dreaming out here Between Disney.

It is really easy to find your favorite Disney park.  All you have to do is type in phrases such as Disneyland, Walt Disney World, The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, California Adventure, Harry Potter (for select readers only) into the search box and Google Maps takes you to your desired location.  If only it was that easy to travel from Between Disney to the parks! 

A nice use of these maps is to use the satellite images to get a pre-trip lay of the land.  On that famed night, I used the site to determine the distance and route between our hotel and the main gate.  That meant when we arrived we knew in general how we would get to the park.  And though the images are not live I have had fun scrolling though images from the Walt Disney World Resort, asking myself what some of the buildings and areas were backstage?  It's kinda fun to trace out where a dirt road from The Magic Kingdom Park ends. 

A Magic Kingdom Park Backstage Area

How do you use Google Maps out here in Betweenland?

Between Books - Jason's Disneyland Almanac

The day I was born the Disneyland Park was open until 1 a.m.  Sadly as an adult visiting for the first time it was only open until midnight.

We have all dreamed about walk-on conditions when visiting a Disney park.  But I don’t think any of us can imagine December 14, 1961.  It was a bit nippy and rained some. But on that Thursday there were only 523 guests in Disneyland.  Let me say that again, 523!

On December 15, 1966, Walt Disney passed away.  On that day only 3,284 guests were present to enjoy his creation.

I know these facts thanks to Jason’s Disneyland Almanac by Jason Schultz and Kevin Yee.  Jason’s Disneyland Almanac collects the opening and closing times, temperature highs and lows, precipitation, and major openings, closings, events, and potential important guests to the Disneyland Resort from it’s opening in 1955 until 2010.  In fact the authors have gathered operating hours for the resort for all but 773 of 20,257 dates.  The real delight of this almanac is the attendance data for dates between July 18, 1955 to December 31, 1966, taken from Roy O. Disney’s Disneyland Attendance Summary.   This historical record provides us with data that Disney executives do not generally make available about the park today.

This book is about the numbers.  There is some narrative and background but not in great amounts. Really it is the numbers that tell readers the story of Disneyland. Especially interesting is the attendance data from the early years of Disneyland Park.  One will be shocked to see days with especially low attendance, closures due to weather and trends that don’t match current Touring Plans Crowd Calendars.  For example, look closely at the attendances for Christmas in early Disneyland and consider equivalents today. Also readers will be surprised to find regular park closures, could we even imagine the parks closing on a regular basis even during today’s “off season?”

I am a big baseball fan.   Amongst baseball fans there are sabermetricians, the fans who use statistics and numbers to dig deeper into the story of the game.  This book is for the Disney sabermetrician, a source that provides the raw data for the examination of park trends.   And even the non-numbers minded enthusiasts, like me, can see trends that help us to better understand the park today.

The data itself and the authors’ methodology in collecting it appears as solid as possible for someone without access to Disney archives and records.  They do admit that there could be errors and mistakes as much data such as closures and park times were gathered from primarily public or second sources. So they warn that errors could be present.  I chuckled as I found one related to my first trip to Disneyland; as the text states that Glow Fest closed on the day I arrived at the Disneyland Resort for the first time, when I know that in the week following the stated closure that I participated in the event twice.  I believe this is due to an extension of Glow Fest; an extension that I believe was not listed in documents that provided the original dates for this party.  Who would have guessed that it was going to be as popular as it was?

On February 19, 2001, Disney’s California Adventure (with the ‘s at the time) was open for two hours later than Disneyland Park.   Shocking? Not really, because an examination of page 262 of Jason’s Disneyland Almanac will help the story unfold.  Numbers sometimes provide their own narratives!



Review Copy Provided for Purposes of Review

Between Books - In Service to the Mouse

Jack Lindquist within In Service to the Mouse: My Unexpected Journey to Becoming Disneyland’s First President shares experiences from his 38 years of marketing and leading Disney parks.  The book chronicles his experiences from the opening day of Disneyland (as a guest), an entry level employee, his various roles marketing Disneyland and eventually being named the first President of Disneyland in 1990.  The book consists of five sections that represent different periods of Lindquist’s Disney career.  Within each division are chapters consisting of two to eight pages focusing around one theme or in some cases one anecdote.   

This memoir shares the tales of a Disney legend and treasure.  Lindquist represents part of a group that remembers Walt Disney the person and helps link the parks and movies under the Disney brand to the man and innovator.  Personally I love reading these sort of memoirs.  As Lindquist notes his time for remembering is getting shorter daily and I love that these stories are being collected so my children and their children may better know Walt Disney the man and the men who helped create the initial magic of Disneyland.  The chapters are short and easy to read.  They benefit from chapter titles and editing that keeps each chapter focused around that title.  In many ways the text is very similar to Charles Ridgeway’s Spinning Disney’s World in the sort of stories told, in fact both men mention each other and have some overlapping memories.  But In Service to the Mouse benefits from better organization.  Lindquist is very honest about successes and failures.  For example he notes his personal belief that a second park needed to be opened in California but adds that Disney’s California Adventure Park was a failure and why.  He also laments bad choices in merchandising and pricing while also adding that while the Michael Eisner and Frank Wells regime repeatedly raised park prices it was due to the undervaluing of Disneyland tickets in the years before they joined the company.

I really enjoyed this memoir.  It provides insight into key historical moments in Disney history while also sharing humorous stories that Lindquist experienced.  Personally I loved Lindquist’s stories around discussions with foreign nations about sponsoring Epcot World Showcase Pavilions filled with misunderstandings and government politics, his interactions with Michael Eisner and Lindquist’s role with acquiring the Anaheim Angels for Disney.  The memoir made me nostalgic for a Disneyland that I never visited, lamenting the loss of the Juniors pricing category as I prepare to pay adult prices for a child on future visits (allow me to step off my soap box now).  Lindquist successfully gives life to a Walt Disney I never met, a Disneyland I never visited and a Mickey Mouse that Lindquist gave over 38 years of his life to serve. 

Postscript:  Typically I would not comment on customer service.  However, I cannot ignore my experience purchasing In Service to the Mouse.  Instead of purchasing the book from Amazon.com or another retailer I chose to buy the book directly from http://www.inservicetothemouse.com/ due to the opportunity to buy an autographed copy for my collection at a reasonable price.  I was quite surprised a few hours after ordering to receive an email with a $5 refund.  I was told in the accompanying note that in a few days that they were launching a holiday sale and they were allowing me to purchase the book at the discounted price.  Honestly, I was fully prepared to pay the full price of my original purchase and would not have been angered by seeing a discount a few days later.  But the small refund gave me an example of the type of magic Mr. Lindquist spent 38 years creating. 

Dreaming Disney – WEDway Radio

I have to be honest.  When I started listening to Disney podcasts I gave WEDway Radio a stab.  I listened to two to three episodes and then I put it aside.  I just was not at a place where it filled my needs.  I was in a furious planning mode trying to get as much planning information as I could as quick as I could.  The episodes I listened to were about Disney history, I mean seriously who is interested in that (okay, I am*)!   I didn’t need detail, how could that make my trip better?  I wanted how to get the most out of FastPass, not history.  I made a  mistake and quit listening.

Months after my vacation things had changed.  Now I was no longer planning for the future but trying to keep my connection the parks while living Between Disney.  So my podcast diet changed and some Disney podcasts that I used for planning dropped off my playlist.  Instead I looked again at podcasts that provided historical topics or those more relevant to me if I was not going to a park for a year or two.  So I gave WEDway Radio another try and I have not stopped listening since.

What I really enjoy are those historical topics that I thought I did not want earlier.  Historical show topics have included a decade by decade timeline of the Walt Disney World Resort, the Disney and George Lucas relationship, the 1964 World’s Fair, park retrospectives and more.  These topics allow me to go deeper into the back story of the Disney parks and are a real treat.  News and current events also make appearances in episodes like their Disney California Adventure progress report or interview with Bret Iwan the current voice of Mickey Mouse.  And there are even vacation planning shows in episodes that discuss vacation strategies.  Along with the podcasting, the hosts blog along with other contributors at the WEDway Radio website. 

Recently the WEDway Radio team has added another podcast “WEDway NOW” to their offerings, a podcast focusing on recent news.  I am a big fan of this recent trend for podcasts to separate news items from topical items.  This step should help WEDway Radio in keeping their content evergreen.   

One of the aspects I enjoy about this podcast is it’s not produced by a team living in Florida or California.  Like me, brothers Matt and Nate Parrish are Midwest boys.  So they do not have the ability to jump into a park every weekend or month.  Sure they talk about Disney vacations, but like most of us the trip is the exception to the rule.  They help to show you don’t have to be living right next to the park in order to live out your Disney dream.  Being Between Disney simply does not disqualify you from moving your dream forward.  So if you have a dream, don’t let your location stop you.  It has not stopped Matt and Nate and because of it many of us have been entertained and informed on a number of Disney topics. 

*I do have both a BA and MA in history, so yes I like history.