Between Books - The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder

No hologram Walts here my friend!

The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder by John Baxter, Bruce C. Steele, and the Staff of the Walt Disney Archives is a companion book to the Disney100: The Exhibition which began traveling the world in 2023 to coincide with the Walt Disney Company’s 100th year. The book is broken into topics that include the foundation of the company, adventure, innovation, the parks, sound, and others. Since the book is topical, each chapter generally covers large spans of the company’s century of history and multiple subtopics. Each chapter comes across as an essay with a variety of supporting color images and interstitials that highlights historic people or moments.

This text is trying to capture in a visually pleasing way 100 years of history. This is a drinking from the firehouse situation. As a reader, you will get deep on nothing. But you will glance off a lot of Disney creations as they get namechecked for their historical contributions. It does at times feel like films and tv get more space than parks, but the parks-specific essay is in the last half of the book. If one was to teach a course on Disney history, The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder could serve as the textbook. But other texts would be required to ensure that students could learn deeply on specifics. The images are visually wonderful, as one would expect from the Disney Archives.

I do find it interesting how Bob Chapek is managed in this book. The book was being completed during the time that Bob Chapek’s tenure began to sour and eventually Bob Iger returned as CEO. Chapek is thanked for his interviews…but he’s never mentioned in the text of the book. But Bob Iger is really prominent as he adds color to the company’s history. I speculate that much of the real estate given to Iger speaking as the company’s leader may originally have been reserved for Chapek. And with him leaving the company, he was replaced and removed from the history. Disney can be very controlling of their history’s image. And I wonder if, like Michael Eisner, who is mentioned once, we will see Chapek have a historical return in a few decades, especially for his work in home video.

The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder by John Baxter, Bruce C. Steele, and the Staff of the Walt Disney Archives is a celebration of 100 years. It is visually appealing with text that varies between historical examination and marketing speak, as one would find in D23 Magazine. And that is not shocking with contributors that are often asked to fill this assignment of informing fans about and marketing Disney products.

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Between Books - Disney's Theme Parks and America's National Narratives

I started this book and couldn’t get past the first page. I just couldn’t read it. And that’s why I got glasses!

It has been a while since I have read a monograph with smaller type, smaller pages, and with only occasional pictures. And the addition of glasses did make me feel like an academic reading a book for scholars.

Disney Theme Parks and America’s National Narrative: Mirror, Mirror For Us All by Bethanee Bemis hypothesizes, argues, and defends an academic thesis about the history and culture of the United States and Disney Parks. Bemis puts forth that Disney theme parks are a physical location where the American public negotiates the meaning of what it means to be American. She looks at five points of contact. She examines the use of American folklore and myth in the parks, Disney characters as American symbols, the transformation of folk history into an experience, the legitimization of Disney’s version of history by national figures and organizations, and finally Disney's use and evolution of history in the theme parks. Bemis argues that what is reflected in theme parks are not just conservative viewpoints but an evolution of how Americans see themselves. The book chapters delve into these topics, by demonstrating numerous examples in a short number of pages. For example, “Mickey Mouse/White House: Celebrating American Indentiy at Disney Parks” provides an overview of every President’s relationship since Dwight D. Eisenhower with the Disney Parks. In this chapter, special focus is given to presidents like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan who had more than glancing visits to the parks. And Bemis uses these examples to show the messages that Presidents were delivering using the parks for context and emphasis.

Bemis is a well-trained and respected academic with ties to the Smithsonian. She writes for an academic audience with numerous citations and a reference section that shows she’s done the work. The writing is clear and straightforward. And honestly, I feel like it’s accessible to the non-academic reader. But. this is a very different tone than a memoir, biography, or even non-academic history with a goal of entertaining. This is not a fireside or bedtime read, this is a monograph, a complex study. And that tone may not attract all readers. Also, this is a $40 book, which while a standard for an academic monograph may be too pricey for a 120-page book with limited pictures.

As I read through this book, I do feel Bemis very much depicts a relationship between the parks and American people that evolves. And while American history and even Walt Disney himself were often conservative in nature, there are many pieces of clear evidence that show the parks evolve along with society. I think the most impactful evidence for me of this evolution is Disney’s view of Gay Days. Bemis shows us how Disney had negative reactions to same-sex relational displays in Disneyland, to their caution but allowance to the first Gay Days events, to current corporate acceptance and support. Bemis shows us how the American viewpoint on this issue evolved the parks’ changing narrative making her point about the changing narrative.

Many early academic Disney books were, to be honest, attacks. The Disneyfication of American history is painted in a negative light as it may have glorified patriotism and ignored peoples and minority groups. I fully see the point that Bemis is making, the park narrative, which is not a true depiction of American history, has evolved as guests interacted with the parks. But what you look for, one will find. And I can see how those who believe that Disney parks and executives are immoral agents manipulating historical views, would be validated by this study. And I can see how those who believe that Disney creatives have only good intent would also be validated. In the end, Bemis to me paints a picture where the parks and the people for good and ill have informed each other. And it is a much more interesting and complex relationship of gray instead of black and white.

Professional academic Disney works are coming! They are not marketing. They are not Disney-sponsored history. They are not love letters from fans. They sometimes require reading glasses! Disney Theme Parks and America’s National Narrative: Mirror, Mirror For Us All by Bethanee Bemis is part of this professional trend. The monograph would likely not be for everyone, as it is not as fun or nostalgic as a memoir or entertaining secrets account. But it does paint us a valuable picture of how an entertainment company can be influenced by society, and how that narrative can be mirrored back to the people.

And it appears that thanks to Bemis I can see clearly now! 

 

Review Copy Provided by Routledge

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Between Books - The Disney Revolt

 

The Disney Revolt by Jake S Friedman could be my favorite new Disney book of 2022. It entertains, educates, and provides more depth into a turning point moment in Disney history. This book is a must-read for those who are Disney animation history enthusiasts.

The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation’s Golden Age by Jake S, Friedman details the rise of Disney animation, the animation strike of 1941, and the long-term repercussions of this event. While at moments, it reminds me of a Parallel Lives of Plutarch formula, using Walt Disney and Art Babbit as the main entries into the story, it is really the insight into Babbit’s life that gave me the most interest as a reader. Friedman discusses the early life and career of Walt Disney to the founding of his animation studio and the release of animated shorts to features with Snow White. Disney evolves as a businessman with working-class roots who was close to his small yet growing staff and invested in their development with the creation of the in-studio art school as he attempted to maximize his artist’s efforts. As the business grew, the gap between labor and management also grew. This led to miscommunication and differing priorities over schedules, salaries, credit, and bonuses. Additionally, labor in Hollywood became increasingly organized, due to market and criminal forces, which meant eventually union influences would make their way to the studio. Disney and his leadership team attempted to shepherd and control, these influences in an attempt to keep the union voices pro-Disney, At the same time, the intelligent and outspoken Babbit worked to limit management control hoping that the voice of the worker would be truly heard. This eventually led Babbit to lead the 1941 lockout that would polarize employees and in some cases break relationships forever. Case in point, Babbit himself would virtually be exiled within the studio and later forced to leave with his art contributions largely ignored by the studio. Friedman presents us a history of Disney labor relations that is factual and highlights the faults of all involved in what was a painful and messy moment in Disney history.

While I at times saw similarities with the Parallel lives structure, it was really the Babbit content that stuck most with me. Friedman, in my mind, does not make him the hero of the book he provides a balanced view of Babbit’s life. I have found that other books will make mention of Babbit as only a victim, but Friedman introduces us to a man who was innovative and artistic and yet flawed. Babbit could carry grudges and act on perceived offenses that perhaps would be best ignored. He was passionate about things that he believed matter, and in this case, making sure that Disney employees were able to be heard on the union issue and not forced into a decision and organization that did not truly represent them. It is easy to see him standing on the picket line, yelling at his colleagues for breaking the line, and doing so with a tone that would forever break their friendships, until their elder years. Friedman shows us also an artist who was not perfect, at times needing to work outside of the Disney standard, and was innovative as he brought forth ideas like film reference.

The Disney Studio does not leave this account guilt-free. Walt and his leadership team were very invested, too invested, in creating a pro-management union at the studio. And many of their actions were underhanded and deceitful. It was not Babbit, but the studio, that interacted with gangsters in attempts to end the strike! Reading this account, one’s stomach gets squeamish as you read about Disney’s counsel Gunther Lessing and some of his actions at and before Disney. For strikers and management, everyone has a share of the blame for the moment that turned vicious and ended the family feeling at the studio.

The text is a solid work of history. It is extensively researched and notated. Additionally, it is well-written and engaging for a work that is primarily academic in tone. I enjoyed the use of pictures, which are sprinkled through the pages instead of condensed in one spot. They are put next to the most relevant moments and help to move the story along.

The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation’s Golden Age by Jake S, Friedman is an engaging story of a key moment in Disney and animation history. Readers get to better know Art Babbit, both his strengths and weaknesses, and are reminded that Disney is a company that acts on business interests. If you told me that I would “enjoy” a labor history, I would have likely laughed. But seeing this moment through the eyes of Babbit and Disney created different views of this moment and likely a better understanding of this turning point!



Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Between Books - The Vault of Walt Volume 2

I honestly have not followed a lot of Jim Korkis' blog posts.  I am still a print guy, so for me The Vault of Walt was pretty much all new material.  And there were some essays that I still often reflect on when mulling Disney history.  But with the original printing now out of print and the cheapest copies at the time of this posting starting in the mid $50 range, I just cannot recommend that edition.  Now fortunately it does appear that the price has been dropping thanks to the printing of The Revised Vault of Walt.   But the revised edition did not collect all of the original material.  Could a second volume of this series make all of the original content available at an affordable price?

The Vault of Walt Volume 2: More Unofficial, Unauthorized, Uncensored Disney Stories Never Told by Jim Korkis continues in collecting his essays on Disney history.  Like the earlier versions this book is broken into four sections; Walt Disney Stories, Disney Film Stories, Disney Park Stories, and Other Disney Stories.  The essays are not connected and can be read out of order.  Essays printed before include: "Santa Walt", "Blackbeard's Ghost", "Captain Eo", and "Golden Oak Ranch".  New stories range from "Walt and NASA", "Secrets of the Santa Cartoons", "The Birth of the Disneyland Jungle Cruise", and "The Seven Snow Whites" which show the diversity of the included essays.

The Vault of Walt Volume 2 contains 15 new essays.  And honestly some of these essays caught my interest just with their titles matching some of my own personal interests.  I am a huge fan of Roy O. Disney so I enjoyed diving into "Roy O. Disney: The Forgotten Brother Who Built the Magic Kingdom" which does a great job of showing the elder brother's role in getting the Florida resort built.  And "Walt's Chicago" provides background to Walt Disney's relationship with his birthplace.  And of course in the wake of Saving Mr. Banks the essay "Mary Poppins: Walt Disney and P.L. Travers" delves into the story of Disney courting Travers and her opinion of the finished Mary Poppins. 

The stories themselves are generally short and clear.  They are easy to read and in many cases discuss a piece of Disney history not normally touched on.  It would be an easy book to enjoy on a number of train rides where you stop and start the text over and over again (which may be the way I read this volume).  The majority do read like detailed blogs, and those who have read them before may want more new content.  But I am someone who has only read these tales in the print format.  Yes, in the electronic age I was first exposed to these in a physical form. 

Let's look at the tale of the tape though.  There are two essays in the original volumes that I cannot find reprinted in The Revised Vault of Walt and The Vault of Walt Volume 2.  The  first essay, "Song of the South Premiere" has likely not been reproduced since Korkis now has in print Who's Afraid of the Song of the South which includes a chapter on the premiere.  The second essay, "Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air", is a highly interesting essay on Mickey Mouse in the era of old time radio.  So for half the price of the original volume, you can buy The Revised Vault of Walt and The Vault of Walt Volume 2 and lose one essay with the trade off of 20 new ones.  Or one can buy the two Kindle versions for a fifth of the original's current used price.  So I think it is obvious the Between Books recommendation is to buy the two books instead of tracking down a used copy of the original.

Fans of Jim Korkis will want The Vault of Walt Volume 2 in their collection.  Serious Disney fans will want this volume for the unique content found in its pages.  And those more casual Disney fans can find plenty of enjoyment within.  And best of all, nearly all of the originally printed essays can be purchased for a reasonable price!


Review Copy Provided by Theme Park Press 


  

Walt's Windows Special - Disneyland Canon 1957

Recently a co-worker brought this YouTube video from the Disney History Institute to my attention.

This color video is a great supplement to the viewing of "Disneyland U.S.A" or a replacement those who do not have a copy of the collectors tin DVD.

The ironic thing is that co-worker is not a Disney enthusiast, but still found viewing it to be an enjoyable experience.  It is short and gives us a window to the Disneyland of the past. 

Walt's Windows - Disneyland U.S.A.

 

The “Disneyland U.S.A.” episode of the Disney series People & Places provides a glimpse of an early Disneyland Park, showing us the drastic differences and similarities to what we see today.  The documentary is one segment found on the Walt Disney Treasures – Disneyland – Secrets, Stories and Magic collectors tin DVD. 

This episode was released in December 1956, within 18 months of the opening of Walt’s park.  This film unlike the black and white opening day presentation, “Dateline: Disneyland” is presented in color and Cinemascope.  The film opens declaring of Disneyland that, “Its purpose is enlightenment.  Its product, happiness.”  And happy people, attired in fancy dresses and shirts with ties (not the shorts and tees of our day) is what we see as we tour around the park.

Main Street U.S.A.

·    The shape of Main Street U.S.A. seems familiar to the modern guest and we see the Main Street Vehicles shuttling families down the street to the Hub. 

·    The Omnibus and other familiar vehicles make their way down the street.  But unexpectedly we also see a western stage coach transporting guests. 

·    Additionally when we arrive at the Hub we do not see the familiar Partners Statue, which will not make its appearance for decades to come.

Frontierland

·    The program focuses a lot on this area, and it makes sense as Tony Baxter mentions in the accompanying commentary that at the time Frontierland was 1/3^rd of the park.  In one key way Frontierland looks very different. 

·    It is alive, really alive.  There are horses and mules everywhere giving you the impression that you were in the old west.  The number of animals compared with today is staggering as guests ride or are pulled by non-Audio-Animatronic animals! 

·    A big highlight is the town of Rainbow Ridge, which we can still see riding Big Thunder Mountain, and a tour through the extinct Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland that was replaced by the current roller coaster.   

Adventureland

·    In Adventureland we find only one ride, but a ride we love in The Jungle Cruise. 

·    As they tour us down the rivers we see a lot of familiar sites including Schweitzer Falls and hippos with wiggly years.  But as we listen to the skipper spiel, in a costume that matches the stripped canopies of the boat, we hear a serious examination of sites, not jokes about the backside of water.

 

Tomorrowland

·    Like Adventureland, Tomorrowland appears sparse. 

·    You can see a lot of the Autopia track as there is little mature vegetation to frame the attraction.  It is humorous to watch well dressed men in ties and formal hats drive the Bob Gurr designed cars.  Cars whose modern equivalents are driven daily by young children. 

 

Fantasyland

·    Fantasyland is the most familiar to the modern guest of the 1956 version of the park.  Snow White, Mr. Toad, Peter Pan, Teacups, Casey Jr. Storybookland, Dumbo are all present as they tour through the area.  They just have different looks after rehabs of the past.   

·    The most obvious extinct attraction is the Skyway to Tommorrowland crossing over the park.  But I have to admit it would be fantastic if another extinct attraction ever returned to one of today’s Fantasylands, The Pirate Ship Restaurant.  That return could eliminate the rule to never eat in Fantasyland.     

“Disneyland U.S.A.” makes me nostalgic for that early Disneyland that I never experienced.  It is a very different place, an outing for people living in a more formal society.  It is clear that the guests are taking this as a day out with fancy dress.  I personally don’t think I have ever seen a guest in a tie, unless they were planning on eating at Club 33, within the parks.  One cannot help but feel good as you watch Walt Disney lead a circus parade down Main Street U.S.A., the architect enjoying his park, his stage, his playground.  Tony Baxter mentions that he has used this program with Walt Disney Imagineering new hires.  It is clear to see why as it shows a living, functioning park that brings joy to its guests.  It shows a snapshot of the past, where the park has been and how it pleased visitors. 

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.