Between Books - Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering

This book is safe!

There’s no controversy on the page. No one really fights internally. And you are left with questions about how an overfilled work schedule impacts families. Honestly, it’s just a safe read that gives one insight into the development of Disney theme parks, especially in Asia.

Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering by Bob Weis outlines the former Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) President’s career. The book opens with brief chapters on Weis’ family, school days, and college which includes his decision to move from drama into architecture. Having been an expert popcorn salesman at Disneyland, Weis hoped to translate his passion for theme parks and design education into a position at WDI’s predecessor WED, a journey that was not immediate. Eventually, he would be recruited onto the Tokyo Disneyland Team, which was mean and lean with most Imagineers focussed on EPCOT. This put the young Weis in a position to manage international projects and gain valuable experience in leading artistic teams. The success he found would lead to decades of projects around the world like Epcot enhancements, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Tokyo DisneySea. He would also leave Disney for several years and lead his own design firm, allowing him to experience placemaking outside of Disney parks until he was asked to return. And he sat at a key seat as he watched a Disney project that was never to be in Disney’s America. With his decades of global and team experience, Weis was asked in 2016 to become the President of WDI and would lead the team till his retirement through the difficult moment of COVID-19, while trying to maintain the artistic standards taught to him by past leaders like Marty Sklar.

So, this book is really safe. I feel part of this is due to this being an official Disney Editions book, a press that would not seek to stir controversy in corporate history. So, even when critical Weis remains kind. And I’m sure many Disney fans were hoping that he would critique Bob Chapek, a relationship fans believed led to Weis’ retirement. I also believe that Weis and his personality are not seeking to be critical of those he worked with just out of discretion. So when noting difficult personalities that he may have worked with during his decades, he also includes a positive that they brought to the working environment.

I did find the book’s organization at times to be much more a loose set of essays than an interwoven story. Some chapters are only two pages long and may give more of a feeling than details of projects. I’d say if you were looking for detailed history, you will find it here in chapters on topics like Disney’s America and all that went wrong or the development of Hollywood’s Studios, typically in longer chapters. But at times I wondered if some of these quick hits would have done better in combination chapters.

Weis to be fair was really really busy. Disney literally sent him throughout the world. And while one gets the sense that he loved his work and the travel it provided, you also get hints of the cost…family. There are relationships hinted to in partners and children, that Weis tells us enough to know they cherished them but may have also had strain. As he points out in Tokyo, his partner at the time was often left alone while Weis started his day in the dark and ended it in the dark. Honestly, I think there is a lot that can be said about the cost of work-life balance, and I would have loved to hear more from a successful manager and leader about what he has learned even when his relationships have been strained.

Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering by Bob Weis is a collection of essays about leading in Imagineering, especially with projects that American fans may not have experienced…and didn’t with Disney’s America. I think that Disney parks fans will find this to be an essential read for those who want to dig deeper into the parks globally, but non or casual fans may not find it as engaging. 

 

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Between Books - Where is Walt Disney World?

Between Disney is back to bash a kid's book!

Where is Walt Disney World? By Joan Holub and illustrated by Gregory Copeland is an introduction to Walt Disney World for readers aged 8 to 12. The book provides a history of the development of the theme park including the life of Walt Disney, Disneyland, the leadership of Roy O. Disney, and the park's opening. The book then proceeds to tour the park from Magic Kingdom, to EPCOT, to Animal Kingdom (this is not in historical or geographical order ), and then to Disney Hollywood Studios. After walking through the parks, the creators discuss special events, hotels, Disney Springs, and the changing nature of the parks. The chapters include topical inserts and hand-drawn style illustrations scattered on the pages.

When I was 12, I wrote my first major historical essay on the surrender at Appomattox. Per the publisher’s recommendation, I could have used the published level of narrative and fact in this book to support my project. If so, that would have been a mistake. The history inside is sometimes the Disney myth history, without much explanation or elaboration. It often fails to address what I think is a more interesting story of a kid. For example, they call the Ulitidors the underground tunnels of the Magic Kingdom. But wouldn’t it be more interesting to a kid to know that it’s the first floor, not a basement? Or maybe a kid might be excited reading and try to sell their parents on one of the cheaper resort hotels, Animal Kingdom Lodge! Even the All-Stars laughed when I read that line.

The text is what it is! For a 8 year old it’s likely fine as it provides brushing big strokes on Walt Disney World history and location building. But for a 11 or 12-year-old, and likely a lot of 10s it’s too surface and likely to not feel up to their grade level of reading. For kids who want to dig into the history, background, and secrets of the park, I honestly think a better choice would be a current copy of The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World books which is at an appropriate reading level, makes them feel more mature, and likely give them a lot of secrets they would annoy the adults around them with.

Where is Walt Disney World? By Joan Holub and illustrated by Gregory Copeland is a fine book for younger readers who need a surface introduction to Walt Disney World with images to keep them engaged with the story. But for emerging readers and those wanting to know more of the story, it’s likely a book that lacks the depth desired.  

 

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Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Third Edition

 

Susan Veness’ The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World book has long been a standard here at Between Disney. But a lot has changed at Walt Disney World, and here at Between Disney, since the first edition was reviewed in 2011. And it was just a few years ago, in my mind, that I reviewed the Second Edition. And boom, there arrived at my doorstep a Third Edition in 2020…during a time when I was slowly working through Between Books. Slowly, I have been picking up on reviews again and this new edition is really the best place for me to kick off a new era of Between Book reviews.

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Third Edition by Susan Veness follows the same general plan as the earlier editions. Veness walks readers through the four Walt Disney World Resort parks land by land. As she takes this walk she drops fun facts and behind-the-scenes information that for many, okay readers like me, will find delightful and help to expand the park experience. The book is text-driven, with little to no pictures except for a map that highlights some facts about each park.

Overall, the facts are interesting and delightful. I have read a lot of Disney books, yet I felt like I experienced many new to me facts. The text was well-written and engaging. But for some reason, I did find that it took me a bit to get into the text. This may be due to the fact there was content I had read before in this format. But as I got further into the text, my attention was increasingly grabbed instead of diminished. I worried that new sections such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge would spoil me but instead I felt the sections prepared me and helped grab my interest. I felt like the surprises I have kept from myself were not revealed.

It could be the lack of images and photos that may have been my initial barrier to all in. As I read a section I often attempted to mentally picture the layout of the area. I assume the lack of images is tied to copyright issues. And while this text can be used to prepare a traveler, it may even be better in the park as a guide to help fill time in lines, as visitors play a game to find the secret the text points out. For this purpose, the book is light enough to fit in a small backpack but even better would be a Kindle edition on a cell phone.

I did note in the past I would like a section about Downtown Disney/Disney Springs. Content about Disney Springs and the water parks would be fun, but the editions are all consistent in creating boundaries around the theme parks.

As expected from a revised edition, content is often the same. The France section of the World Showcase that I discussed in the Second Edition remains unchanged but has shifted to page 129 to align with the new and removed content in this edition. This fact just leads me to suggest that new readers really should consider the newest edition for the most updated content with the key details found in earlier editions. This is underscored by the growth in each volume as the original had 242 pages, the Second 255 pages, and the Third 286 pages. This text is like the park is expanding. Get the newest fellow readers!

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World is a go-to book for me. It is fun. It is well written. And it has a lot of facts. It has the power to prepare someone for a trip, especially if they want to sound knowledgeable on Disney secrets. Also, it could provide park fun, as family members waiting for their next attraction seek out the secrets provided for each section. I will continue to recommend The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World for those who want to read up on park secrets before they visit the Walt Disney World Resort.

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Between Books - Polishing the Dragons

 

 

Mistakes were made.

And I made a giant one when reading Polishing the Dragons.

Polishing the Dragons: Making Epcot’s “Wonders of China” by Jeff Blyth recounts Blyth’s roll in directing, writing and leading the team in creating the Circle-Vision 360 films which was displayed for over 20 years.  Blyth provides a detailed account of the production of the film based on notes he kept when making the film in the 1980s.  Blyth discusses how the film came to be, his pre-production scouting and the actual filming in China.  He also discusses his contributions to the refreshing of the film to become “Reflections of China” which replaced it.  Along with Blyth’s text, he includes numerous color photos of locations, scenes and the crew working to create this long-lasting Epcot production.

Did I mention I made a mistake?  Okay, maybe I made at least two. 

Mistake number one, in all my trips to Disney I have never watched a Circle-Vision 360 film.  I can give excuses, but in the end it is just true.   To me the novice, Blyth demonstrated to me that these productions are complex and challenging.  Blyth takes his readers through site selection, how can one get a strong 360 degree shot and hide the crew?  He shows how hard actual filming can be, as one has to keep 9 cameras level with clean lenses and enough film to capture the moment.  Oh and for Blyth’s adventure, how do you explain how this process works to an inexperienced crew who has never seen a 360 degree film through a language barrier.  And maybe the American crew members are not overly excited with all the country has to offer.  The reader is left with an understanding of the complexity of these productions and the dedication of the crew to complete the process and meet their deadlines.  I will make sure that next time I am at Epcot I will see a 360 film.

Blyth’s writing also gives us insight into a time in China’s history largely hidden from the West.  Blyth was an American in China during a time where the country was largely closed.  So his experiences were often unique with him visiting areas largely unseen by other Westerners.  We also get a window to negotiations with the People’s Republic of China who in the 1980s were using this film to help introduce the world to their nation.  But at times, it is clear they very much wished to control that introduction.  And yet Blyth may have been the one Westerner to claim a victory over the People’s Liberation Army at this time with him getting some filming concessions.  For those interested in Chinese history, this is an enjoyable and informative first-person narrative of this time period.

Mistake number two, I read this as a Kindle book on Kindle Unlimited.  Now I love seeing a Disney history title in the service but I should have paid for the physical book.  The Kindle really does not highlight the images and for me they were to small to explore.  The page also makes it clear that this is not printed on normal paper but has a stylized layout and mood that screams personal journal to me.  Bamboo Forest Publishing put considerable design effort into this production.  Despite generally being happy with reading Kindle books, I just wish I had read it as a physical book.

Mistakes were made in reading Polishing the Dragons.  I really enjoyed this text which allowed me to travel to a part of the world that currently is barred to me due to global travel restrictions at a time in history where it was largely hidden to the West.  And I learned about both film production and the specialized Circle-Vision process.  This text is one that I highly recommend to Disney fans and even non-Disney fans interested in China or film production. 

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Between Books - From Disneyland's Tom Sawyer to Diseny Legend

From Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer to Disney Legend: The Adventures of Tom Nabbe by Tom Nabbe outlines a Disney career that arches over 5 decades.  Nabbe was there on opening day at Disneyland, standing in the crowd as invited guests entered the park.  The youngster would actually get to enter the park that first day though he would not be able to ride his favorite ride.  Nabbe’s history with the park actually started earlier as he relocated to Anaheim and was lucky enough to watch the park grow up from the orange groves it replaced.  The boy started in the park selling newspapers and would eventually be hired by Walt Disney to be the first Tom Sawyer walk around character for Tom Sawyer’s Island.  Nabbe would spend several summers in this role, until he became too old to play the role.  He would then move into other jobs at Disneyland, eventually after a stint in the Marines, entering a management track.  His career would then take him to new and unexpected places which included relocating to Orlando and providing supervision in portions of the Magic Kingdom Park.  He would later move into distribution services managing warehouses that helped build Epcot, supply Walt Disney World, and support expansion under Michael Eisner, and even Disneyland Paris.  Along with his Disney history, Nabbe provides information about his personal and family life.  The book ends with an essay by Keith Murdock, the second Tom Sawyer who filled the role after Nabbe became too old.

I really liked From Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer to Disney Legend.  I flew through the book as I found Nabbe’s recollections interesting and in an easy to read tone.  I felt like I was listening to him tell stories about his time with Disney and even found his later accounts of warehouse work to be highly interesting.  I am thrilled this Disney Legend’s thoughts are captured for fans like me to enjoy.

Sometimes I find Nabbe’s Disneyland hard to imagine.  He goes into some depth on the fishing that occurred from the dock on Tom Sawyer Island.  In today’s legal minded society what I read was honestly hard to comprehend, but it happened.  I just cannot see any lawyer today allowing a company to let a teenage boy supervise adults and kids by himself on an attraction.  And I cannot comprehend that any lawyer would sign off on untrained guests swinging a line with a hook near other guests within the park.  And this does not even include the sanitation issues with fish in the Rivers of America dying due to the results of the catch and release program.  Yes, this is a different time and park then I have ever known.

Tom Nabbe was a company man.  He was hired by the man with his name on the door!  His story filled with love and dedication to his job and family both entertains and inspires.  Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer to Disney Legend is sure to delight those who wish to remember the early days of Disneyland or the creation of Walt Disney World as they lazily sit by the river with their line dangling in the water.   

Review Copy Provided by Theme Park Press

Between Books - From Jungle Cruise Skipper to Disney Legend

I am a really big fan of the World Famous Jungle Cruise!  In fact the other day I told someone I dressed up to hangout with them, I was wearing my Jungle Cruise shirt just for them.  Okay, it was mostly for me.  And reading Theme Park Press' latest offering with a Jungle Cruise theme was just as much for me as slipping on that comfy and stylish tee.

From Jungle Cruise Skipper to Disney Legend: 40 Years of Magical Memories at Disney by William "Sully" Sullivan at first glance appears to be an autobiography of a former skipper with memories going back to Disneyland's opening year.  But it is really much more.  It is a story of a young Skipper in Sully who left his job to try out this Disneyland thing he saw on television.  Sullivan started as a ticker taker at the Jungle Cruise and then began to work his way through a multifaceted Disney career.  Yes, he did move from ticket taker to Skipper, but that was just the beginning.  He would serve as a supervisor on Main Street USA, develop security plans for the 1960 Winter Olympics, helped run operations at the 1964 New York World's Fair (though he never met Mary Blair) and other tasks as assigned by the Boss himself Walt Disney.  Eventually, Sullivan would leave California and join the Florida team joining the development of Epcot and eventually becoming the Vice President of the Magic Kingdom, having again started as a ticket taker.  The book alternates between chapters written by Jim Korkis that provide context to Sullivan's experiences and those with Sullivan speaking about his life.  

I have often called General Douglas MacArthur the soldier of the 20th Century.  He was born in a Western outpost when horses were still standard equipment, fought through 2 global conflicts and ended his career with an arsenal that included the atomic bomb.  Ironically this is how I feel about Sullivan!  He was the employee of the first 40 years of Disney parks operations.  He started as part of the ticket book system, followed Walt Disney as he expanded his entertainment pursuits, and ended with one price ticketing.  Sullivan's career does more than define him as a person, but describes the history of Disney Parks as one observes him.  The reader discovers quickly that Sullivan is a man who said yes when asked to do things outside of his expertise.  And this tendency served him well as he went from assignment to assignment.  All of these experiences made him a well-rounded executive who was focused on the the consistency of guest service across his areas of responsibility and those who worked for him.

With Jungle Cruise in the title, one does want the book to be funny.  Honestly, there are no rolling around on the ground belly laughs.  Though you will likely crack several smiles.  Readers will learn a lot about Disney history, even if they are experienced Disney historians.  I now know about orange ties and baby alligators in the early days of Disneyland thanks to Sully.  Sullivan started in the Jungle Cruise and though he did not stay for long his recollections are filled with the fun of what he was doing.  He liked working for Disney and enjoyed having a good time.  And why would he not have enjoyed working for the Boss.  His employment in the parks would lead him to meet his wife and enjoy what honestly reads as a highly satisfying professional career.  And he will always be a skipper! 

Really, if I wanted to use a word for From Jungle Cruise Skipper to Disney Legend it would be charming.  One cannot be caught on Sullivan's words as he discusses Walt Disney and the need to train staff to treat guests the Disney way.  It is full of admiration and care.  Sullivan's admiration becomes infectious very quickly.  

Sure, the Jungle Cruise is what gets you in the door as you pick up From Jungle Cruise Skipper to Disney Legend: 40 Years of Magical Memories at Disney by William "Sully" Sullivan.  But gets you to stay is the historical evolution of 40 years of Disney parks.  For those years when a major advancement in the history of the parks occurred, Sullivan was generally there with his can-do attitude and commitment to Disney quality.  And as a reader you will feel overjoyed to spend some time immersed in Sullivan's world. 

Review Copy Provided by Theme Park Press

Between Books - Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow: Walt Disney and Technology by Christian Moran promises to provide a history of Walt Disney and Technology.  While Moran provides a breakdown of Walt Disney's achievements pushing forward animation, transportation and even military thought; Moran really offers a history of an innovator and his role moving forward a variety of fields in the 20th Century.

Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow outlines innovations in Walt Disney's career from the development of Mickey Mouse and the use of sound in animated shorts to after Disney's death and how his ideas for EPCOT (the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) were or were not made a reality.  Moran's story is of a man who started in animated shorts, evolved his productions into feature length animated films, entered live-action and eventually entered the theme park business as a avenue to explore personal interests in community planning and changing the physical world.  Particularly interesting to me was the discussion of the development of Victory through Air Power during World War II which helped change the public's view of the use of the bomber and the development of an independent air service.  Also the discussions of the Tomorrowland segments of Disneyland and their impacts of American thought on space and transportation go beyond the expected discussions of the use of color and sound in animation.  Along with Moran's own discussion of Walt Disney the innovator are reflections from those who knew Disney such as Bob Gurr and Rolly Crump and Disney historians including Sam Gennawey and Jim Korkis.  

Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow is in many ways a focused biography of Walt Disney.  This text does not cover in any detail Disney's life before Mickey Mouse or his family interactions.  It is really a focused narrative that follows Disney's thoughts on technology and innovation.  For those who want to be inspired by an inspirational futurist of the 20th century, this book is really for them.  But if one wants to dig deep into every aspect of Disney's life, there are other titles to enjoy that lack the focus of this text.  Moran's focus is not a negative.  It really does deliver a story of Disney and innovation that provides the reader what they are looking for in a coherent and straight forward manner.  

Along with many history books I really have only one request, an index.  The book provides such a nice outline of Disney and technology that I can easily see a middle schooler or high schooler using this focused biography to help them better understand Walt Disney and innovation.  And I can see them using this text to help them craft a research paper.  I have been spending a lot of time with teens recently, so they are top of mind.  But I also have scribbled a note or two in my copy.  And I can see how this book would provide me inspiration in my own research especially when I do not want to pick up a larger and less focused Disney biography. 

Christian Moran in Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow provides his readers a focused biography of Walt Disney that connects Disney with technology and innovation.  And I just hope that like Moran predicts that Tomorrowland, though a box office under performer, and texts like this one can help promote Disney's beliefs in a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Review Copy Provided by Theme Park Press

Between Books - The Happiest Workplace on Earth

The Happiest Workplace on Earth by Shaun Finnie establishes a parrell world where Walt Disney began work in his city of tomorrow, Epcot, in 1974, and passed away two years later.  Decades later in our future, Jack and Ellie Rothman find their dream come true as they are invited to become citizens of Epcot.  Of course their teenage son Heath rebels against the idea of leaving all of his friends!  Ellie Rothman has dreamed of living in Epcot her entire life and Jack wants to do nothing more than support his wife's dream.  And Jack's expertise with genetically altered plants is the family's avenue into the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow, he specializes in designing vegetables filled with anti-depressants.  But Epcot seems less magical than the Rothmans believed as the rules of the community appear oppressive with everyone fearing the Epcot Security Patrol and losing points against their citzenship.  The Rothmans find themselves caught up in a conspiracy that frames Jack Rothman, and his outrageous beret, as a terrorist bent on destroying Walt's futuristic city.

As I started this fictional work I thought, wow this is a nice little what if story about the Epcot that could have been if Walt Disney had lived longer and completed his vision for the Florida Project.  It feels like a nice idyllic city where families and scientists help extend the world's knowledge.  Epcot is a working city where families live and industry flourishes, under the authority of the Walt Disney Company of course.  However, the future is not as bright as one might think.  The cover really should have given it away to me.  Epcot is actually a darker place than we might imagine.  And the Rothman's are not as safe as we might hope.  One's stomach begins to get queasy as we begin to imagine how close Epcot, a planned and controlled society, could be to a tyranny.  Though it is fictional, it does make you wonder about what a completed Epcot could have been, especially when being lead by someone who was not Walt Disney.  Epcot allowed for a large amount of control by the Walt Disney Company and if placed in the hands of the wrong people it could be used to harm others. And it becomes easy to see how some would rebel against that authority. 

One cannot but help but cheer for the Rothmans.  I identify most to Jack Rothman, a family man who works hard and as a flair for individuality.  Jack wants to make his move to Epcot work for the sake of his family.  And he becomes the center of the plot that puts himself and his entire family at risk.  I really liked the choice to focus on Jack instead of Heath, who I thought was going to be the action hero.  Jack in many ways is the least likely hero.  Therefore, when Jack is at risk you feel the tension.  Ellie is a loving wife with a dream, one that Jack wants to fulfill.  And his love makes me want to cheer for him more.  Sadly for Ellie this conspiracy will destroy her fantasy of what Epcot is.  And you feel your heartbreaking for her.  Heath is the typical rebellious young adult.  But you can feel like he might be a good kid raised by parents like Jack and Ellie.  And while he is not the center of the story, Heath's character will be tested by the situation.  I find myself focused on the family because it is their interactions in a world gone wrong that kept me returning to the book over and over again.

With Tomorrowland being released soon in theaters, it is a great time to imagine a world that might be.  The Happiest Workplace on Earth provides us a story of a world like ours where Epcot as designed by Walt Disney came to be.  But as the Rothmans show us, maybe that world is far from magical!  And its an Epcot well worth your time to be entertained by and contemplate.  And I am really looking forward to diving into the next book in the "Disney Imagineering Unleashed" series.   

Now eat your magic lettuce and be happy! 

 

Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World 2nd Edition

It has been nearly 400 posts since I reviewed The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness.  New Fantasyland has come to life.  Test Track is now more Tron than General Motors.  And Avatar has led to shifts at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  I think it is fair to say that now is a good time for an updated version of Veness' title.

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom by Susan Veness provides a behind the scenes tour of the Walt Disney World Resort.  Veness walks her readers methodically through the four theme parks, land by land, providing background and hidden secrets to the attractions and sights.  Veness' facts help the guest better understand the work that Imagineers have put into the park, and allows them to seem super knowledgeable to their friends and family as they enjoy their Disney day.  Along with her own descriptive text, Veness breaks away from the tour to give her readers "Fascinating Facts" about the parks and "Imagine That!" interludes where Disney's Imagineers and other creatives discuss attractions in their own words.  Each chapter ends with a detailed and descriptive, though balanced and brief, timeline of each park.

I think the first big question really is how does this stack up to the first edition?

So let us just rip off the band-aid and be honest about the first edition!  At this point if you are buying the original as new to you, you are buying a time capsule, a historical tour of the past.  Because the Walt Disney World Resort of 2009 is long gone at this point!  So really, if you want a behind the scenes tour book for today...you need this volume.  The old volume simply captures attractions that are now extinct.  And I found myself surprised how many new attractions there really were as I read through the book.  Even areas I have thought of as static, like Main Street U.S.A. have significantly changed, with meet and greats now offered on the Magic Kingdom's main drag.  In short, a new edition was truly needed and at times it made it feel like a whole new book to me due to the number of changes at the resort.

Now, just because this is a second edition does not mean that all the old stuff has not been updated.  On page 110 of the original volume is a discussion of the bridge between the France and United Kingdom pavilions at Epcot.  The same paragraph can be found on page 138 in the new edition.  In the old edition this paragraph is followed by an "Imagine That!" which is now absent in the updated volume.  But instead in the new version there is a description of a cameraman not being edited out of the Impressions de France film.  The France segment is actually halved in the Second Edition.  But except for the bridge paragraph the content is new.  The Tower of Terror seems to me to be an attraction that should not have changed much since 2009.  However, while the description includes around the same number of pages, there is new Hidden Magic for the reader to look for.  So despite being an updated edition there is still new Hidden Magic for the reader of the old edition.  And I will admit, though I have not read the original in depth for several years (I have used it as a resource several times though) the Second Edition felt fresh to me.   The two editions are roughly the same size, and I can see edits for space where I assume Veness had to shrink content down to allow for new Hidden Magic and new attractions elsewhere. 

Other points I have made in the past stand.  The book is well-written and easy to access.  Veness uses bold text to help the reader scan through content, which is especially helpful when walking through the park and wanting facts on hand.  The book itself is small enough to fit into a backpack.  And I found this edition as enjoyable as the first.

I think if I was to make any suggestions, I would like to see a chapter on Downtown Disney.  But since that is very much in flux in 2015, I can understand why it continues to be excluded.  

The time has come for an update!  The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom by Susan Veness captures the Walt Disney Resort of today, sharing the Hidden Magic in the stories behind beloved Disney attractions.  Some may argue that it steals the Magic.  But for me, Susan Veness has only made the resort more magical by giving background in an easy to digest format.        



Review Copy Provided by Publisher 

Cap's Comics - Figment #5

I can truly say that Figment #5's last page is one that delights.  As I read it to the Between Kids, because they fought about who got to experience it first and so a family read was the only way to break the tie, a large whoop of excitement rang out as we flipped to the last brilliant full page panel  with art by Filipe Andrade and colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu.  It is a true payoff to the entire Disney Kingdom's comic series, one that will tickle even the non-comic Disney fan!

Jim Zub completes his origin of Dreamfinder and Figment in 'Journey Into Imagination Part Five."  Blarion and Figment return to London with Chimera and Fye in tow.  But London is now falling under the control of the orderly Clockwork Control and its robotic leader the Singular.  A physically, intellectually and spiritually changed Blarion has become someone new.  He is the Dreamfinder.  Dreamfinder uses his control of Dreams and his newly created Dream Machine to fight Clockwork Control for London, or Lon-don.  The cost of battling Clockwork Control in the end could be a high one, one that could lead some of our heroes starting a new journey.

Figment has been wonderful.  And I say that as a guy who does not obsess about Figment and Dreamfinder.  The Between Tween has fond memories of Figment from our last trip to Walt Disney World...over 5 years ago!  And for the Tween it has been nostalgia (yes I am aware some of you are shocked by this).  But for the Between Kid it has been an first introduction to Figment, which might lead to the question of where's Dreamfinder in the future?  And it is Dreamfinder that we get in this final issue, complete with the traditional model we would expect.  I am guessing that both will be tickled in the future when they find the Dream Machine hidden in Epcot!  Zub and his team have introduced a whole new batch of fans to this classic Disney characters.

As an adult Disney fan I find myself now placing Figment higher on my like list.  But that is an emotional response.  You see, I was able to share a comic book with my kids.  We all talked about the story.  I got to read it with them.  And I loved the excitement when I would come home with the newest issue.  This is a major win for a comic fan dad.  The fighting was appropriate.  The costumes were not skin-tight.  I got to share with my kids the fun.  And is not something that would have made Walt Disney happy?

At this time Disney Kingdoms has not announced the next journey.  I will say I think Zub and Andrade should be approached about another chapter!  Dreams are big and as endless as imagination.  And I feel there is more story to tell.  The Between Kids want more story.  And I want to share more with them.

Figment has been a major success in Betweenland.  I have discussed comics with Disney fans who do not read comics.  I got myself a pull list!  And I am just one of a few that would love to see and read more!

Cap's Comics - Figment #2

Would you like a copy of Figment #2.  If you do, good luck.  Marvel was sold out to retailers before the issue even hit the stands.  At least Figment #1 did not officially sell out until after its release date. Both issues are currently being reprinted, so you do have hope if you did not snag a copy yet.  I personally noticed that a major online retailer sold out before the release date.  I called my local comic shop which always has plenty of everything in stock, and found out they were done to one copy!  So I made the comic book lover step getting myself a pull list for the first time, and at the top is anything from Disney Kingdoms (Disney please take notice). Last month I had picked up copies for non-comics readers.  This month they were on their own!

Blarion Mercurial and Figment are falling.  Mercurial's attempt to turn mental power into reusable energy has instead ripped a hole in reality, and the two are falling, falling, falling.  The pair begin to explore this land that they reached through the power of imagination.  Meanwhile in London, Chairman Illocrant attempts to bring order to Mercurial's Integrated Mesmonic Converter, but something climbs out of the hole that our heroes fell through.  Meanwhile, back in the strange new land Mercurial and Figment make new friends and perhaps enemies.

Overall, this is an adventure story.  Our heroes explore and discover.  And the best part is that exploration includes Figment's infectious attitude.  He loves learning.  He loves this new place.  He finds it fascinating as everything is completely new in his short three day life.  How exciting it would be if we could capture some of his spirit.  I am not a Figment fanboy but I am digging him.  With Mercurial, I do not feel like he is Dreamfinder yet.  While Figment is curious, Mercurial is a little afraid.  He seems too conservative, perhaps the Chairman's desire for order is impacting him?  And if I could guess I would say a battle between order and chaos (or imagination) is coming.  And I am already picking my side.

There is a really cool element to this story that things that you cannot see have power and create imagination.  It is imagination that created Figment, and he is very alive.  He is more alive than many of us are!  But another peoples in this strange new land can create also with something that you cannot see but with a skill that most of us have.  Sometimes you do not need material to make matter! 

The Between Tween loves this.  The Tween was attracted to Figment and he was the Tween's in character. The Tween identified with Figment not understanding big words and the spirit of optimism. But best of all  I am reading and discussing a comic with one of my kids.  And it was the Tween who was most nervous that we would not get a copy of this issue!

This is getting crazy, this Jim Zub story has to be sold at Epcot!  It only makes sense.  Kids meet Figment on the ride and get to take his origin home with him.  I am not holding out for a Museum of the Weird addition to the Haunted Mansions after Disney Kingdoms Seekers of the Weird, but this comic and its popularity has to lead to some serious consideration to get Dreamfinder added back to the park.  Kids come, ride, read and then want to come back to meet their heroes.  Now this is a plan I could see happen!

I really hope Disney is storyboarding a sequel, because this is a hit.  And one of Disney's toughest collectibles to get hands on is a comic.  You cannot buy it in the parks.  You might be able to find it in your local comic shop.  Okay I am sure that you can find it on Ebay.  But as a comics and Disney fan this is what I have been waiting for, a Disney comic home run!