Between Books - Hidden History of Walt Disney World

 

“I’d like to talk about EPCOT’s legacy by taking a look at EPCOT’s role in the proud American tradition of getting drunk on vacation (Nolte, 141).” You have my attention!

Disney books include a vibrant sub-genre of what I call “Secrets Books”! They generally consist of short chapters, often unconnected topically, and aim to bring readers deeper into the Disney story by ripping back the curtain. Some of these titles can be largely trivia books giving you quick looks behind the scenes. Others show us trends and make deeper connections about our beloved theme parks. I don’t recommend overlooking these books, as David Koenig’s Mouse Tales is still a book that I recommend new readers start with, mostly because it’s fun and rich in story. It’s this genre that started my Between Books obsession.

Hidden History of Walt Disney World by Foxx Nolte is the latest in secrets books. Topically the book is broken into five main sections that can be labeled as Orlando before Disney, building Walt Disney World, The Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and expanding Walt Disney World. The chapters in these sections are generally short and full of images with topics that can range from citrus in Central Florida, tickets, drinking at EPCOT (as promised), McDonalds on Walt Disney World property, and many more. Each chapter is engaging with the reader and well-researched. I do find the images are well-used in supporting the text, especially when some readers may pick this book up to prepare for a first-time vacation and some topics are not those that are generally known to even experienced amateur Disney historians.

Doctor Phillips was not a doctor! My family is tired of hearing me say this and they may secretly be shaking their hands at Nolte. I think this is a win as I love beating a piece of fact into the ground. What really stands out to me about this book is the connection of Walt Disney World to the city of Orlando. Nolte notes the complicated relationship between the city and the theme park. But he also urges readers to understand that the identity of each was partially guided by the other. Walt Disney World is a place grounded in the city's history, and Orlando as it exists today was guided by the growth of the Disney property. In making this connection, Nolte introduces us to Orlando's history before the arrival of Disney and helps us see how these precursors impact the park today. For me, Dr. Phillips is a spot on a map! I sometimes questioned if there was a Dr. Phillips but was too lazy to Google it. Nolte pulls readers into the story of Doctor Phillips, not MD, citrus magnet, and then draws connections to how his business empire was used by Disney and then back to the city with how Disney has helped shape the area of Orlando known by that name today. For me, this connection between the parks and the city is one of the most interesting themes found in the book.

Alright, back to the drinking! I read the sentence about showing EPCOT’s legacy through getting drunk, and I read it again, and again…and then said huh. As a reader, I dared Nolte to do it! Now, while I do enjoy a good pint, I have never and likely will never get drunk on Disney property. I read a lot of Disney books, and I have seen discussions of legacy and evolution based in business terms, cultural terms, and entertainment terms. But drinking? Nolte meets the challenge well, by providing a history of events on Disney property along with the changing views of drinking in public while at the parks. This chapter is a good example of what most chapters will provide; history you may not have seen fully before, images that visually bring you closer to the topic, and a thematic line that educates and maybe even tells you about more than a theme park.

Hidden History of Walt Disney World by Foxx Nolte is not your typical secrets book by just highlighting events within Walt Disney World. Notle does an excellent job of connecting the park’s history to the geographical region it resides in strengthening the mental image of the parks to the city. If anything, there were times when I wanted a little bit more so I had more facts to share with those around me. Though often, like the story of the Walt Disney World Preview Center, Nolte finds ways to bring the story back around full circle.


But I do wonder what Citrus Salad Gel tastes like!





Review Copy Provided by History Press

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Between Books - 40 Year in a Mousetrap

Recently I have been reading a lot of memoirs from those who served for a few years as young adults as Disney cast members.  But some cast members work for years and make Disney a career.  David G. Ackert shares his fun experiences working the Disney front line for decades.  How would his experiences vary from those who worked for a year or less in the park?

In March 1975, young David Ackert was hired on at Walt Disney World.  He would stay until May 2014!  In 40 Years in a Mousetrap: My Walt Disney World Career in Words and Pictures, Ackert outlines how a young man moved from New York to Florida beginning a career at Walt Disney World.  Ackert would start at the Magic Kingdom as a ticket taker, tearing admission tickets to show entry to the park instead of the use of electronic scanning devices.  Later he would move onto the Magic Kingdom and Epcot kennels as he cared for the dogs, cats and other miscellaneous pets of guests in the park.    And finally he relocated to the newly introduced Disney-MGM Studios where he would be a host at both the Great Movie Ride and his final posting of Star Tours.  Along with discussing his responsibilities with these roles he also shares celebrity encounters and off hour activities available to cast members in Orlando. 

I really liked 40 Years in a Mousetrap.  I found Ackert to be very humorous and lighthearted, which made it easy to pick the book back up again between readings.  And being a mature adult, he gives a reflective perspective that other younger memoirs cannot provide in depth.  Ackert did not spend 3 to 9 months in the park with the commentary of how it impacted him.  No, Ackert gave a career to the parks and can reflect on not just how that time changed and built him but also how the resort changed over the years.  A good example is the Disney College Program, since he witnessed the use of it for years he provides an informed outsider’s perspective that some potential candidates should really take into account!

Ackert and the scope of his career really does provide a fresh take in a memoir.  He can discuss what old Orlando was like, including the seedy side.  This is an Orlando I have heard co-workers in Betweenland discuss but Ackert can confirm.  He provides insight into how the original ticket takers worked and managed their workflow.  He takes readers inside the kennels, which I have never seen in other books.  It becomes clear quickly this is a very unique operation.  And while Ackert held a variety of roles, they were all roles that worked directly with guests which makes it clear that one can sustain a career in these roles.  Finally this is really the first book I have read that discusses guest facing cast member retirement including benefits and the fact that Disney gets you a cake.  I will admit when I have read of young adults being stressed out about losing costume pieces I have little moral support since they should be more responsible.  When Ackert does his last check in I find myself tense since he could have lost items he could not even remember in his four decades. 

 

I found 40 Years in a Mousetrap: My Walt Disney World Career in Words and Pictures really fun and enjoyable.  I would recommend that you read like me on a Kindle device, with a lower price point.  Ackert is fun and informative about his years at Walt Disney World, highly a Walt Disney World that is both foreign and familiar to many readers.  

Dreaming Disney - Orlando Attractions Magazine

As you know, I’m a reader.  I read books, magazines, blogs, tweets, statuses and etc., especially if they are about Disney.  I currently contribute to one Disney focused magazine and have contributed to another in the past.  So I am somewhat familiar with Disney periodicals.  Therefore, I have been familiar with Orlando Attractions Magazine, I follow the Attractions twitter account, but I have never picked up a copy of the magazine.  One can only read and subscribe to so much!  And with covers that sported non-Disney parks and attractions I have felt pretty safe not picking up a copy.  And from a distance it was difficult to tell the difference between Orlando Attractions Magazine and travel magazines that one can pick up for free in hotel lobbies. 

Recently, I decided I had to give Orlando Attractions Magazine a try due to a feature article on the Hatbox Ghost of the Haunted Mansion.  With a classic Disney attraction and a beloved fan boy topic, the time had come to purchase a copy. 

So, here is what I found.

My first uniformed comparison had been to travel magazines that you can pick up when you go to a tourist city.  I would say Orlando Attractions Magazine outshines this type of travel magazine.  The articles are informative, but do not have the urgency to sell the dinner show, attraction, or park being profiled.  For me I was most excited to find an article on Sonny Eclipse, one of my favorite Audio-Animatronics, which I did not even realized was included until it arrived.  And I was surprised to see that the author of this profile was Simon Veness of The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner.  I did enjoy the article on the Hatbox Ghost, due to my love of history and the attraction.  Orlando Attractions Magazine is likely the only magazine that will enter my library that has information about the WhirlyDome!    

The contents do include a fare amount of news and coming events for parks around Orlando.  And some of the articles, like “Skipper Ben’s Top Ten” highlight attractions from across Florida parks, including the Walt Disney World Resort.  Additionally there is a hotel report, which was for me shocking in not being about a Disney property hotel!  Though luckily for me the featured restaurant in this issue was one on Disney property.  There are also some “fun” content such as cartoons and games.

For me the real value is covering attractions beyond the Disney property.  I am trying, reluctantly trying, to become more familiar with the theme park landscape in general and the content about non-Disney attractions, hotels and dining does fit that bill.  But there is still enough Disney content to make sure I am not completely lost in its pages. 

So what to do, what to do?  Orlando Attractions Magazine is quarterly and has a reasonable subscription price.  The next issue appears to be filled with New Fantasyland content and I definitely want to take in as much New Fantasyland as I can get my hands on.  At the least I believe I will purchase the next issue, but may wait until then to decide if I will subscribe.  There is always a risk two covers from now may have a wizard on it, and I just do not know how I feel about that yet!      

Between Books - Mousetrapped: A Year in a Bit in Orlando, Florida

Catherine Ryan Howard in Mousetrapped: A Year in a Bit in Orlando, Florida documents her move from Cork, Ireland to Orlando for a year and a half to work in a hotel on Walt Disney World Resort property.  Howard not attending school and without a steady position applied to a program that brings international applicants to work in the United States.  Rejected by the Walt Disney World programs for international cast members, she was surprised to find herself offered a position in Orlando at the “Duck” and “Tuna” resort located on Walt Disney World property.  She spent a year working the front desk of the “Duck” and “Tuna” and transitioned to housekeeping as a room inspector for the remainder of her time in the United States.  Howard details why she chose to move to Orlando, the transition and obstacles in getting settled there, her work life, and how she passed the time while living in the United States.  Her view of Orlando includes trips to the Walt Disney World Resort, the Kennedy Space Center, and the Holy Land Experience.

Let me just start by saying, I am not female and I am not in my 20s.  If I was it is likely that emotionally I may have connected to this memoir more.  As it is I imagine this is the type of memoir that ladies who enjoy Sex in the City like, though this memoir has a city with no sex.  I on the other hand have ironically only seen Sex in the City on a grainy TV on a Disney Magical Express bus in the middle of the night; I’m still not sure how that happened!  So, I’m pretty sure that I am not the target audience for this book.

Second, I was expecting a book that shared behind the scenes stories of Disney cast members.  I was looking for something similar to Cast Member Confidential.  But since Howard worked at the “Duck” and “Tuna” (her preferred code name for her prior employer) she did not have access off stage in the Walt Disney World Resort parks.  So her stories within the Magic Kingdom may be similar to yours and lack behind the scenes details.  And she spends a lot of time discussing other non-Disney experiences such as the Kennedy Space Center, for which she provides a lengthy history of.  Often I am asked, “Is it on Disney transportation?”  Kennedy is not so I have never been there and despite being a kid who loved the shuttle program, I really was not that interested in her visits to the NASA facility.  In the end this is a book about living physically Disney Adjacent, but it’s really not strictly or even mostly a Disney book. 

Now despite not connecting strongly to this memoir, Howard still makes some interesting points.  One of the more profound observations is that Orlando and Walt Disney World attract adults who don’t want to grow up.  This is a trend one also can see in Cast Member Confidential.  It seems like some, but not all, of those who relocate to Orlando are trying to stall on the adult decisions of life as they enjoy a magical and fictional world in Orlando.  So in many ways Howard’s book is a wake up call.  I have dreamed with my wife while walking Main Street U.S.A about moving to Anaheim or Orlando.  Everything seemed so prefect on those vacation nights with no whiny kids (at least my kids were not whining) and no workdays.  Mousetrapped makes it clear that everything is not unicorns and puppies, unless you own unicorns or puppies, as everyone integrates into a new life in Orlando.  Sometimes the dream is better than reality, even if you are having a wonderful time.

Overall, I personally did not connect to this memoir in the way that I hoped.  It had a lot of content that was really outside of my own personal interests.  I would recommend if you want to relax with this book order the cheaper eBook instead of picking up a physical copy from your Between Books Library.