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 - Before Tomorrowland

It takes a lot of people to put together a movie as big as Tomorrowland.  And apparently the same can be said with tie-in books.  Before Tomorrowland by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case, with a story by Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird and Jensen and art by Jonathan Case offers the early history of Tomorrowland to the fans anxiously awaiting for the film.  Will Before Tomorrowland make me more excited for the film or cool my enthusiasm.  

It’s July 1939 and Lee Brackett is making a hasty trip to New York City with his mother.  The trip is well, not a good idea, as Clara Brackett is fighting the cancer that is physically wrecking her body.  But she insists on this trip so she can visit a science fiction convention sponsored by a group called Plus Ultra.  For Plus Ultra, a group of the world’s greatest thinkers including Nikola Telsa, Howard Hughes and Albert Einstein,  the convention is actually a dress rehearsal of their public reveal of their greatest secret…another world!   While the Bracketts are invited to play the game through a comic book that will lead them to the other world, their lives are further put at risk.  A former Plus Ultra scientist, Werner Rotwang,  is collaborating with the Nazis to steal Plus Ultra’s technological advancements.  And in the middle is the mind of a man trapped in a robot body that has a grudge against Plus Ultra.  To make things worse, the man has been abused by Rotwang.  Will the Bracketts be able to survive this struggle?   Can the presumed dead security head of Plus Ultra Amelia Earhart be able to protect the Bracketts and her Plus Ultra colleagues.  And will anyone figure out a really cool name for the Other World?  The book closes with a copy of the comic book used by Plus Ultra to invite visionaries to visit their Other World.  

Before Tomorrowland is a Young Adult novel that is also targeted to Disney geeks like me who are overflowing with enthusiasm for the movie!   It is my excitement for the movie which lead me to do something I really do not do anymore, buy a physical fictional book.  Now, my overall assessment of my investment is that the book is fine but a three or four on a five point scale not a five.  The plot is fairly low key to me and is not overly complex.  Being a Young Adult book it is really written to that audience not an adult market.  So at times it just really did not keep me excited.  Second, someone who is excited about Tomorrowland really does not need to read this to stay excited.  I do not feel like I have been spoiled on much.  I feel like I know more about the history of Plus Ultra, understand that robots are very important in Tomorrowland and the history of some early Tomorrowland development.  And I am guessing that everything I need to know about these topics will be evident in the movie.  I would say that most who consider reading Before Tomorrowland should consider a borrow not a buy.  

Though written for an young adult audience the book is at times very adult.  There is a lot of death.  The book contains graphic scenes of violence.  And there are plenty of folks with questionable morals running around.  So maybe it would not be the best choice for some younger readers.    

You should be aware that the Before Tomorrowland book on Kindle is not the same as the print copy.  The Kindle version, which is free, is the comic book portion of the book.  The good news is you can get this short comic to help prep yourself for the movie for free.  The bad news is I wanted a Kindle version of the whole book to save shelf space and a few bucks.  So I find myself somewhat confused on why a digital copy is not being offered by Disney of the full book.    

Before Tomorrowland really did not change my enthusiasm for Tomorrowland.  I am still excited, at time of writing, to see this film which I hope will feature the ideas of progress that Walt Disney held dear.  And I am pumped to see what Brad Bird will do with translating a theme park land into a fictional story.  But if you are less excited than me, I would recommend reading this book but perhaps borrowing instead of buying.  

Mousey Movie Preview - Tomorrowland Big Game Special Look

As a Bronco fan I actually refused to watch this year's "Big Game"(and I think it is silly that basically only the NFL can call it what it is anymore).

But I did make sure to watch the following look at Tomorrowland before the night ended.

I am still really excited.  And I think Disney put out a glimpse that helped move me from curious to excited.

We see a lot of George Clooney and see that he is active, when before we only saw him sitting.

Hugh Laurie's custume makes me wonder if he works at Star Tours!  I joke but it does give me a Tomorrowland vibe.

And this machine with the turning numbers looks cool and has me wondering what it is. 

This May between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Tomorrowland should be a fun month for Disney fans. 

Mousey Movie Trailer - Tomorrowland's First Trailer

We have been awaiting a peek for Disney's Tomorrowland for awhile.  And then suddenly boom, there it was on the internet!

Yes, I would like to go there now!  And Yes if I was Disney adjacent I could go there now!  

I think Disney will be selling a lot of pins to non-pin traders in the future!

And for the first time in a long time, a Disney trailer got me excited!