Between Books - it's a small world (Disney Press)

 

Recently I read the Little Golden Books offering honoring the classic it’s a small world. I found myself disappointed, yes I know it’s a kids book! But part of my frustration is because of the existence of the Disney Press book honoring the Sherman Brothers and their attraction masterpiece.

it’s a small world with words and music by Richard Mr. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and illustrations by Joey Chou provides a literary tribute to the Disney attraction. The book matches the lyrics of the Sherman Brothers with Chou art that do not provide direct lifts from the attraction scenes but interpretations that match the fun and meaning and the words and sets. The hardcover also comes with a CD which has a copy of the song.

This is a really successful way to bring the attraction to kids and Disney adults. The book relies on the song lyrics, with every line but “it’s a small world” refrains included in the song in the correct order. The scenes are cute and fun, which while not Mary Blair figures do stay in the spirit of fun and play. I do love Chou art, with these easily being prints in a child or adult’s room. I think everyone in the Between house has an item with Chou Disney art. The scenes keep to an order that will help kids learn the pacing of the ride, with really only the last page being Chou’s take on an ending in unity instead of him presenting the white room finale. This version is also from 2011, which can explain the CD inclusion. I mean, do you even know where the CD player is in your home?

This book is colorful, the same as the Little Golden Book. But this is the winner for me. It’s just more expensive being a larger hardcover and out of print. I’d like to say there’s room enough for both versions, but you really need to use some or all of the lyrics to pull off small world packaging for me! 

it’s a small world with words by the Shermans and art by Joey Chou is a fun and cute presentation of it’s a small world. It presents the classic words to the audience in an enjoyable fashion to help kids and adults stay connected to the attraction. 

 

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Between Books - it's a small world (a Little Golden Book)

I 100 percent get I’m not the target audience for a Little Golden Book. But I am a target audience for media related to it’s a small world! I’m mature like that. Sadly, the Little Golden Book adaptation of the attraction to me fails on so many levels.

it’s a small world by Lauren Clauss, illustrated by Steph Lew, and designed by Winnie Ho introduces kids to the classic Disney attraction. The text tells the story of a group of friends traveling the world, through the attraction, and all the things they see. On each page, children say hello to the reader in their native language. Every page is illustrated with cute adaptations of attraction scenes.

I’ll start with the good. The images are cute. They really are. I can see them decorating a young child’s room, especially if their parents are Disney Adults. It is the Disneyland Park version of the ride as Disney characters like Aladdin, Jasmine, Woody, and Jessie are in the scenes. They are cute.

But the art really can’t get me over the bad. This is an attraction defined by a song written by Disney legends! There is no reference, foreshadowing hint, allusion, introduction, or otherwise direct copy of the words. I have read, and will need to review, other books that do a much better job at introducing the song to kids, by actually, wait for it, using the lyrics! Second, if this book is to introduce the attraction to kids or remind them of it, the scenes are not in the right order. The images jump around in a way that if a kid reads the book over and over again…because kids don’t do that at all…they may be really confused when they ride the attraction for the first time.

it’s a small world, the Little Golden Book edition, fails for me on several levels. I don’t know why the production team ran away or ignored the Sherman Brothers’ lyrics. Maybe that would be too close to other books? Maybe they were instructed to treat the lyrics as words that cannot be named! But if you write a it’s a small world inspired book and never drop a verse, it’s likely going to fail for Disney fans.   

 

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Mousey Movie - The Legacy of Arrow Development

The Legacy of Arrow Development is offered by American Coaster Enthusiasts for free on YouTube!

This 70 minute documentary provides an in-depth history to the creation, popularity, decline and legacy of Arrow Development and its impact on the theme park industry.  Arrow is often the unspoken of partner for Disney parks, developing Imagineering concepts into physical rides.  These legendary rides include The Matterhorn Bobsleds, it's a small world, The Flying Saucers and so many more.  It would not be an overstatement to say that the Disney parks that we know today would not look the same without the contributions of this ride engineering company.

The documentary starts with the formation of the company with veterans of the American industrial machine from World War II.  The founders lacked capital and in some cases experience, but had practical engineering knowledge and a strong work ethic.  The company built a number of offerings, but began to specialize in small amusement park attractions.  Eventually, the Karl Bacon and Ed Morgan led company caught the eye of Walt Disney, who often relied on Arrow Development to make his Imagineering visions into realities.  Arrow Development would continue to grow and would provide attractions to non-Disney parks.  And with the passing of Walt Disney, the company's use of Arrow was largely discontinued.  Arrow then serviced numerous parks, often building large and fast roller coasters.  But with the changing of leadership, numerous sales, and declining market share the Arrow name largely disappeared as the company was sold to another amusements engineering firm.

I do not really watch YouTube, and never for 70 minutes.  But The Legacy of Arrow Development is a true documentary that needs to take notice and kept my attention for the entire time.  The presentation, really highlighted why Arrow was important and how its legacy continues to this day.  Additionally, for the Disney fan that wider impact outside of the Disney parks is sufficiently felt.  And it cannot be forgotten, this is a free quality professional look into the theme park business focusing on one of the engineering pioneers of the industry.  I was worried that it would feel like a fan film.  Instead it is well-researched with interviews from those who worked for and with Arrow.  The film also looks straight on to the eventual fall of the company, with an explanation of why. 

The Legacy of Arrow Development is a Mousey Movie that Disney parks fans will want to watch.  It provides a great historical look at a Walt Disney partner and ally.  As without Arrow Development, the theme park that we have today would not exist. 

Between Books - The Great Crump Presents His Magic

The Great Crump Presents His Magic: The Art of Rolly Crump provides a visual catalog to the Rolly Crump exhibit from the Oceanside Museum of Art in 2017-2018.  The text is short on text and heavy on images.  Other than forewords and two essays, the text is all pictures of Crump's work on glossy pages.  Other than title and  year captions, readers walk through the exhibit in a self-guided tour of Crump's paintings, sculptures and other artistic endeavors.  The concluding essays are offered by artists who reconstructed lost Crump treasures, the Gypsy Wagon and the famed Tower of the Four Winds.

The volume is a visual feast, allowing readers to walk through 60 plus years of Crump's career.  Many of the images will seem familiar to Disney fans, such as toys from it's a small world or Haunted Mansion concepts that are famed for what the Haunted Mansion could have been.  But there is much more including his Doper posters, which gave Walt Disney a chuckle, still lives and small funny sculptures.  Really funny is one of the two themes readers will follow in the catalog as Crump's work consistently shows a quirky whimsical sense of humor.  The other theme that will become obvious is that Crump has a mastery of lettering, which is visually striking and provides clear communication.

The Great Crump Presents His Magic is a visually fun volume which highlights the humorous side of Disney legend Rolly Crump.  A volume lacking words, it is often left to the reader to self examine Crump's work and legacy.  And it is surprising being a visual only book, it is not one that a reader will rush through but take the time to linger and examine.  And for someone who is Between Parks and not able to see the original exhibit, it was a chance to experience a different kind of Disney history and art.

Between Books - More Cute Stories, Volume 2: Animators and Imagineers

Over the last few years, Rolly Crump has allowed Disney fans to look at him as an open book.  First, he collaborated on an excellent memoir of his life working for Walt Disney and the years beyond in the themed entertainment business.  Then he released a CD of oral history that includes some of his "cute stories".  Now with his second volume of audio stories, Crump introduces us to familiar and not so familiar names and provides some frank cute stories of working for WED Enterprises and the Walt Disney Studio as an animator.

The format of this collection, More Cute Stores, Volume 2: Animators and Imagineers,  is pretty simple.  There is a brief introduction where the name of the discussed animator or imagineer is spoken.  Then Crump captures a story or two about the Disney contributor in his own words.  The stories vary in length from around two minutes to four minutes, one track is less than a minute.  The figures covered include a who's who of familiar Disney names including Yale Gracey, Harriet Burns, Bill Justice, Ward Kimball and Blaine Gibson.  But there is among the Disney giants names like Art Stevens, Bob Smith and Jack Miller who Disney fans are likely not as familiar with.

If I could describe the tone, it would be frank and honest.  Crump makes mention of teaching and learning to smoke cigarettes.  And since he preferred special food to go with his smokes and had a dealer to help supply his stash, well I'm guessing it was not tobacco that he was rolling.  And he calls it as he saw it, including mentioning a time where Marc Davis in his mind committed a shameful act.  If anything stands out it is the absence of Alice and Marc Davis with whom he collaborated on it's a small world with.  But then perhaps that says something about Crump's feelings (or it could mean nothing at all).   Ward Kimball does stand out as someone that Crump respected and appreciated for bringing him to Imagineering.  Another thing that stands out is the working conditions at Disney in animation, and it makes sense as you hear Crump talk why animators were at times laid off. 

I am a big podcast consumer, so I often compare pay audio content to free podcasts.  I have not heard Crump tell the majority of these stories elsewhere.  Most podcasts want to hear about Yale Gracey, not Keith Elder!  If I had not received a review copy, I would have likely bought myself a physical copy for this nearly an hour of stories.  But for those who do not wish to pay the full price, there is a download option available for half the price.  Honestly, it is fresh and more frank than one would typically find in a podcast interview.

More Cute Stores, Volume 2: Animators and Imagineers continues to build the Crump legend.  You hear the tales from Crump himself, the man many likely wish they had for a grandfather as he shares credit for many of the Disney successes.  And the frankness provides a honesty that makes you understand how he may have grated against others at WED for being such an individual while endearing himself to others. 



Review Copy Provided by Bamboo Forest Publishing

Between Books - It's Kind of a Cute Story

It’s Kind of a Cute Story by Rolly Crump as told to Jeff Heimbuch is the sort of book that Disney fans love. Crump details his Disney career starting in animation, being assigned to WED in support of Disneyland, and beyond using his artistic expertise to help others build their dreams using his expertise. As Crump would say, it’s kind of a cute story!

Crump was a self –trained artist who left a job in a ceramics factory to become an inbetweener in 1952 at Disney. It was a leap of faith, with his salary half his ceramics pay. As an animator he worked on films such as 101 Dalmatians for which he animated the spots, lots and lots of spots. In 1959, Crump was tapped to join WED Enterprises as a designer. Amongst his early projects was the initial development of a haunted house attraction with Yale Gracey which would later become The Haunted Mansion years later. Another early contribution was design work on The Enchanted Tiki Room, including the preshow Tikis. Crump, like all Imagineers, was pulled off his assignments to contribute to the 1964 New York World Fair. His contributions included collaborating with Mary Blair in the design of it’s a small world for which Crump oversaw the construction of the “toys” used by the dolls. He would later oversee the installation of the attraction at Disneyland. In 1967, Crump would become the Supervising Art Director at Disneyland, helping to shape the park experience for guests. Crump would go on to help reconstruct the magic on the East Coast within the Magic Kingdom Park. He would leave Disney employment and lead his own design firm for projects such as Circus World, Knott’s Bear-y Tales at Knott’s Berry Farm, and an ocean center for famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. Crump would return to Imagineering to assist with the design of EPCOT overseeing the Land pavilion and unused concepts for The Wonders of Life pavilion. These are just a few of the projects in Crump’s distinguished design career documented in this memoir.

Crump’s design work shines throughout the book. There are numerous color photos throughout the book that highlight Crump’s style. The non-Disney work helps demonstrate how Crump’s personal style emerges in attractions such as it’s a small world and The Enchanted Tiki Room. By seeing something of Crump’s design outside of a Disney context actually makes Crump’s touches more transparent. Crump’s fingerprints become clearer and key pieces have an owner and are no longer crafted by anonymous artists. Additionally, the non-Disney pieces show Crump’s whimsical side. These include a poster series that sarcastically pitch narcotics, a series that Walt Disney saw. As Crump noted, Walt Disney saw Crump’s sense of humor as crazy around the edges. And the reader is able through Crump’s art to see how Disney came to this opinion.

The second star of the text is the Disney personalities. First and foremost is Walt Disney. Crump admired Disney and his leadership abilities. Crump largely worked for WED because of Walt’s vision and he originally left Disney employment due to the loss of that leadership. The next standout personality is Dick Irvine. Crump discusses his personality conflicts with the head of WED in-depth. Crump’s assessments are honestly one sided, a fact that Crump acknowledges. It becomes clear that while Disney celebrated the crazy around the edges Imagineer, others like Irvine did not know how to manage him. The third personality that rises to the top is John Hench, whom Crump depicts as a strong willed, opinionated and giving mentor. Crump clearly worries that his depiction of run-ins with Hench could negatively color the reader’s opinion of this Imagineering legend and he takes special care to fully discuss their complex relationship.

The book overall is easy to read, and Crump is a sympathetic figure. The reader truly comes to enjoy Crump and his personality. I was surprised to find that the text is oversized, almost appearing to be a thick tabloid style magazine instead of a typically sized book. With the book being oversized and colorful, suiting Crump’s personality, the hardcover version would be a handsome addition to any Between Books library. The softcover is a good value for the price, especially when compared to other similar memoirs. Honestly, the best value may be the Kindle version which like another Bamboo Forest offering From Dreamer to Dreamfinder, is priced as a steal.

It’s Kind of a Cute Story is a Between Books library essential! There may be a large number of Disney themed books, but not many that provide a firsthand account of working with Walt Disney, John Hench, Mary Blair, Marc Davis and others. And of course, Crump is a legend in his own right and I deeply enjoyed reading his accounts working for Disney and other clients. It’s Kind of a Cute Story by Rolly Crump as told to Jeff Heimbuch is an informative and personal story of an Imagineering giant that any Disney fan will enjoy.


Review Copy Provided by Bamboo Forest Publishing