Between Books - Jason's Disneyland Almanac

The day I was born the Disneyland Park was open until 1 a.m.  Sadly as an adult visiting for the first time it was only open until midnight.

We have all dreamed about walk-on conditions when visiting a Disney park.  But I don’t think any of us can imagine December 14, 1961.  It was a bit nippy and rained some. But on that Thursday there were only 523 guests in Disneyland.  Let me say that again, 523!

On December 15, 1966, Walt Disney passed away.  On that day only 3,284 guests were present to enjoy his creation.

I know these facts thanks to Jason’s Disneyland Almanac by Jason Schultz and Kevin Yee.  Jason’s Disneyland Almanac collects the opening and closing times, temperature highs and lows, precipitation, and major openings, closings, events, and potential important guests to the Disneyland Resort from it’s opening in 1955 until 2010.  In fact the authors have gathered operating hours for the resort for all but 773 of 20,257 dates.  The real delight of this almanac is the attendance data for dates between July 18, 1955 to December 31, 1966, taken from Roy O. Disney’s Disneyland Attendance Summary.   This historical record provides us with data that Disney executives do not generally make available about the park today.

This book is about the numbers.  There is some narrative and background but not in great amounts. Really it is the numbers that tell readers the story of Disneyland. Especially interesting is the attendance data from the early years of Disneyland Park.  One will be shocked to see days with especially low attendance, closures due to weather and trends that don’t match current Touring Plans Crowd Calendars.  For example, look closely at the attendances for Christmas in early Disneyland and consider equivalents today. Also readers will be surprised to find regular park closures, could we even imagine the parks closing on a regular basis even during today’s “off season?”

I am a big baseball fan.   Amongst baseball fans there are sabermetricians, the fans who use statistics and numbers to dig deeper into the story of the game.  This book is for the Disney sabermetrician, a source that provides the raw data for the examination of park trends.   And even the non-numbers minded enthusiasts, like me, can see trends that help us to better understand the park today.

The data itself and the authors’ methodology in collecting it appears as solid as possible for someone without access to Disney archives and records.  They do admit that there could be errors and mistakes as much data such as closures and park times were gathered from primarily public or second sources. So they warn that errors could be present.  I chuckled as I found one related to my first trip to Disneyland; as the text states that Glow Fest closed on the day I arrived at the Disneyland Resort for the first time, when I know that in the week following the stated closure that I participated in the event twice.  I believe this is due to an extension of Glow Fest; an extension that I believe was not listed in documents that provided the original dates for this party.  Who would have guessed that it was going to be as popular as it was?

On February 19, 2001, Disney’s California Adventure (with the ‘s at the time) was open for two hours later than Disneyland Park.   Shocking? Not really, because an examination of page 262 of Jason’s Disneyland Almanac will help the story unfold.  Numbers sometimes provide their own narratives!



Review Copy Provided for Purposes of Review

Between Books - Mouse Under Glass

David Koenig in Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks tells the story of Disney animated films from Snow White to The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  The book is divided into periods of Disney animation history, with Koenig providing an overview of developments within Disney animation during each period.  Koenig outlines the original source material of each animated feature and describes how each story was transformed during production to the films we know today.  He also includes sections in each chapter on topics that include plot holes, bloopers, audience reaction and how the movie was translated into the parks as rides, shows or landmarks.  Interspersed throughout the book are text boxes that provide additional facts that readers are likely to be interested in such as identifying hidden Mickeys, the comparison between The Lion King and Kimba the White Lion, and a statistical orphan rating (The Orphan-O-Meter) for animated characters. 

I found this book highly informative.  What I really enjoyed was a better understanding of the original stories and how they were updated to make the Disney feature.  Pinocchio, you are a jerk!  Koenig helped me understand how the original Pinocchio stories were a morality play where our favorite puppet misbehaved in ways we would not imagine in a family Disney film.  For example, Pinocchio killed the Talking Cricket with a mallet in one of the original stories. This is just one example of how Koenig’s summary of the original stories gives additional depth to the movies.  And the comparisons between the original tales followed by an analysis of Disney production that helps one understand what is required to take print stories and transform them to the silver screen.  And who doesn’t want to know plot holes and bloopers to amaze (or bore) their friends? 

The biggest negative to this book is that Disney animation moves on while books are a snapshot in time.  This review is based on the 1997 hardcover edition.  Since then Koenig did update the text with a 2001 paperback which is also available as an eBook.  However, that edition also is just a snapshot and concludes with Tarzan in 1999.  Just like one updates apps to get additional content and levels, this is the kind of book that readers may wish could be updated with every new Disney animated feature. 

Mousey Movies - Pixar Top 5

The Sci-Fi Christian podcast has posted the second part of my visit. In this episode Matt Anderson and I discuss our Pixar Top 5 movies.

Dreaming Disney - Imagination

Throughout my days in Betweenland I have found plenty of high tech ways to connect back to my Disney experiences.  There are apps, video games, DVDs, websites, podcasts, music clips, audio books, and etc., etc. etc. etc.  

The Castle Front

But it took the Between Kids to remind me of one of the best ways to connect to Disney, imagination.  I was doing errands in the house when I heard, “Daddy, come here castle.” The youngest Between Kid had built a castle with blocks; multicolored, cardboard, square blocks.  There were no buttons, no Wi-Fi connections, no plug ins.  It was just a simple block castle and the whole family could clearly see Sleeping Beauty Castle on the playroom floor.  Of course the oldest Between Kid could not be satisfied with a smaller castle, so the two added blocks and soon Cinderella Castle was dominating the playroom.  Of course, a castle has to have residents so they then gathered up every Disney action figure they could find; with Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbarossa dwarfing three stories of the castle and making Sully look short.  They spent hours with this low tech play set, not manufactured and sold in any stories, powered purely by imagination.  A few hours later they built a Carsland expansion!

Jack Sparrow Takes Charge!

We can’t forget the power of imagination.  The Disney parks were built on imagination.  Walt Disney said of his first park, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”  Without imagination we would not have the magic Disney experiences give us.  And Disney noted that imagination sparked his creative endeavors, “I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination."  Imagination triggers inspiration. You don't get Imagineering without imagination!

Regardless of the toys we have, we have to remember that imagination is the best fuel for dreams Between Disney. To quote Figment, “Imagination, imagination. A dream can be a dream come true, With just that spark in me and you (One Little Spark)."  Go imagine my friends. 

Between Books - In Service to the Mouse

Jack Lindquist within In Service to the Mouse: My Unexpected Journey to Becoming Disneyland’s First President shares experiences from his 38 years of marketing and leading Disney parks.  The book chronicles his experiences from the opening day of Disneyland (as a guest), an entry level employee, his various roles marketing Disneyland and eventually being named the first President of Disneyland in 1990.  The book consists of five sections that represent different periods of Lindquist’s Disney career.  Within each division are chapters consisting of two to eight pages focusing around one theme or in some cases one anecdote.   

This memoir shares the tales of a Disney legend and treasure.  Lindquist represents part of a group that remembers Walt Disney the person and helps link the parks and movies under the Disney brand to the man and innovator.  Personally I love reading these sort of memoirs.  As Lindquist notes his time for remembering is getting shorter daily and I love that these stories are being collected so my children and their children may better know Walt Disney the man and the men who helped create the initial magic of Disneyland.  The chapters are short and easy to read.  They benefit from chapter titles and editing that keeps each chapter focused around that title.  In many ways the text is very similar to Charles Ridgeway’s Spinning Disney’s World in the sort of stories told, in fact both men mention each other and have some overlapping memories.  But In Service to the Mouse benefits from better organization.  Lindquist is very honest about successes and failures.  For example he notes his personal belief that a second park needed to be opened in California but adds that Disney’s California Adventure Park was a failure and why.  He also laments bad choices in merchandising and pricing while also adding that while the Michael Eisner and Frank Wells regime repeatedly raised park prices it was due to the undervaluing of Disneyland tickets in the years before they joined the company.

I really enjoyed this memoir.  It provides insight into key historical moments in Disney history while also sharing humorous stories that Lindquist experienced.  Personally I loved Lindquist’s stories around discussions with foreign nations about sponsoring Epcot World Showcase Pavilions filled with misunderstandings and government politics, his interactions with Michael Eisner and Lindquist’s role with acquiring the Anaheim Angels for Disney.  The memoir made me nostalgic for a Disneyland that I never visited, lamenting the loss of the Juniors pricing category as I prepare to pay adult prices for a child on future visits (allow me to step off my soap box now).  Lindquist successfully gives life to a Walt Disney I never met, a Disneyland I never visited and a Mickey Mouse that Lindquist gave over 38 years of his life to serve. 

Postscript:  Typically I would not comment on customer service.  However, I cannot ignore my experience purchasing In Service to the Mouse.  Instead of purchasing the book from Amazon.com or another retailer I chose to buy the book directly from http://www.inservicetothemouse.com/ due to the opportunity to buy an autographed copy for my collection at a reasonable price.  I was quite surprised a few hours after ordering to receive an email with a $5 refund.  I was told in the accompanying note that in a few days that they were launching a holiday sale and they were allowing me to purchase the book at the discounted price.  Honestly, I was fully prepared to pay the full price of my original purchase and would not have been angered by seeing a discount a few days later.  But the small refund gave me an example of the type of magic Mr. Lindquist spent 38 years creating. 

Mousey Movies - Top 5 Disney Movies

Recently I appeared on the Sci-Fi Christian Podcast and discussed my favorite Disney movies with host Matt Anderson. 

The Sci-Fi Christian Podcast discusses spiritual themes in sci-fi and fantasy themed books, movies and tv shows.  It was nominated in the 2011 Podcast Awards. 

You can download the podcast on iTunes or access it from their website http://thescifichristian.com/2012/01/episode-41-top-5-disney-movies/. 

I have to thank Matt for a fun conversation, even though he has never seen my third favorite Disney movie of all time, and it even has a sci-fi theme. 

Dreaming Disney - Skipper Dan

A few years ago a friend who visited the Walt Disney World Resort for the first time with his family.  While he was there on his one day adventure, my wife got a text from him saying he had found my dream job.  He was riding The Jungle Cruise!  And I have to admit that sounds pretty awesome!  I have just enough corn to my personality that I would really enjoy being a skipper even if the guests on my boat did not.  And I personally became interested in all things Jungle Cruise after reading Mouse Tales, because it made me think that the cast members having the most fun are the skippers, even if they just keep going around again and again and again through the never changing jungle.

So it’s only fitting that the king of all musical parody pay tribute to the hapless skippers.  On his 2011 album Alpocalypse, Weird Al Yankovic honors all skippers in the song “Skipper Dan.”

If you are a Disney fan living in Betweenland this is just funny.  Of course the real question is did the combination of satire and truth lead me to give up on The Jungle Cruise dream?

Nope, I’m still Dreaming Disney and hope you are too.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the backside of water.