Between Books - Star Wars: The High Republic Convergence

Not that Jedi!

Not that desert planet!

Not those star-crossed lovers!

Not that droid!

Not that handsome rouge!

Welcome back to the High Republic!

Star Wars: The High Republic Convergence by Zoraida Cordova continues the Disney/Lucasfilm experiment of giving us Star Wars without a Skywalker. Star Wars’ books can be hard for me as this is a visual universe, yet I can’t stop reading them. I blame the collector in me. I just wondered if this would fare better for me than my last outing in an era before the Clone Wars!

Somewhere on the edge of the Republic, two planets that we have never seen in the Star Wars universe are in an endless war. The Republic and the Jedi send aid and attempt to end this conflict. But it is really the role of a royal from each planet to solve this problem and help these worlds move forward into peace. Outside of this resolution, a threat we’ve seen before in the High Republic lurks in the shadows hinting of more schemes and conflict to come.

I have intentionally left the names of the worlds, Jedi, royals, and other details blank. To be honest, other than name-checking Yoda, Coruscant, and Jedha there is not a lot of detail that ties this book to the rest of the Star Wars universe. I prefer to think of this as a standalone story that does not rely on Star Wars details to make it work. To me, the central characters are the royals and their struggles for peace and everyone else including the Jedi are really set decorations. Now that being said, I think that this book is attempting to move forward the struggle between the Jedi and a threat that we have seen elsewhere. But other than the Jedi and the antagonist who hates the Jedi, there is not a strong connection to other High Republic books.

I will admit, this was a hard story for me to get into. And it could have been in the first 20-30% of the story I was trying to slot the tale into Star Wars and the High Republic. Once I made it a story of the two young Royals who by this time in the book were better fleshed out, it was a more enjoyable read. But the struggle with the whole High Republic concept is trying to create new Star Wars without the figures we know at least in support. And it may also be lacking in the fact they are not or cannot use the figures from comics and books that fans love and are no longer considered canon. I feel like they are attempting to not overexpose Yoda during this timeframe, and maybe it’s best to toss him into the center of a story.

Overall, Star Wars: The High Republic Convergence by Zoraida Cordova did better for me than the last outing in the High Republic. But that is because I focused on the two completely new characters who were not Jedi and had literally the least to do with anything Star Wars that I read before. I’ve heard Marvel and DC authors state that the key to pitching a story is not to make it a Spider-Man story but make it a story that functions with a hero who may remind you of Spider-Man. In the end, that’s how I chose to read Star Wars: The High Republic Convergence. The Jedi became wise warrior wizards to me. The Republic was an outside intrusive and also helpful government. And the unseen antagonist…I just tried to push them out of my mind. Because I think without the baggage of Star Wars I would have gotten into this story faster and more intense.

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Between Books - The Imagineering Story

 

It’s a brick!

Don’t get me wrong, bricks are good. Bricks give us firm foundations.  

When I ordered The Imagineering Story, I saw the 700-plus pages and had a thought. It’s an oversized art book? That many pages just have to be filled with a lot of pictures, definitely more than text. It will definitely be artful, fun, and light.

There are five pages of pictures…and all in the front of the book!

Stop thinking art books, and start thinking 700-page fiction fantasy or thriller because this book is just as wild of a ride as any of those! And it is all words my friend!

The Imagineering Story: The Official Biography of Walt Disney Imagineering by Leslie Iwerks is more than a companion to the Disney+ series of the same name. She documents the actions of Walt Disney Imagineering from Walt Disney to the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. She draws a line of artists, creators, and business people who shared a common mission, “to create fun.” Iwerks provides a deep narrative that moves from park to park and milestone to milestone for Disney creatives. While giving us a history of things and events she adds multi-page biographies of Imagineers that often includes how they were recruited by Imagineering and their impact on an important project. The writing is clear, detailed, and consistent. And while it is not an academic press, it is clear that Disney sees this volume as exactly what the title claims “the official biography.”

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty. Iwerks overall keeps a calm tone. It is one that neither gets too high nor too low, it is honest and consistent. So while readers may come up against names that give them internal frustration, Iwerks avoids name-calling and dirt-digging. Everything is neither always good and never always bad. It is just frank here are the facts. It is likely this tone that allowed her to talk about some low points in Imagineering history in both the book and series in a Disney-sanctioned program. Let’s be honest, Disney does have a tendency to paint a rosy at all times picture. And Iwerks does not have to run away from the bad times for employees and the parks. I am still shocked that Michael Eisner was given such a big role in her series, and I am all for it. In the end, Iwerks can go places that maybe Disney marketing may not have preferred because to be blunt she wasn’t looking to flame anyone, she’s just providing facts.

Personally, I really liked her biographies of Imagineers. And yes as expected we get our Tony Baxters and Kevin Raffetys and other well-known figures. But I must admit, I was shockingly under informed of the career of Disney Legend, and guest star of The Mandalorian, Wing Chao. These biographies also answered questions for me about some Imagineers I saw in the program. For example, Doris Woodward was a new to me Imagineer, and Iwerks has time on the page to give us the background on this key leader for Shanghai Disney. And maybe these biographical asides were my favorite part as they allowed me to connect with people.

As Disney fans, we have dreamed about staying overnight in a Disney park. In the United States, we dream of winning an in-park suite for the night. Or we daydream of getting locked in by accident. Internationally, we may have the opportunity to stay in a Disney hotel in a park. But in 2011, 70,000 guests were marooned in Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea after a devastating earthquake and national tragedy. This is not how I would like to be staying overnight in a park, especially with cold temperatures. And Iwerks’ retelling of this incident has stuck with me. It shows that we may not know everything and The Imagineering Story has so much Disney history something that you’ve never read about is going to be in here. And Iwerks’ clear writing creates drama and tension.

The biggest personal issue I have with the book is a lack of an index and a lack of cited sources. Lack of index is likely my biggest future problem. This book is huge. And really one does need a map to go back and find content for future projects. Even writing this review required me to dig to confirm content a little harder than I really wanted to. Have I mentioned this book is huge? The lack of citations I am going to give her a pass on. Iwerks is a filmmaker, not a historian. I have a history background and I like to see the work. Iwerks relied heavily on interviews and internal sources and when quoting someone she always gives you the speaker in the text. She had access to the Disney Archives and most of all the people who lived the creations. We must remember that Iwerks is the granddaughter of Mickey Mouse’s co-creator and the daughter of a Disney film legend. Disney Legend could be the family crest! She is more focused on telling a story of creating fun, and her lack of citations keeps moving the story she’s telling forward of creativity and innovation.

In 2023, we enter the one-hundredth year of the Walt Disney Company. The Imagineering Story is the beginning of a book program to support this milestone. And Leslie Iwerks gives us the first good brick in the magical year’s foundation.

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Between Books - Space Mountain

I am just not sure that the audience for the Little Golden Book Space Mountain by Nicole Johnson, illustrated by Mike Wall, and designed by Winnie Ho meet the height requirements for those wishing to enjoy the Disney attraction. The book follows a family, minus dad who is too scared, as they board, enjoy, and rejoin dad after enjoying the attraction. It is a clear-cut story with illustrations filled with brilliant colors. The Space Mountain featured in the story is clearly found in the Magic Kingdom due to the seating formation and being adjacent to the PeopleMover, because us Disney adults need to know.

I am not joking when I say Space Mountain’s audience likely do not meet the height requirements. It really is for a young child audience. And while other Little Golden Books may prepare a young rider to me this really communicates my friends and family on the ride will be okay. The book does not really match the ride scenes. For example, the book is wonderfully colorful and lacks darkness. Also, the scenes found on these pages do not match the actual attraction route. For example, I have never found any bake goods on the real-life route. If anything, this text makes it okay for young riders to not ride Space Mountain. Dad does not ride, so if an adult does not need to ride you do not need to either.

Color and fantastic snacks are the highlights for me in this young read. The book may not fully prepare a youngster for the fun of Space Mountain. But it will communicate that the attraction is a future fun adventure that is okay to be a bit afraid to ride. 

 

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Between Books - The Haunted Mansion

 

The Haunted Mansion adapted by Lauren Clauss, illustrated by Glen Brogan, and designed by Winnie Ho is a Little Golden Book adaptation of the Disney attraction. The book is what you expect from a 24-page Little Golden Book classic. The story walks readers through The Haunted Mansion, from entrance to exit. Each page is illustrated with new art from Brogan that highlights each significant set within the classic attraction, specifically the Disneyland version. Clauss provides new text mainly focusing on a young guest experiencing the attraction while using some quotes directly from the ride.

The Haunted Mansion is really what you would expect and hope for in a Little Golden Book version of the story. The text is short, easy to understand, kid-focused, and often original instead of just lifting quotes directly from the attraction. The images are playful takes on the images found in The Haunted Mansion, though they often make the potential terror more kid-friendly. For example, we do meet the bride Constance. But Brogan leaves her without her tool of choice and does not fully reveal her grisly hobby. 

The Haunted Mansion is playful and fun. It could potentially spoil a first-time rider's experience. But it could also help a youngster, or in my case years ago grown-man, who has anxiety about potentially scary things and what they could experience in their doom buggy. The book could also help a youngster who enjoyed the attraction and returned Between Disney in keeping the fun in their heart alive. 

 

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Between Books - The Disney Animation Renaissance

A monograph is a specialized non-fiction work usually focusing on one topic. Generally, they are scholarly researched, and validated works. When I was in grad school, monographs were used to provide specialized and detailed views of a topic. And my professors generally assigned trusted and highly academic works. I would argue that many of the books on the Between Books shelf are not monographs since they often lack extensive references, were published by non-academic presses that may have lacked scrutiny of the research or were written with publicity in mind. But as animated features become increasingly accepted as not just entertainment but also reflections of social and cultural trends, technological innovations, and art the door opens for more and more monographs to be added to books that Disney fans seek out.

The Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio by the late Mary E Lescher chronicles the development, rise, and closing of the combined Disney The Magic of Disney Animation attraction and Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida studio (the Florida studio). The studio and attraction co-existed from 1989 to 2004. The facility was originally designed for the Disney-MGM Studios theme park with a small animation team completing hand-drawn animation under the eyes of theme park guests. However, to Lescher’s readers, the story of the facility quickly changed as the tour educated guests on the traditional cell process but the animation team used techniques supported by computer workflows. While not truly equipped with Disney’s Computer Animation Production System (CAPS), Florida’s work was entered into CAPS production instead of following traditional hand-drawn animation. The Florida studio participated in the increased use of computer-supported animation as their hand-drawn images were scanned into CAPS in California.

The Florida studio were key contributors to Disney feature animation releases such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The popularity of Disney animated films evolved the Florida Studio’s emphasis from education and park attraction to animation production. This would eventually lead to the massive growth of the studio and the assignment of feature films fully produced in Florida starting with 1998’s Mulan. However, this success was short-lived as technical innovations changed animation, new largely CGI studios entered the market, and corporate politics eventually lead to the closure of the Florida studio in 2004.
 

The Disney Animation Renaissance is written for an academic-minded audience. The text can easily be used in a college classroom, with clear and accessible writing. But also the text has numerous citations and references which provide the text academic authority. That being said, for Disney history fans the book is informative and likely to scratch the hobby itch. The warning I would give is this is not a relaxation text but a study text. I read the monograph with a highlighter, bringing myself back to my college days. Lescher provides no unneeded sentences and every sentence and paragraph is combined to chronicle a period in Disney animation history. Lescher’s conclusions are well-argued and ones that readers can easily find themselves agreeing with.

Lescher was well-placed to offer up this book. She held a PhD, was a researcher, and museum curator who had facilitated animation exhibits. Lescher maintains an academic tone throughout the majority of the book. But she does break free of that tone at times as she brings forth personal prior experience as a long-time staffer of the Florida studio. This tone swap helps her reader understand her passion and beloved memories of this experience. But it also explains how and why so many veterans of the Florida studio have emotional deep memories of their time there. This experience also provided Lescher the academic access to numerous other Florida studio staffers for oral history collection.
 

The Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio by Mary E Lescher is an academic monograph that is also accessible to Disney animation and parks fans. Lescher provides several important conclusions about the second Disney animation Renaissance, technology, the role of CAPS, and most of all the Florida studio’s contributions to the history of animation. Animation fans will lock onto the history of the films that the studio contributed to making. Parks fans cannot help but be fascinated by the evolution of the attraction and the perceptions of the animators behind the glass. And most of all, the work shows how serious academic studies on animation endeavors can provide us with valuable lessons about business, technology, innovation, and culture. 

  

Review Copy Provided by The University of Illinois Press

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Between Books - Santa Stops at Disneyland

Santa Stops at Disneyland written and illustrated by Ethan Reed is a Little Golden Book that depicts a moment that everyone who is young at heart would love to imagine, Santa Claus spending an evening at Disneyland. The words and images depict an evening trip for Santa and his sleigh at Disneyland Park. Reed shows his young audience a jam-packed day that includes both fun and work. Reed takes his readers through a truly joyful evening.

I am just starting to gather up Disney Parks-themed Little Golden Books. Many of us had them when we were kids. The Between Kids are now too old to be the target audience. But even as a Disney adult the book was still very fun for me. The images are cute and Reed illustrates Kris Kringle visiting the entire park, including my favorite rides. And Santa in a bobsled just looks right! We get to see Reed’s vision of the entire park. And plot-wise, Reed lets us know that Santa is a Disney adult! No seriously, he is a full-on Disney fan. If you are reading this review, you likely would believe that the Spirit of Christmas could be your pal. You read guide maps, Santa reads guide maps, clearly, we should all be holiday friends!

Santa Stops at Disneyland by Ethan Reed put me in the Christmas mood. And I love the idea of a cute illustrated journey through Disneyland at Christmas. Maybe Little Golden Books are not just for the young, but also the young at heart.

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Between Books - Star Wars: The High Republic Path of Deceit

 

Welcome to Star Wars: The High Republic!

Okay, we have actually been here before. Welcome to earlier in the Star Wars: The High Republic than we have ever been before!

There are Jedi!

There are lightsabers!

There is a lot of talk about the Force!

There are some young ladies with a name we have seen before in Star Wars: The High Republic!

And look over here, there is a ship that will become important later!

Yoda is not in the building!

Star Wars: The High Republic Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland opens up a new chapter within Star Wars: The High Republic. Years before the creation of Starlight Beacon space station and the attack of the Nihil on the Republic, a Jedi, and her Padawan Kevmo Zink are tasked with finding stolen artifacts rich in the Force. They believe that on the planet Dalna, a group called the Path of the Open Hand is connected. The two investigate with Kevmo meeting the young Path member Mardo Ro who brings brightness to Kevmo’s life and challenges his beliefs about the Force itself. Kevmo and Mardo navigate the tension between the Path of the Open Hand, Jedi, and a plan that is greater than two young people.

Star Wars: The High Republic can be hard for me. I am convinced that Star Wars is best when visually presented. The mind needs visuals to see the whole magnificent picture. So, as we are invited into a tale that has no characters we have seen on the screen or in comics, LucasFilm is asking the authors to take on a hard task. They have to provide us information about where we are, hints to what is to come, and characters that we need to care about…and quickly. And they need to deliver the request at a young adult reading level. And I am a Disney adult, which I am sad to say only really means young at heart. This meant that Star Wars: The High Republic Path of Deceit did not work the best for me. The authors complete their charge, a young adult novel earlier in the High Republic than we have gone before. But I found myself asking the bigger questions; first, why did they not continue from the end of the last major event publishes in the High Republic instead of jumping backward? Second, I have friends who question the distribution of television series as they do not want to watch every episode of Star Wars: Rebels to understand what is occurring on Disney+. Is it possible by not giving us familiar characters in publishing that some of the hardcore readers may be turning away as the non-core asks this question?

Star Wars: The High Republic Path of Deceit has some familiar story threads. And the text has concepts that tell you that you are in Star Wars. And the authors clearly completed their assignment. But perhaps Disney executives should be reviewing their strategy in greater detail.

I mean, I will still read what is next! 

 

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