Let me guess. You’re feeling somewhat depressed today because you’re not at “The Happiest Place on Earth” as Disneyland’s 50th anniversary officially gets underway.
Well, join the club. I was actually scheduled to be out in Anaheim today. I’d purchased a plane ticket, arranged for a rental car as well as a place to stay when I realized … Well, who’s gonna run JHM while I’m away? By that I mean: Who’s going to upload all those great photos that Jeff Lange is taking and/or format all those cool stories that Angela Ragno is unearthing?
Which is why — literally less than 10 hours before I was scheduled to fly out of Manchester for LA — I decided to cancel my trip. And wound up back here in my cabin in the woods of New Hampshire, hammering away at the keyboard. While seemingly every other Disney webmaster in the world is out in Anaheim, cozying up to celebrities like Steve Martin & Tim Allen and/or chomping on free churros.
In my heart of hearts, I feel like I made the right choice. That it’ll be better (in the long run) for this website that I stayed home and made sure that JHM has strong content while all the hoopla is happening in Anaheim.
But — that said — it still kind of sucks to be stuck at home. Seeing as everyone who’s out west seems to be having such a great time.
Well, thank goodness the nice folks at Disney Editions have provided me with a distraction. Earlier this week, they sent me preview copies of two of their newest books — Bruce Gordon & Tim O’Day’s “Disneyland: Then, Now, And Forever” and Kevin Markey’s “Around the World with Disney.” And — as I paged through both of these handsome, highly entertaining volumes — it was almost as much fun as actually being at the park.
Almost.
Let’s start by talking about the stronger of the two books, “Disneyland: Then, Now And Forever.” To be blunt, this may be my favorite Disney history book since Bruce & David Mumford’s magnum opus, “Disneyland: The Nickel Tour.”
Copyright 2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
“What’s so great about ‘Disneyland: Then, Now And Forever’?,” you ask. Well, Gordon & O’Day are clearly two guys who know their Disneyland history. More to the point, they know exactly where to go on find imagery that has never before appeared in any Disneyland history books.
That’s why — on page after page — I was just stunned to see some of the photos that Bruce & Tim had dug up. Inside this book, you’ll find never-before-seen items like a panoramic shot of Disneyland’s dedication ceremony. Not to mention concept art for never built additions to the Anaheim theme park like Discovery Bay, International Land and Edison Square.
Copyright 2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
But it’s not just the imagery that Gordon & O’Day use that make “Disneyland: Then, Now And Forever” a must-own. Sure, this book is beautifully laid out. But its text is a lot of fun to read too.
Take — for example — this excerpt from the section entitled “What was there before the Matterhorn?”
“Once upon a time at Disneyland there was a scrubby, grass-covered mound of earth called Holiday Hill. This little patch of dirt served as the dividing line between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland and home to the very unattractive center steel tower that supported the Skyway attraction. Following a visit to Switzerland, Walt Disney became fascinated with the idea of creating a toboggan attraction for Holiday Hill. In anticipation of this possible new attraction, the official name of Holiday Hill was changed to Snow Hill in early 1956. Snow Hill never saw any flurries but it did see its share of stolen kisses, eventually becoming the Disneyland version of a 1950s drive-in backseat. In 1959, the little mound of dirt became the home of the famous Matterhorn Bobsleds.”
Copyright 2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
You see what I’m saying here? It’s Disneyland history … But served up with some wit, a little bit of edge.
Designed to appeal to both the hardcore Disneyana fan as well as well as the casual theme park visitor who just wants something to remember their day in the park by, “Disneyland: Then, Now And Forever” succeeds on both accounts. Which is why this book is well worth seeking out and picking up.
As for “Around the World with Disney” … Well, this is a beautiful volume too. However, rather than just focusing in on Disneyland and its 50 year history, this Kevin Markey book throws a much wider net. It attempts to encompass the entire Disney theme park experience by wittily juxtaposing pictures that have been taken at all eleven theme parks.
Copyright 2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Which is how you end up with chapters like “Water, Water Everywhere.” Which folds photos of the three different versions of “Splash Mountain” in with pictures of DCA’s “Grizzly River Run” and DAK’s “Kali River Rapids.” As well as images of other water-themed Disney attractions as large as WDW’s “Blizzard Beach” water park and/or as small as Tokyo DisneySea’s “Aquatopia” ride.
That’s what’s really fun about “Around the World with Disney.” The clever way it groups its imagery. Which sometimes forces you to see things in a whole new light.
I mean — sure — in a chapter entitled “Riding the Rails,” you’d expect to see pictures of all the steam trains that roll around the theme parks and/or the monorail. But how many of you would have also thought to toss in photos of all four versions of “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad,” Disneyland’s “Jolly Trolley” and the “Casey Jr. Circus Train”? Not to mention “Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train” from Disney’s California Adventure.
Mind you, “Around the World with Disney” is not without its flaws. Already there is some grousing out there about this book on some Disneyana discussion boards. Given that this volume accidentally lists Disneyland’s opening date as being “May 5, 1955” rather than “July 17, 1955.”
Copyright 2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Well, the folks that I’ve spoken with at Disney Editions this week say that they’re greatly embarassed by this error. More importantly, that — when this book is reprinted — that they’ll make a point of putting in the correct date. But — for now — they’ll just be slipping an “errata” slip into every copy that’s currently in stores.
But you know what I say? That this makes the current edition of “Around the World with Disney” a collectible. I mean, how many times are you going to be able to buy a book that’s actually published by the Walt Disney Company where they accidentally get Disneyland’s opening date wrong?
So I say: Go buy a copy or two of “Around the World with Disney” now. That way — when the corrected version of the book finally comes out — you can then turn around and sell the flawed first edition on eBay for big bucks.
Anyway … Beyond that one tiny flaw, Kevin Markey’s book is a marvel. Loaded with lots of handsome photos that make you realize that — what the company’s 11 (and counting) theme parks — when it comes to the Mouse, it truly is ” … a small world after all.”
Okay. That’s the good news. That there are two brand new books out there that every Disney bibliophile should want to own.
Copyright 2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Now the bad news: “Disneyland: Then, Now And Forever” and “Around the World with Disney” are theme park exclusive. Which means that you won’t be able to order these beauties off of Amazon.com or even from Disney Direct.
Soooo … If you want to read what Bruce, Tim & Kevin have written, you’ve got to make a special trip out to a Disney theme park …
Which is where I’d be right now. If I hadn’t decided to stay home this week and be JHM’s designated grown-up …
*Sigh*
I’m suddenly feeling rather depressed again. Which is why I think I’ll stop writing this review and go crack open “Disneyland: Then, Now And Forever” again. So I can try & take my mind off things.
Oooh, look! A concept painting for Discovery Bay’s Spark Gap Electric Loop Coaster! As well as artwork for this proposed Frontierland ride where you would have climbed aboard a mechanical horse that would have moved in tandem with a Western-themed ride film.
Trust me, folks. You really want to pick up a copy of this book.
UPDATE: I’ve just learned that both of the books are actually available thru Disneyland DelivEARS. So — if you want to save yourself a trip to the park — you can have “Disneyland: Then, Now And Forever” and/or “Around the World with Disney sent directly to your home by calling 1-800-362-4533.
Special Thanks to Todd for passing along this tip.