Inside Disney: the Incredible Story of Walt Disney World and the Man Behind the Mouse (Unofficial Guides) [Paperback]

Eve Zibart (Author)

Book Description

Series: Unofficial Guides | Publication Date: July 17, 2002

The Unofficial Guides? are the "Consumer Reports" of travel guides, offering candid evaluations of their destinations' attractions, hotels, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, sports, and more, all rated and ranked by a team of unbiased inspectors so even the most compulsive planners can be sure they're spending their time and money wisely. Each guide addresses the needs of everyone from families to business travelers, with handy charts that demonstrate how each place stacks up against the competition. Plus, all the details are pulled out so they're extremely easy to scan.

Who better than the Unofficial Guides? to bring you an behind-the-scenes look at how the Disney empire runs? The essays in this fascinating, completely updated guide reveal how the parks were created, how Walt Disney and his successors have run the company, what it's like to be a Disney character, what imagineering is, and much, much more. If you love Disney and Mickey or pop culture in general, Inside Disney is for you.

Other Unofficial Guides? to Disney and the rest of the central Florida parks include The Unofficial Guide? to Walt Disney World?, The Unofficial Guide? to Walt Disney World? for Grown-Ups, The Unofficial Guide? to Walt Disney World? with Kids, Mini Mickey, and Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Universal, Sea World, and the Best of Central Florida.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide® to Walt Disney World®

"A tourist's best friend!"
—Chicago Sun-Times

"Indispensible"
—The New York Times

Inside You'll Learn the Stranger-Than-Fiction History of Walt Disney World®

1. Who was "Uncle Walt" and who is Michael Eisner? And why are people saying all those things about them?
2. What was Florida like before the mouse moved in?
3. Disney "Imagineers" didn't leave any stones unturned. How was Disney World created?
4. Disney World keeps expanding like there's no Tomorrowland. What do these new ventures cost — and where does the money come from?
5. What's it like to work in Wonderland?
6. And much more!

This guide is a completely independent evaluation of the Disney Empire and has not been reviewed or approved by Walt Disney World® or the Walt Disney Company, Inc.

About the Author

Eve Zibart: Critic, editor and columnist at various times for Washington Post. In addition to her Post columns, Eve has written or co-written eight books and regularly appears in a variety of lifestyle magazines.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 2 edition (July 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764564439
• ISBN-13: 978-0764564437
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,988,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Buy the Guide instead and it will be fine., June 20, 2000

By 

Seano "seanob" (Quincy, Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Disney: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney World and the Man Behind the Mouse (Unofficial Guides) (Paperback)

This is a quick read, poorly edited (as noted in a number of the reviews), and typeset poorly. Its format is paperback and likely may be read on a plane, or in your hotel room as a light supplement to the guides and actual tours.

For most Disney addicts the information inside is simply recast trivia and general factoids you already are likely to know. If you are an expert, there will be conflicts inside...Horizons in Epcot closed when? According to the book, two years before I first rode the attraction...HUH?

So, if you are curious, and a first-time Disneyophile, this is a fine start. If you are an expert there are plenty of better books on Amazon (Vinyl Leaves is just one; the Culture America series on Euro Disney another).

Teens interested in learning about Disney, or college students contemplating an internship might use this book well to cram.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A hodgepodge!, July 8, 2000

By 

Karl Lewis (Irving, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Disney: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney World and the Man Behind the Mouse (Unofficial Guides) (Paperback)

Schizophrenically edited. Derivative of the other Eve Zibart Disney World "Unofficial Guide" series. About 3/5ths of this book is interesting and entertaining, but the rest is confusing (Animal Kingdom will be built, is being built, is open, goes back to will be built... all in the course of the same chapter) or mean-spirited. Whoever wrote the "America's Adventures in Wonderland" chapter has a chip on their shoulder - they must be the type of person who goes about searching for reasons to feel slighted and insulted. (Hint to the author: Disney World is a theme park, not a state textbook hearing.) Buy this book for the history and trivia, but if you're looking for a guide to Disney World, look elsewhere.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wow, what a let down, August 17, 2001

By 

Theresa Mcdonald "Terri McDonald" (new orleans) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside Disney: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney World and the Man Behind the Mouse (Unofficial Guides) (Paperback)

This could have and should have been a good book. It fell quite short of the mark.

Walt Disney was one of the most interesting men of our time, and from the title of this book I was prepped and ready to learn more about him and DisneyWorld. It wasn't very far into the book that I realised just how misleading the title is. It should be sub-titled the MEN behind the mouse because just as many if not more pages are written about Michael Eisner as are about dear old Uncle Walt. While I have nothing against Eisner, if I wanted to read about him I would read his biography, not a book alledged to be about Walt.

Large sections of this slim book are dedicated to other branches of the Disney empire and not to the parks as is indicated in the title. Again, if I wanted to read about Dsiney's accquisition of ABC, the development of the Disney channel, Disney's ownership of sports teams and the like I would seek out such materials, but I certainly did not expect them to pop up in a book about Walt and the Magic Kingdom.

Indeed, there was very little information about Walt or how he put the magic in the Magic Kingdom. Nothing new anyway. Everything presented is such common knowledge that even someone with only a mild interest in Disney would already know it.

There is a chapter about the Imagineers who helped and still help to make WDW magical. Their contributions are so great far more than a scant chapter is owed to them.

There is a chapter dedicated to hidden Mickeys that is so disjointed it is nearly impossible to follow. Had these hidden Mickeys been put in a simple list form this would have been a much more effective addtion to the book. There is a WDW timeline at the end of the book that is quite good and is the only reason I am giving this book 2 stars.

Aside from all its other faults, it needs serious updating. Some of the attractions mentioned have been closed for sometime now, The book mentions the All Star Sports and Music resorts, but no mention is made to the All Star Movies or soon to be completed Pop Century resort. The new Animal Kingdom Lodge isn't mentioned either. Mention is made to attractions under names that have been changed years ago, and still other comming attractions mentioned have been cancelled.

If this book is to go into additional printings it needs some serious editing and updating. Oh, and lots of pixie dust.