Customer Reviews

Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World

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3 star:		(4)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Recently, I had read and reviewed Charlie Ridgway's book "Spinning Disney's World". That book examined many Disney experiences and explored how the situation was resolved through Public Relations. That book seemed to hop around, sometimes decades as Ridgway `remembered' items of interest.

I have just finished reading David Koenig's ambitious book REALITYLAND. It too explores experiences and stories, but this time it's well organized, and thoroughly chronological. And most importantly for the "spin" on this book... devoid of Disney's Public Relations spin.

I enjoyed the book in very much the same way as Koenig's earlier offerings MouseTales and More MouseTales. All are unauthorized and live up to it. The read is fun, especially if you are into the sort of back alley stories that Koenig slyly relates.

There is plenty of behind the scenes gossip and dirty dealings. After reading some chapters, I actually felt dirty. The worst is reserved for former CEO Michael Eisner and here is where I felt Koenig gave in to a lot of the anti-hype. At no other time in the book did the information delivery become emotional. Statements along the lines of "Eisner arrogantly dismissed" or that Eisner was an "egotistical bully" that are not quoted to someone else seem out of place in a book so thorough in researched material. Especially after giving a pass to previous administrations whose issues were even more flagrant.

Koenig knows his stuff and knows how to deliver it. Capitalizing on a pre-ordained villain helps bring just enough of a soap opera to keep cynics grumbling for another decade. He's also a bright enough individual to end the book on an equalizing tone, validating both the cynical and optimistic point of view of the Disney Corporation.

Disney fans, you will know if this book is for you only if you can stomach a telling with a negative lean... scraping away that pixie dust.

This is a provocative and entertaining look at the way Disney intruded on Central Florida, created its own government, and exerted its will on a quiet sleepy Florida town. Did everything happen the way the book says? WHo knows...Koenig has plenty of direct sources. More than likely more accurate than the "disney authorized" books out there that spout only the Disney partyline. In particular there are volumes of union records and complaints that are a goldmine for this type of material, since Disney hid all these things from the public, but they are all available as public record.

The chapter on injuries and deaths in the land of WDW is especially interesting -- using primary police records and EMS logs, it clearly catalogs Disney's years and years of paying off casualties and their familes, and points its way directly to the terrible relationship Disney currently has with the Orlando media.

This is a great and fast read for those who aren't necessarily Disney Fanboys...i.e. if you think that everything at Disney is covered in pixie dust, then by all means avoid this book. Like Disney Wars a few years back, this is a no-holds barred look at the disfunction that often runs rampant in large corporations. The chapter on the building of the first series of hotels in itself demonstrates the countless hirings, firings, and shady business relationships that WDW's creators encountered. All of it public record for those who care to look.

Filled with plenty of trivia, it will appeal to those fascinated by Disney, but not necessarily blinded to exploring corporate greed and commercialism. Not for everyone.

After the Mouse Tales books, I was left wanting more and David Koenig has taken care of that with Realityland. The book takes a look at EPCOT and what did or did not ever see the light of day at Walt Disney World. The book is filled with tales from Cast Members and an excellent behind the scenes account of how WDW came to be. From workers running off worksites to the delay in the opening of the Contemporary, it's all in there.

The book is very solid (until the last chapter) and it's a very easy read. The noticable flaw in the book is towards the end. Koenig has a very long narrative from pre-WDW to the building of EPCOT. He then just throws in a compressed chapter plus about Disney from the Eisner era to today. It seems that he should have ended the title after his core subjects were tackled and saved it for a future book.

Additionally, the last chapter becomes incredibly opinion based. Koenig goes into the now Iger age. It's clear that the the text was wrapped up before John Lassiter and the Pixar team became so integrated into the company, noticably the theme parks. Koenig goes on about declining quality of the parks, but his opinions seem dated with so many quality changes that have been appearing the past year within the company. With some of his sources including web based gossip mavens including Jim Hill and Al Lutz, it just read like an extended complaint column in the last chapter. The last chapter might have seemed on-target had recent changes not been made.

Overall, it's interesting to read and you'll enjoy the little behind the scenes stories that line the book.

I just finished reading this book and I am extremely satisfied with it. I read it with the preconceived notion that unlike the Disney or Imagineer made books, this one would be more practical and not sugar coated, and it turns out the book met my expectations. There was rarely a dull topic discussed and I personally found the focus on EPCOT to be the most interesting.
Unlike Disney produced books which label EPCOT to be a product of its intentions, Koenig's behind the scenes approach to why EPCOT was rather a symbol of Disney's turn away from "trying to change the world" to merely "trying to entertain" is informative and believable. He appositely uses abundant sources from former and current Disney employees and undoubtedly compiles a comprehensive history of the Walt Disney World Resort, both its accomplishments and perceived failures. If you are a Disney fan who believes that everything in Disney World was created in the exact same way that it was originally intended to be, I suggest you read this book.
In my mind, the only slight downside to this book was that it wraps up the 1990's and current decade rather fast, while summing up Disney's post-Walt paradigm transition in an extremely brief concluding page or two. Nevertheless, this book is a must for any Disney fan who wants to understand the company and its goals better.

The cover should give it away. This isn't the story of Walt Disney World, this is the story of Epcot and everything that attempted to personify the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow as relayed by Walt. It seems, in fact, that Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom, neither portrayed in a very favorable light, are mentioned only out of courtesy.

Another issue I take up with this book is Koenig (and having read both Mouse Tales and Mouse Under Glass, I can say I'm a fan of his work) has a really difficult time being objective. The re-occurring theme in this book is how 'big-egoed' Michael Eisner virtually destroyed all that was good about the company with his bottom-line thinking, despite having spent many pages prior to Eisner's introduction talking about how the company as a whole was hemmoraging money left and right. Koening seems to have issue that Eisner took the only profitable division of the company (and yet not profitable enough to keep the company alive) and managed to yield more profits from it. At what cost? Enough to keep the Disney company around. Koenig inexplicably leaves out various items that wouldn't support his findings. How is it possible that a company bent on cutting costs everywhere would constantly be spending more money to revamp attractions, either favorably or not (Koenig harps on the Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management, but doesn't explain why it wasn't changed at Disneyland - in fact, under Eisner's reign, Disneyland's went under a major refurbishment to restore the original attraction). The problem with Koenig's reporting here is evident enough: it directly blames Eisner when something happens that he doesn't like, but when something does happen that he's in favor of, it's serendipitous or - in the case of Alien Encounter becoming Stitch's Great Escape -'prophetic' that better things are to come once Iger steps in. Again, completely ignoring that newer attractions such as Expedition Everest happened under Eisner's reign as well. Not to say that Eisner was perfect, but give credit where credit is due. It's just become the popular thing to blame him when something you don't like happens but give out credit like candy to everyone else when something you do like happens.

Ultimately - and still in respect to Eisner - this book reads as if Koenig was expecting (and rightfully so at the time) Disney to gloss over the 25th Anniversary of Epcot. While never explicitly mentioning it (although it wouldn't surprise me if earlier drafts did), he begins digging at it by mentioning how a Disneyland promotion was so succesful, that Eisner decided to milk it by celebrating virtual non-events like WDW's 15th.

This book is an ode to Epcot which happens to cover the Magic Kingdom simply because it's almost considered to be Epcot:Phase I here. All that aside, there is plenty of information to be found here that isn't found elsewhere. It's a decent read. I was hoping more for what one would expect having read Mouse Tales and the few such items that are mentioned seem a tad out of place given the full context of the book, but it's still worthy a read. As long as you forget there are other parks after it.

A much fairer review of Eisner (both good and bad) can be found in books like Disney War, but certainly not here.

David Koenig wrote Mouse Tales. Realityland continues his detailed `behind the ears look,' but this time he looks at Walt Disney World (WDW) in Florida rather than at the original Disneyland in California. David's introduction surprised me: `I thought I knew most of the `secrets' of the Disney theme park," he wrote. I was surprised because Disneyland and WDW are radically different from each other. David wrote that before WDW came to town, central Florida was considerably more rural than Anaheim had been before 160 acres of orange groves became Disneyland. For example, on page 55 Realityland says that some of the 14 original cast members staffing the Preview Center during WDW construction were normally barefoot prior to being hired by Disney. Today Disneyland in Anaheim remained the most provincial of the two parks. I had thought it was obvious--Disneyland is small-town America and WDW is the big city. I am prejudiced by visiting both as a regular guest--and by taking the guided tours of both places. Mr. Koenig was able to overcome his original impression--one he earned while interviewing 250 Disneyland cast members over seven years and while researching records and libraries for Mouse Tales. In 1995 David Koenig got his `I don't think we're in Kansas anymore' moment when he began interviewing WDW cast members at the Big Bamboo Lounge in Kissimmee, Florida.
From there this enjoyable history of Walt Disney World delves right into Project X days. There is a connection between the CIA and WDW--see page 24: William Donovan (World War Two OSS chief--the forerunner of today's CIA) was a partner in the New York law firm used by Walt Disney for his Florida project. Tradecraft (as spy techniques are called) was used to hide Walt Disney Production's identity as the company acquired 44 square miles of swampland. One measure was co-opting the owner and publisher of the Orlando Sentinel, Martin Anderson. The history lesson is only part of Realityland--an enjoyable part. The role played by the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair and Walt's death and the `ghost town' opening day are all in here.
The heart and of the Florida Project was an experimental city that Walt called EPCOT. Walt was the soul of the Florida Project--when Walt died, EPCOT went from bonfire to glowing cinder. That cinder was enough to become Walt Disney World. Reading history shows that Walt Disney Productions/The Disney Company has always had hard times. EPCOT Center was opened in 1982 as a permanent world fair, a second theme park near the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom.
Today's United States has more homogeneity than when Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971. That is why people like Buzz Price of ERA were hired--to make sure that culture shock didn't sink the Disney Company. Still, there were culture shocks. Many WDW guests that first year were from New York and New Jersey--and not laid-back like the majority of the Disneyland guests. The crepe craze had hit the West Coast--but the East Coast guests wanted `real food'--hot dogs! Sometimes Planning doesn't ask Research the right questions.
David Koenig's Realityland is packed with gems for the Disney fan--such as a Utilidors diagram on page 120. WDW was one of the first `green' companies--its waste water is treated so that it is fit to drink (but isn't--the treated waste water us used to keep WDW's lawns green). Page 122 goes into the innovations at WDW--significant ones.
For Mouse Tales fans, the injuries and fatalities are exposed in Chapter 8, Crash Mountain. Chapter 11, Starring in the Show, is about cast member (employee) experiences. There are uniquely WDW experiences that Disneyland cast members never deal with--wild hogs and alligators for examples. The roller coaster Eisner years at WDW are told--including the sad transformation of the world's finest theme parks into shopping malls with $100 cover charges--shopping malls that carried the same merchandise available at any mega warehouse store, but at twice the price...
So how did EPCOT transform from the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow to an Experimental Prototype Theme Park of Tomorrow? David writes on page 321 that the Spirit of EPCOT has all but vanished--on the last page (324) David explains why: "Sadly, this world doesn't produce a whole lot of Walt Disneys."

Koenig's book presents solid history, for the most part; it's not the tell-all its cover hype implies. Though he may not give Iger a fair shake, most of his judgments about the decision-making that created the WDW we know seem fair and insightful. The best thing about the book, though, is the nuts-and-bolts history of WDW from initial concept through all the building stages and its response to challenges, inside and outside the park. Koenig expands our knowledge of Disney park history without gushing.

I'm a big Disney fan and thought I knew more all less all the history of Disney World . . . I've read all the prior books and thought that was pretty much it. Nevertheless, as a true fan, I had to have this book. I was delighted to find out this is not the same ol' rehashed material! It's about the building of the Walt Disney World resort (not just Epcot) and it has stories and perspectives not found elsewhere. It's also very readable -- no "textbookishness" -- it reads more like a novel and definitely keeps your interest if you're a Disney fan. If you're a fellow fan and think you've read it all, go ahead and buy this book anyway. You'll be as pleasantly surprised as I am!

Realityland fills a much needed void in the WDW literature--an unofficial look at the development and construction of Walt Disney World. The book follows the same formula as Koenig's Mouse Tales titles except a lot of space is devoted to the history and development of Walt Disney World (whereas Mouse Tales focuses mainly on anecdotes about Disneyland instead of the construction). It is obvious that Koenig spent a lot of time talking to cast members, executives and construction people from the early days. The first chapters are filled with anecdotes about the Preview Center, hiring the first cast members and the rigors of developing the property. This is one of the few un-official resources that effectively documents the construction of the Magic Kingdom, the TTC and the first resorts. Koenig offers an easy to read and compelling look at the overall development of the property. The stars of the book are the individual cast members that Koenig was able to interview. Koenig was fortunate enough to spend time with cast members from all areas of the company. He spoke to former executives that talked about the mishaps and happy accidents, cast members that talked about the early years of working at WDW and with locals about the political machinations that took place. Koenig presents an intriguing view of how Walt, Roy and Card Walker all dealt with the Florida project. There were a litany of undercover plans, political dealings, union issues and theft! As Koenig moves through the the timeline of the resort, he presents the major issues and milestones that each management needed to contend with, including: the fuel crisis of the 70's, the question of "Where's EPCOT" and the expense of EPCOT (leading to Card Walker's retirement) and the new management of Esiner/Wells. Like Mouse Tales, there were times when I laughed out loud and times when I wondered how they got it all done.

As with Koenig's other titles, he doesn't gloss over the negative side of Disney. He does cover the accidents that have happened over the years and one of the final chapters is devoted to Disney Security. I never felt that Koenig was out to get anyone--he was just trying to present a fairly unbiased look at Walt Disney World. One story that stands out is that he dispels the myth of George, the ill-fated worker that is rumored to have died during the construction of Pirates. He uses official records to show when the first actual death happened at WDW (I'll let you read the book to find out) and covers accidents, missteps and Disney/Reedy Creek policy. As I mentioned in my review of the Mouse Tales books, you might have to remove your rose-colored Mouse Ears while reading Realityland.

I would surmise that the lack of information and focus about the development of the property after the Eisner/Wells team took over is due to the author's one noticeable bias--he is not a fan of Eisner. Koenig almost vilifies Eisner when talking about the creation of the Disney-MGM Studios. A lot of the more recent developments are glossed over. The dearth of information about the most recent 15 years is the major drawback to the book.

When thinking about the history that Koenig plays out, I was able to place a lot of the people and events that I had read about in other sources--this time with much greater detail. I would hesitate to let this work stand as my only source on Walt Disney World: Since the World Began: Walt Disney World the First 25 Years; Disney: The First 100 Years and the History Channel Modern Marvels - Walt Disney World all help to create a solid history of Walt Disney World. This is a work that will be used by future generations to help further document the history of Walt Disney World. It is obvious by the Notes section, that Koenig did his research and left a great paper trail. Koenig spent a lot of time interviewing people and researching support documents through newspapers and magazines. It is very well researched.

Withstanding the last sections of the book, the first 200 pages alone are worth the price of the book. You will learn more about the development of the property and what it took to get the Walt Disney World Resort up and running. You will never disembark from the ferry or walk down the ramp from the monorail without thinking about how massive an undertaking Walt Disney World was after you read Realityland.

Bottom Line: For any WDW enthusiast, this is one of the few books to tackle the early history of Walt Disney World. Koenig does a fantastic job of telling the story and keeps you wanting to read more. The only shortcoming is the lack of depth in the sections on the development of the Disney-MGM Studios and the Animal Kingdom. You will walk away a deeper understanding of the Resort and a greater appreciation for everything that has been done. I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to all enthusiasts--no matter what your Disney Geek Level.

I enjoyed tremendously David Koening's Realityland: True-life Adventures at Walt Disney World. A good, in-depth, "non-authorized" book about the origins of Walt Disney World was long overdue. The first chapters of Realityland are a good step in the right direction. I did not care too much about the chapters focusing on accidents at the parks or cast member lives, but I adored all the parts that were based on primary research with Disney Imagineers and key executives.