Customer Reviews

Walt's Revolution!: By the Numbers

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This book is a fascinating read for any Theme Park enthusiast. Buzz Price was there crunching numbers for Walt when Disneyland was first developed and built, and then went on to work with the creaters of Sea World, Universal, Six Flags, Busch, and many other parks the world over. If you enjoy the history of the parks, or any of the intricacies of how a park is run or planned and built, you will enjoy this book. Most inspirational is the explanation of his overal philosphy to be a "yes, if" person and not a "no, because" person. I found it fascinating!

Disneyland is a fusion of art and science, of showmanship and economics, of dreams and hard work. Without a foundation of feel-good hard numbers, the funding to build "The Happiest Place On Earth" would not have happened. Buzz Price was Walt Disney's "numbers man," and he was as creative with numbers as Walt was with sound and color and light. Numbers can be used to describe something that happened, something that SHOULD have happened, or something that could happen--but these numbers are only as good as your assumptions.

The success of the theme park industry and its affect on urban planning, the shopping mall, and zoos, museums and other "public spaces" show that most of the assumptions underlying Disneyland and the number crunching done by Buzz Price and his minions were valid.

But "Walt's Revolution!: By The Numbers" is only partially about theme park math and Disneyland. It is the story of Harrison Alan Price and the companies he worked for and started. Buzz writes about six "waves" of development sparked by Disneyland. This isn't the end of those effects--"WAVE SIX" is the effects on the gambling industry, something of importance to us Nevada residents because it keeps our taxes low and our state government solvent. Oh, "Walt's Revolution!" has pages of numbers--they seemed more like the pages of photos to me, eye candy. Not that the math had any flaws I could see (other than the possibility that the wrong numbers were displayed--you have to watch your base assumptions!), but this book is more a text on creative mind set than a manual on statistical analysis.

"Walt's Revolution!" is both history and "how to"--yet I didn't find it boring to read. This is also and insider's look at the nuts and bolts of the entertainment industry. Buzz Price was used as an "outside source" for Walt Disney's statistical projections to finance Disneyland. "Outsiders" are thought to be objective--but in the modern world, you can get the research results you want--shop around! That Price and the Disney Company used the right numbers is proved by the success of the theme park industry and that industry's influence in other disciplines.

Excuse me, but I want to read "Walt's Revolution!: By the Numbers" again.

This book's chapters include "Working With Walt and Roy," "The World's Fair as a Laboratory for Product Development," "Roller Coaster Math," and "How to Pick a Consultant and How to Decide if You Need One." Price, founder of Economics Research Associates, is a pioneer in the themed entertainment industry. In this book, he shares many secrets of the trade and personal memories.

This personal memoir gives great anecdotes and detailed information on the theme park business. It's essential for anyone involved in the industry to learn who developed it, how and why it evoled. Plus it's always great to hear about the personalities involved. Probably not a good choice for mildly interested types.

If you want to understand the economics of tourist attractions, including most museums, amusement parks, waterparks, and others, this is THE book to read. You will save yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees, a gift to us all from the top mind in the industry.

I've read every book I can get my hands on about theme park development including history, design and engineering. I really looked forward to this book since it took a totally differnt angle at the industry.

I'm sorry to say this book is hard to get through. The writing is disjointed and there is little or no detail in it. The author mearly identifies projects he's worked on but never gives any insight into what it was like or what he learned from each one. The author often crows about how acturate his estimates were but never says a word about the process he and his company used nor anything about what his work meant to Walt or any of his other clients.

After reading this book, I dont know any more about what the author did for a living or how he contributed to the Disney parks or any other project he worked on. And this was supposed to be the purpose of the book, by the authors own admission.

An inside look at the mass attraction industry from one of its founders and most articulate spokesmen. "Buzz" Price was there with Walt as Disneyland was being created and led a distinguished career advising nearly every major entity in the business, from Disney and Universal to numerous world expositions and museums. A great look at how the business works and an enjoyable read.

It was excelent. Easy reading and very complete. Full of examples, good to follow and useful at work.