Secrets Of The Mouse: An Unofficial Behind-The-Scenes Guide To Disneyland Park (Paperback)

~ Alan Joyce (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This guide is intended to be a look at the magic behind the magic of Disneyland Park in Anaheim, and will give the reader a greater appreciation for the incredible efforts and innovations that create the Disneyland experience. If seeing how a magic trick works spoils the fun for you, then you might want to try another guide. However, if you find yourself asking "How do they do that?" when you see an oncoming boulder in Indiana Jones or translucent ghosts in the Haunted Mansion, this guide is here to satisfy your curiosity. This guidebook includes: Behind-the-scenes information for every attraction in the park. Tips on where to spot the special touches and inside jokes. A comprehensive list of the most notable Hidden Mickeys in Disneyland. Puzzles and games to be played while waiting in line for specific rides.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (August 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1438290942
• ISBN-13: 978-1438290942
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #196,149 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect guidebook for use at Disneyland, September 10, 2008

By	Dave "Davelandweb" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

What a fantastic aid for Disneyland guests, whether first-time visitors or die-hard fans. The book is very well organized, the information concise, and just enough photos (all black and white) to represent the park.

The book is divided into sections:

1. Attractions: Each attraction is listed under the land in which it is located (for instance, Haunted Mansion, Club 33, and Pirates of the Caribbean are in the New Orleans Square section).

2. Hidden Mickeys: Add an extra dimension of fun to your next trip by finding the famous Hidden Mickeys sprinkled throughout the park. Just like attractions, the Hidden Mickeys are listed by land/attraction. In addition, there is a photo of each one, just in case you have a hard time finding them by the description alone (this is a nice touch that no other guidebooks I have seen offer).

3. Queue Games: This is one of the best features of the book. How many times have you waited in line and gotten bored? True, Disneyland does an excellent job of themeing the line queues and giving guests visual eye-candy to look at, but when waiting 30 minutes or more, there's only so much eye-candy that can keep you from getting annoyed at having to wait for a 5 minute attraction! Problem solved with this book: the author gives games/activities for most attractions, alleviating the boredom you might feel from having to wait.

I also liked the size of this book; it is just the right size to be able to carry it around the park and refer to it (which the author, Alan Joyce, suggests in the intro), once again, enhancing your visit to the park. There is also just enough history/background information on the attractions to enhance (not bore!) the reader. Many volumes get weighted down to the point that the average reader would find no use to them; although some might enjoy knowing how many rivets are used in a particular piece of machinery, the average first-time visitor doesn't care. They'd rather know how long the ride is, what fun things to look for (that they might miss on a first trip through), and how some of the special effects are created (yup...there are some scene-spoilers here, so if you don't want to know how some of the magic is created, you'll need to skip through the book carefully). It is also very refreshing that this book doesn't waste time on petty negative comments against Disney/Disneyland.

Note: as one of the other reviewers states, this book does NOT have information on California Adventure...which makes sense since the park is about to undergo a $1 billion + renovation, which would make any guide book virtually useless.

Overall: highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to have and read plus very informative., October 22, 2008

By	Corellian_Scoundrel "S.R." (California) - See all my reviews

If you are taking your first trip to Disneyland, or you are a current visitor, do take this book with you. You will enjoy the activities included on the book. (Specially if you need to wait in line duing peek visit season) There are extra pieces of information that will make you look like a Disneyland expert.

Who ever thought knowledge will be so much fun!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide to Disneyland Park, September 9, 2008

By	MMM - See all my reviews

Everything I learned in the two and a half years I spent going to disneyland is inside this book..and more~* :) I used to go once a week and this book covers even more information on the park than what I learned in that time.

It's a very handy guide to everything at the Disneyland park. It has information on each attraction and ride, it including a lot of details and facts on how they work, when they were built, etc....

It has pictures on almost every single page.

I would recommend this book to anyone who's a big disney fan, like me, or anyone that's planning their first trip to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA since it lists what type of ride vehicles there are and what the seating capacities and speeds are like. Everything you want to know but are afraid to ask.

It's easy to read, you don't have to read it in order. It has inside information on each ride, where the park's hidden mickeys are.... and games and puzzles you can do while you're waiting in line for a ride.

The only thing it doesn't cover is California Adventure, but who goes there anyway :P This is an excellent guide to Disneyland. Thumbs up.