The
Disneyland Encyclopedia: The Unofficial, Unauthorized,
and Unprecedented History of Every Land, Attraction, Restaurant,
Shop, and Event in the Original Magic Kingdom ,
by Chris Strodder
A brand new book, forty years in the making!
Forty years is about the span of time between when the
author first visited Disneyland and The Disneyland
Encyclopedia was published. Although I'm not a big
fan of Disneyland or Walt Disney World, this new book
by Chris Strodder is truly excellent. It provided me
with a way to grasp the unique creativity of the Disney
operation and gain some in-depth appreciation for the
company's wizardry.
This is actually the third Disney-related
book I have reviewed in the last five years. The first
was Louis Mongello's, The
Walt Disney World Trivia Book in 2004 and Walt
Disney World for your Special Needs in 2005.
All three of these books are "unofficial guides,"
titles that were not sponsored or blessed by the Disney
corporation. (Interestingly, "unauthorized"
guides outnumber those produced by Disney.)
Author Chris Strodder is a longtime fan
of the original Disneyland, but what sets his work apart
from other books on the subject is his scholarly approach
to documenting the evolution of the park since its first
days of operation in 1955. From the start, the park
had a powerful magnetic effect on people. According
to the author, over half a billion guests have visited
the Magic Kingdom over the last fifty-three years. That
is an average of over 30,000 people a day, and there
have been several days where the attendance exceeded
80,000 visitors. Very few human-built attractions in
the world can match this record.
Reading the book is a trip through time.
While the entries are listed alphabetically, each one
includes a time line of the attraction or person being
described, a map location (if appropriate) and a historical
overview. Beautifully drawn maps show the location of
the ten main sections or "kingdoms:" Town
Square, Main Street, Plaza, Adventureland, New Orleans
Square, Frontierland, Bear Country, Fantasyland, Mickey's
Toontown, and Tomorrowland. The maps really enhance
the text.
In addition to the A-to-Z listings, the
author has included nearly fifty sidebars that are chock
full of fascinating Disneyland trivia. One of these
tables lists ten of the known "Hidden Mickeys."
"Hidden Mickeys" are three-circle designs
reminiscent of Mickey Mouse's head and ears that appear
as subtle design elements throughout the park. Another
sidebar lists ten attractions that were long lived but
ultimately closed. The longest-surviving of these was
the Circarama/Circle-Vision theater, which was in use
for 42 years (1955 to 1997).
Even though I still claim I'm not a fan
of Disneyland, reading this book made me smile, and
-- okay, I'll admit it -- even chuckle. So many descriptions
dredged up barely-remembered memories of my own childhood
visits to the park that I was unable to stop turning
the pages. If I was Grumpy when I started reading The
Disneyland Encyclopedia, I was undeniably Happy
well before the end. This wonderful guided tour through
the history of one of America's most visited family
destinations is also a well-researched look at half
a century of popular culture.
Mark
Sedenquist
7/23/08
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