| General Information:
Media Type: Book
Type: Backstage/Behind the Scenes
Release Date: 2001-07-09
Geek's Thoughts: I found this book to be one of the most interesting I have read in a while. Most Disneygeeks know the story about how Walt seceretly bought land in central Florida and how the Walt Disney Company managed to get the Reedy Creek Improvement District defined, but few know the details of how both came to be. This book covers that including the people and the personalities involved in it. The book also discusses Celebration and its impact on this. The analogy running throughout the book is that of Marriage between Disney and the Orlando area.
The Geeks 2 cents:
I really enjoyed this book. I think the main reason is that it
actually presented a lot of new information. I have read quite a
few Disney books and most focus on the parks or on Walt, but this
one focuses on the relationship between Disney and the Orlando area.
It goes into great depth on how Disney aquired its land. Discussing
the people, personalities, and politics that made the deal come
together. I found this extremely interesting and unique. Married
to the Mouse uses the analogy to marriage throughout to show
how the relationship between Disney(the mouse) and Orlando (state
of Florida, city of Orlando, Oscela & Orange Counties, and the
citizens) evolved over the years.
The first part of the book focusses on the aquisition of land.
Talking about the "shell companies" and how the land purchases
went through. It then goes into detail about Reedy Creek. The last
half of the book studies how the relationships formed in these early
days evloved and functioned through the 80s and 90s. It focuses
quite a bit on the changes that occured under the Eisner era and
how that affected the relationship.
The first questions I usually ask myself after reading a Disney
book are, was the book written fairly and was it accurrate. I thought
this book was on both counts. You can pick out parts that lean one
way or the other, but for the most part the author's leanings are
hidden and the reasoning seems logical and academic. Yes some of
the chapters can be taken as "Disney bashing", but I think
the author presents them in such a way that the facts are there
and the reader can make up their own mind whether it is abuse or
just use of powers granted to them.
Once I had completed the book I still wanted to know more. I wish
he would have really went into the Reedy Creek charter and legislation.
He does discuss it and how it came to be and the consquences of
it more than any other book I have read so far though. I guess that
is the geek in me... always wanting to know more details....
Overall I would have to say this was a good read. I really enjoyed
it and know I learned some new Disney trivia. For one thing I learned
Dick Nunis played football for the University of Southern California
(my Alma Mater, Fight On!!).
Married
to the Mouse : Walt Disney World and Orlando
Richard E. Foglesong
272 pp.; $27.95; ISBN:0-300-08707-1; 16 bloack and white illus.
and 6 maps
Publication Date: July 9, 2001
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