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How In The World...? - A behind the scenes look at what it takes to create the MAGIC of Walt Disney World

General Information:

Media Type: Book
Type: Backstage/Behind the Scenes
Release Date: 2025-04-08

Geek's Thoughts: How in the World..? A behind the scenes look at what it takes to create the MAGIC of Walt Disney World by David Schroeder takes a look at how Walt Disney World evolved and operates.  The book’s focus is primarily the early 1990s with the timeline approximately looking at events and operations from 1963 through 1992.

 

David organized the book into three sections with a half dozen questions/chapters per section.  Each chapter has a big question/idea and then there are a number of related topics and stories included in each. How Walt Disney World Came to Be

  • … did the New York World’s Fair bring about the development of Walt Disney World?
  • … can you buy 43 square miles of land without anyone knowing?
  • .. did Disney build a vacation kingdom in the middle of a swamp?
  • … did Disney create it’s own infrastructure without any government assistance?
  • … did Disney name end up on three hotels not owned by Disney?
Walt Disney World’s Theme Parks & Attractions
  • … does Walt Disney World create and build such groundbreaking attractions?
  • … do you make waiting ghosts appear in a ballroom?
  • … did Disney build an attraction inside a geosphere?
  • … can you visit eleven countries in one day?
  • … did MGM end up in the name of a Disney theme park?
  • … did a shrimp boat come to rest on top of a mountain?
The Daily Operations of Walt Disney World
  • … does Disney create its amazing entertainment spectaculars?
  • … does Disney make 3,500 acres of landscaped grounds look so beautiful?
  • … can you get 4,000 reporters to attend your anniversary?
  • … does Walt Disney World run so smoothly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?
  • … do you have 100,000 people over for dinner?
  • … does Disney get us to buy so much merchandise we do not really need?
This book covers a wide range of topics with an attempt to be comprehensive in how it examines Walt Disney World operations.  The challenge of this is where to draw the line on depth to fit within a book under 250 pages.  

   The book moves quickly from topic to topic and some the author goes more in depth than others.  Many of the questions and points discussed have had entire books written about them so including so many in a single book means some choices had to be made.   One noteworthy choice is bounding the time frame to roughly 30 years ending in 1992, right as a major investment and growth spurt in the property was wrapping up but well before the transformation into its current form.

How in the World..? A behind the scenes look at what it takes to create the MAGIC of Walt Disney World  is a solid telling of WDW history and look at some of the operational details.  It contains a fair amount of breath and some depth.    If you are looking for an overview of Walt Disney World's history and evolution over the first twenty years this book may be worth consideration for your library or reading list.   If you have read a large number of other books and/or seen a large number of interviews or panels over the years you will most likely be familiar with most if not all of this book so your mileage may vary.    A couple other notes, there are no end notes, citations, or an index.  The book was published April 8, 2025 and is currently available in both hard cover and paperback. I was provided a paperback copy to review.


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