General Information:

Media Type: Book
Type: Other
Release Date: 2013-05-21

Geek's Thoughts: How many of you have left a vacation Walt Disney World and then joked about running away from the real world and going back to Walt Disney World? In the book Midlife Mouse Wayne Franklin takes this starting point and dives into a world that weaves reality, Disney history, and its own mythology to take you on an off beat journey with his title character Bill Durmer. Bill decides to escape reality and head to Disney World and discovers he is more than your average guest/cast member. He encounters a bizarre and eclectic group of characters through a series of events, tests, and rituals that make for an untraditional read check out the books official site and character list to learn more about this group or characters - http://www.midlifemouse.com/about-the-book/characters

 

Midlife Mouse is outside my normal reading realm on many different levels but when the book crossed my path the intersection of Disney history and the idea of exploring the nature of fandom seemed worth exploring a bit so I thought I would give it a read. This book is not your typically Disney book by any stretch of the imagination. It has quite a few Disney references such as legendary Imagineers, business partners, and a good portion of it is set at Walt Disney World and Wayne paints scenes and scenarios that are familiar to most WDW guests ranging from bus trips to resort visits as well as some time in the parks, but it is not a Disney story or history book.

Franklin explores Disney fandom and the question of what happens if the company was actually run the way many on the internet/Disney fan realm believe it should be? His commentary on how the company has lost its way and is a corporate bureaucracy is a reoccurring theme underlying many of the interactions and scenarios that play out. Interesting to note that Franklin describes himself as a newbie to the Disney fan world having only discovering his inner disneygeek in the last half dozen years or so. He has become a student of the history of the company and the parks in that short time period. He lists himself among those that view the original purpose and magic of EPCOT and Tomorrowland as ideals, even though he has never been able to personally experience either due to his late awakening of Disney fandom.

If you are looking for something more in the fantasy realm but still having some grounding in reality and references throughout with a Disney overlay then you will enjoy this book. I think this book is aimed at a slightly older audience than say the “Kingdom Keepers “series.