This iconic resort is now located in what once was thousands of acres of swamp and marshland. Through spy-like moves and innovative strategies, Walt Disney and his cadre of creative leaders turned this massive swamp land into today's Disney World. This books shares the amazing behind the scenes story of how Disney's Florida resort, code-named Project Future, rose from the marshes of Central Florida to become one of the world's most popular theme park resorts.

    What’s it like to work at Walt Disney World?Amber Sewell spent two semesters “earning her ears” at the Happiest Place on Earth, first in the CareerStart Program and then in the better known Disney College Program.During her time backstage, as the Cast Member areas of the theme park are called, Amber kept a diary of her successes and her failures, her moments of delight and her moments of despair, and most of all, her discoveries about what happens when the pixie dust settles and the guests have gone home.Amber will never feel the same about Walt Disney World again.After you’ve read her book, neither will you.

    

    The book draws on the insights of a panel of Disney fanatics — The Mousejunkies — following dozens of personal vacations, trade shows and press trips in recent years. This second edition brings everything up to date with countless new tips, tricks, and tales.Mousejunkies provides tips and travel plans told through personal accounts – something that sets it apart from all the other guides.All of the most important topics are covered: When to go, where to stay, what to do and where to eat. But readers will also learn how to indulge in an all-day chicken wing and beer football orgy at Walt Disney World, how to extract your family from Fantasmic with your sanity intact, where to catch a mid-afternoon catnap in the theme park, and even how wrong a Disney cruise can go.Mousejunkies is more than one travel writer’s experiences at one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world. The Mousejunkies are a group of seemingly well-adjusted adults who have found themselves inexplicably drawn to Walt Disney World, again and again. Each has taken his or her own path, finding their way separately. When the smoke cleared, the group found itself back in reality, staring at one another over a pile of discarded annual passes and a useless collection of novelty hats.The stories - wry, humorous and told with an affection gained through years of Disney addiction - paint vivid portraits of a creatively engineered world, where unexpected surprises create lasting memories.The tips – valuable information designed to help readers get more out of their vacations – are told with a sly wink and the desire to share the secrets that make trips to central Florida more memorable.From touring plans to tongue-in-cheek reviews of the theme parks’ restrooms, Mousejunkies provides readers with useful information couched in obsessively-detailed narrative with a humorous touch.

    Packed with photos, Baham's book contains everything there is to know about the Mansion, with never-before-told stories and comprehensive coverage of the Haunted Mansion's colorful past and its chilling presence at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and other Disney theme parks.The Machine in the GhostsBeginning with the Haunted Mansion's original (but never realized) incarnation as "Bloodmere Manor", Baham pulls back the shroud on the clever effects that haunt the Mansion, including Ken Anderson's plan for a cyclorama-enhanced Headless Horseman, Yale Gracey and Rolly Crump's creative wizardry and "happy accidents", Bob Gurr's Doom Buggies, the technology behind Madame Leota's crystal ball, and the controlled chaos of the Ballroom Scene.You'll learn why X. Atencio's idea for a raven narrator was ditched in favor of the now infamous Ghost Host, whether a screaming man caught in a spider web once dwelt in the Mansion, and how technology exorcised the Hatbox Ghost.Only Ghost Stories, of CourseThere's more to the Mansion than mere mechanics. More than perhaps any other Disney attraction, the Haunted Mansion is powered by story: the scenes and spirits you witness from your Doom Buggy all play roles in the overall narrative of the Mansion, and if you don't know the story, you'll miss out on a lot of the fun, and a few of the scares, too.Baham clues you in about such things as why the Mansion is there, who built it, how it became haunted, and the dastardly deeds done by some of its residents in their corruptible, mortal states.A Taste of What's InsideFrom the comfort of your Doom Buggy you'll read: How Walt's boyhood experience with the haunted Sauer Castle may have inspired Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Insider accounts of the creative clashes between Disney Imagineers over whether the Mansion's haunts should be humorous or horrific An analysis of the ride, scene by scene, with insight into how the effects work, delightfully eerie trivia, and anecdotes from Mansion Imagineers and Cast Members The stories behind some of the Mansion's many denizens, including the Hatbox Ghost, the Knight, the Sea Captain, the Raven, the unhappy couple Constance and George, and the Ghost Host himself Extensive, exclusive commentary by Mansion designer Rolly Crump A summary of the most notable Mansion collectibles released by Disney over the years There's always room for one more, and this time you're it: come experience the Haunted Mansion with the "lights on" and learn its ghostly history, its sinister secrets, and why this Disney attraction continues to happily haunt fans young and old.Cory Doctorow [BoingBoing.net]: Baham is one of the most trusted, established experts on the Haunted Mansion, a trufan’s trufan.Guillermo del Toro [Award-winning film director, co-creator The Strain]: Having delved into Disney lore for decades and having been immersed in the Haunted Mansion world since age 3, I thought I knew pretty much everything there is about my favorite Disneyland ride ever. I was wrong. Prepare to be enchanted, bewildered and mesmerized by this beat-by-beat account of the Haunted Mansion’s creation. A haunted tour that is both scholarly and thrilling. An “E” ticket ride to the darkest, most glorious regions of Disney’s imagination!

    He announced to the public his grandiose plans for the thousands of acres he had secretly purchased.For the eighteen months prior to the announcement, Walt entrusted a small group of men to covertly make these purchases. Next, they were tasked with drafting a legislative act to submit to the state of Florida that would allow Disney to wield nearly absolute legal control over the property under a quasi-government municipality.Staying true to its storytelling roots, Disney wove a tale of mystery centered around a high-ranking CIA operative, who was rumored to have been, just a few short years before, the paymaster behind the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba.This savvy and well-connected CIA agent became the de facto leader for the group of Disney executives and attorneys who orchestrated and executed a nearly perfect plan to keep Disney’s identity a secret from the public by utilizing aliases, shell corporations, and meandering travel itineraries, all in an effort to protect the company’s identity during the land acquisition process.As told through the personal notes and files from the key figures involved in the project, Buying Disney’s World details the story of how Walt Disney World came to be, like you’ve never heard before.From conception to construction and everything in between—including how a parcel of land within Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort was acquired during a high-stakes poker game—explore how the company most famous for creating Mickey Mouse acquired central Florida’s swamps, orange groves, and cow pastures to build a Disney fiefdom and a Magic Kingdom.

    He spent his first decade at Disney as "the kid," the very youngest of the creative team Walt had assembled at WED Enterprises. But despite his youth, his talents propelled him forward into substantial responsibility: he became Walt's speech writer, penned Walt's and Roy's messages in the company's annual report, composed most of the publicity and marketing materials for Disneyland, conceived presentations for the U.S. government, devised initiatives to obtain sponsors to enable new Disneyland developments, and wrote a twenty-four-minute film expressing Walt's philosophy for the Walt Disney World project and Epcot. He was Walt's literary right-hand man.Over the next forty years, Marty Sklar rose to become president and principal creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, and he devoted his entire career to creating, enhancing, and expanding Walt's magical empire. This beautifully written and enlightening book is Marty's own retelling of his epic Disney journey, a grand adventure that lasted over half a century.

    They are snapshots of a place and time, relics treasured by collectors, and gorgeous pieces of artwork. In fact, it was a map-drawn by Herb Ryman and imagined by Walt-that was used to sell the idea for Disneyland to investors. This book will include maps of the domestic parks from 1955 to today, as well as highlights from the international parks. Alongside the maps there will be photographs depicting how the parks have changed over time, explanations of why the landscape was altered, and details on attractions that were added or taken away.

    The author of the best-selling Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland reveals how Walt Disney's City of Tomorrow evolved into a sprawling resort where?despite extraordinary efforts to control every aspect of the show?everything doesn't always go according to script.

    Upon maturation living with two wastrels, Simba is given some valuable perspective from his childhood friend, Nala, and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and take his place in the Circle of Life as the rightful King.

    From the minutiae of Future World to the farthest reaches of World Showcase this guide covers it all in intimate detail. No stone is left unturned, and no legacy tile left unmocked. With a little bit of wit and a whole lot of heart you'll be led through the splendorific sprawl of the most endearing monument to humanity that has ever been created. Highlights include: A history of each pavilion and the forces that shaped its existence - or the end thereof. Insight into the inner-workings of the park. What makes it tick and why things happen the way they do. A scene-by-scene analysis of Horizons, quite possibly the most beloved attraction in the company's history and all of the World Disney World resort.

    Using his innate talent for combining disparate skills and personalities, he assembled a creative team that blended imagination with engineering. Walt called this group his "Imagineers."Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park introduces a core group of the originators of Disneyland and the other Disney parks. It explores their individual relationships with Walt and each other, their creative breakthroughs and failures, and their rivalries and professional politics. This candid narrative of their lives and contributions to a very special form of entertainment illustrates why, half a century later, their work continues to be vital and important to millions of people every day, and all over the world.Lavishly illustrated throughout with rare and never-before-seen artwork and photographs, Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park will further enrich the reader's appreciation of the exceptional talent behind Disneyland's creation and ongoing evolution.

    The Imagineers are like Santa's elves: they are the nuts-and-bolts workers who allow Disney's magic to take flight. Walt Disney Imagineering explains in colorful detail the making of the magic of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland -- the world's most popular vacation "kingdoms" -- from the inside out. From Mickey's Toontown to Blizzard Beach, the wizardry of the Imagineers is brought to life in this book through drawings, models, artwork, and anecdotes; also featured are the now legendary conceptual sketches from Walt Disney's very own pencil. Walt Disney Imagineering is sure to inform and fascinate history buffs, art collectors, graphic designers, architects, engineers, and Disney fans alike.

    Spring '98---copy being written at this moment

    In March 1984, corporate raider Saul Steinberg was ready to pounce. His plan--gain control of Disney then split it apart by selling the studio and real estate to investors and keeping the theme parks.As word spread, Disney stock was traded frantically. Disney management took desperate maneuvers to beat off the attack. If Steinberg took control, the company that they believed embodied every American childhood, would disappear.