All Ears® Guest Blog

From Dreamer to Dreamfinder: A Life and Lessons Learned in 40 Years Behind a Name Tag by Ron Schneider

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a performer in a Disney show? Or maybe how those shows were dreamed up and brought to life? If so, this book may be for you! Author Ron Schneider chronicles his years as a performer, writer and creator of a variety of “themed entertainment.” Before reading this book, I instinctively knew what themed entertainment was -- as most regular theme park visitors do -- but I did not know there was such a nice, succinct way to describe it! There is also, believe it or not, a Themed Entertainment Association! Who knew? But I digress...

Part memoir, and part how-to book, From Dreamer to Dreamfinder will appeal to a broad spectrum of Disney and theme park fans. This highly entertaining (pun intended) book follows Schneider’s career chronologically and includes Appendices that will be useful for anyone who is interested in his views on how to properly “do” themed entertainment.

The book starts with an overview of Schneider’s childhood in Southern California, where the newly opened Disneyland played a very large part in shaping his childhood and his future career. His stories then move through his (short-lived) college and (long) working years, as a contributor to a wide variety of themed entertainment venues, including Magic Mountain (as Professor Samuel J. Spilliken, a performer in the Spilliken Corners Craft Village), Womphopper’s Wagon Works Restaurant (as C.L. Womphopper, “a legendary slick -talking wagon salesman who invented wheeling and dealing”), Disneyland (among others as a hander-out of costumes for Fantasy on Parade, and various characters—including Pecos Bill—in The Golden Horseshoe), Walt Disney World (most famously as the creator of the Dreamfinder, and also as a member of the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor cast), Universal Studios Florida (as a manager of the Celebrity Look-Alikes program, and hilariously, as a not terribly successful Santa Claus), the Fort Liberty Wild West Dinner Show (as Professor Gladstone) and Chuck E. Cheese’s (!).

As I read the book, I gleaned a few lessons from the highly entertaining stories:

Don’t be afraid to takes risks, the rewards can be memorable. In an early chapter, Schneider recounts a meeting with Disney archivist Dave Smith in 1970, the invitation to which he got as a result of an unsolicited congratulations note that he sent on reading in Variety that Smith had been appointed the Keeper of Disney History. During that meeting Smith gives Schneider an impromptu backstage tour of the Walt Disney Studios, including of Walt’s formal office. Schneider is immediately struck with an overpowering urge “the kind no man can resist... so I ask Dave where the bathroom is. I fully expect to have to go back out into the hall to use the men’s room, but he points to an adjacent door and I step into Walt Disney’s personal bathroom. I would have known it anywhere... the wallpaper is covered with small graphics of antique steam trains. Humbled, I take a seat.”

Be persistent. Schneider was successful in reaching his goals of working in the themed entertainment industry through persistence. While he was not always successful in getting the particular job he was auditioning for, he always tried to both use that experience to learn something, and also to open additional doors for himself. For instance, Schneider had been cast as a part-time character for the Golden Horseshoe Review at Disneyland, and was a huge fan of Wally Boag, who created the Pecos Bill character in that show. When Boag finally decided to retire, Schneider hoped to be hired to replace him. The problem was that soon after Boag left Schneider lost his voice and could not do the show for a few weeks. By the time he returned, another performer had been cast as Boag’s replacement. While some would view this as a huge setback, Schneider takes the positive view that this allowed him to be open to other opportunities, specifically the one he is most remembered for: as Dreamfinder at Epcot’s Imagination Pavilion.

Getting to know the right people at the right time is critical to moving one’s career forward. Schneider paints vivid pictures of a number of Disney and other themed entertainment personalities whom he has met and worked with over the years. In fact, Schneider was able to secure his gig as the Dreamfinder through keeping up communication over the years with a number of Disney Imagineers. Once he has heard about the new Imagination Pavilion at Epcot, and of the characters of the Dreamfinder and Figment, Schneider arranges to hear a recording of the Dreamfinder’s voice and after practicing it, leaves the message on his answering machine in the voice. Soon after a few calls from Orlando, Schneider is on his way to create the character for the opening of the pavilion. If not for the relationships he made, and for keeping those contacts up-to-date, he might never have gotten this opportunity.

There are many ways to measure success. After recounting the long and somewhat circuitous route that he took to getting the Dreamfinder position, Schneider notes that an Epcot employee had been keeping track of his interactions with guests: “’I’m counting the number of people you’re affecting. Not just the ones who interact with you, but the number that stop and smile or stay and watch for any length of time. You’re averaging about 600 people every thirty minutes.’ Roughly double what I was doing at the Horseshoe! That’s good to know.”

Keep moving and growing. Schneider changed jobs often. Sometimes this was out of necessity, but often it was by design.

“Things might have gone on like this for a while if it was anyone else but me. After 10+ years of keeping an eye on the horizon looking for the next step forward, I’ve gotten into the habit of moving on after a few years. Especially if my current situation isn’t evolving.”

It is important to stay true to your own sense of the quality of your work. In recounting a particularly unsuccessful holiday stunt involving Santa and his sleigh at Universal Studios, Schneider points out that it is often important to admit that something doesn’t work, and return to the drawing board: “The point is if you’re going to invest the time, money and effort (and most precious of all, your guests’ credulity) in an idea, make sure it’s going to work out the way you wanted. If not, change plans!” There were times where Schneider either quit a particular job, or chose to step into a different role, if he felt that quality was being compromised or that his own standards could not be met as a result of constraints put on him.

When Robert Earl, the theme restaurateur who started the Planet Hollywood franchise, was recruiting him for the Fort Liberty Wild West Dinner Show, Schneider asks: “‘Do you mind if the show’s good?’ He replies, ‘Not at all.’ I smile, ‘Then we’ll get along fine.’”

Links go to Amazon Affiliate Book Store for AllEars.

Alice McNutt Miller is a lifelong Disney fan whose fondest childhood memories include “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights and her first trip to Disneyland when she was ten years old. Alice and her family are Disney Vacation Club members, and have visited Disney parks all over the world. They live in Vienna, Virginia.

Just in time for Epcot’s 30th Anniversary, Jeff Lange and Kevin Yee have written a new book that provides a panoramic overview of its attractions, both past and present. The book is not exactly a history of the park—although it does start with an introduction that takes the reader through the basics of Epcot’s creation—but is more of a “look back” at the various attractions that have surfaced in the park over the years. As the “retrospective” in the subtitle points to, the book provides the reader, both in words and photographs, a survey of Epcot over the years.

Unearthing Hidden Treasures takes readers on a journey through each of Epcot’s pavilions, first in Future World, then World Showcase. Each current and historic pavilion has an entry—in alphabetical order—that includes a description of the pavilion and its attractions, and is accompanied by a number of color photographs. (The print edition that I reviewed included color photographs, but I understand that there are both print and Kindle editions, that include black and white photos instead.) While the alphabetic order is useful for letting readers find the descriptions of favorite attractions quickly, I found it a bit hard to follow, for instance, when the Test Track and World of Motion attractions were not described together (as they occupy the same pavilion space).

As a relatively recent visitor to Epcot (my first visit was in 1999), I found the accounts and photos of attractions no longer in existence to be fascinating. For instance, I have heard many Disney fans lament the demise of Horizons, but I never understood what the attraction was about, or how it worked (multiple endings?), but after reading the description of the attraction, and seeing the amazing pictures, I can now see what it is that others miss.

I was also happy to revisit in the book’s pages long-shuttered attractions that I did have the good fortune to experience before they were closed (Body Wars, anyone?), and to read about the evolution of pavilions that have not been shuttered, but rather have transformed substantially over time (for instance, The Land and The Living Seas with Nemo and Friends).

Not only did I get a glimpse of attractions that I never got to experience, but the book is chock-a-block with Epcot trivia. For instance, did you know that there was once a show called “The Magical World of Barbie” in the America Gardens Theatre (alas, no pictures!) or that Canada is the only pavilion in the World Showcase built with neither funding nor support from the country that it represents (oh, Canada, tsk, tsk)? Neither did I! I also now have a better understanding of why some of the attractions that I never quite understood are the way they are (Journey into Imagination with Figment—I still don’t get that one).

Lange and Yee also include sections on Entertainment (including my personal favorite, the now-defunct Tapestry of Nations parade), Events (Flower and Garden Festival, International Food and Wine Festival) and several Epcot Tribute Displays. They conclude with a helpful Timeline and a full Index.

What I really liked about this book: It was like an Epcot travelogue! The hundreds of beautiful photos will provide readers with an illustrated trip around the park any time they feel the need for an Epcot fix.

What I wish was included: For me, more than any other of the Disney Parks, Epcot is about shopping and eating. I wish that the authors had dedicated some space to coverage of the various shops and restaurants, as many of those are destinations in themselves, and I’m sure must have changed and evolved over time, just like the attractions housed in the pavilions.

Happy 30th Anniversary, Epcot! And thanks to Jeff Lange and Kevin Yee for producing such a lovely tribute.

Images provided by the authors. Links go to Amazon Affiliate Book Store for AllEars.

Alice McNutt Miller is a lifelong Disney fan whose fondest childhood memories include “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights and her first trip to Disneyland when she was ten years old. Alice and her family are Disney Vacation Club members, and have visited Disney parks all over the world. They live in Vienna, Virginia.

REVIEW: Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival by AJ Wolfe

AJ Wolfe, writer of the online “Disney Food Blog” has issued a comprehensive (and timely) e-book Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. You’ll not only want to buy this guide to help you plan for your visit to the Festival beforehand, but also to have it in your pocket during your visit. I plan to take it with me on my iPhone next month when I visit the Food and Wine Festival with my family.

The Guide is available as an e-book, which, when purchased, is downloaded as a .pdf file. Once downloaded, you can save the file as an e-book in iTunes, and then download the file to your iPad, iPhone or other device. I tested the guide on my laptop, iPad and iPhone, and preferred the iPad to the others, as outside links worked best from this platform. Note that if you are reading the Guide on any device in a place where you cannot access the internet, the external links will not work.

As with all of the DFB e-books, Wolfe starts by giving the reader a “how-to” on using the Guide and helpful advice on getting to Epcot and navigating the Festival. The guide includes descriptions of all of the Festival events, a full day-by-day schedule, tips on how to use Disney Dining Plan snack credits at the Festival, instructions for how to book and pay for events, and a full set of indexes to help you to find your favorite chef, food, wine or beer at the Festival.

While it may be too late to book some events (check Disney's website to determine whether admission to the event you would like to attend is still available), the Guide offers helpful information on how to book, and where certain discounts might be available. Check this section out, particularly if you have a Tables in Wonderland card, an Annual Pass or are a Disney Vacation Club Member.

The Guide highlights what is new for 2011, including HGTV events (HGTV is a sponsor of this year’s Festival), Mixology Seminars and a real Cranberry Bog (can’t wait to see this one, although it would be REALLY cool if you could wade through it in hip-waders like you seen in the TV commercials!), and other signature new and special events. I am very sorry that I will miss the October 29 “Kitchen Memories Healthy Dining Event,” as it will feature my favorite TV chef and globe-trotter Andrew Zimmern (and his kids!).

The “What’s New” section lists all of the new International Marketplace Booths and new menu items for this year, and is followed by in-depth pages on each of the (new and returning) booths—including gorgeous photos sure to make your mouth start watering. My family and I plan to do at least one “Lunch Around the World” when we visit next month, and after reading this guide I know that my lunch will include a Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple and Spicy Mayonnaise from the Hawaii booth (it takes longer to say the name than it will probably take for me to wolf one of these tasty morsels down) and Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberries from the Scandinavia booth. Wolfe also offers helpful tips for touring the food booths and paying for your bites.

The Guide’s in-depth descriptions of the Festival Special and Signature Events, Low-Cost Seminars, Demos and Activities, and Celebrity Chef Spotlights should help readers sift through all of the myriad offerings to decide what events will fit their tastes and budgets. The descriptions include the Where, When and How Much for each event.

Can’t wait for the Eat to the Beat concerts? The Guide includes a helpful list of Songs You Should Know by Heart by each of the featured artists, so that guests can jog their memories and prepare to hum along (or sing out loud if you are my husband or one of my daughters). And yes, “Hold on Loosely” is a .38 Special song, not a Night Ranger song—that one is “Sister Christian,” and if you visit the Festival on the right days you can hear BOTH of them. (The '80s were SO long ago . . . )

Finally, the Guide offers touring strategies (one day, two days, on a budget, with the kids, etc.) and some suggested World Showcase Booth Crawls. I like the idea of the Continent Crawl (particularly the Jerk Spiced Chicken Drumstick from the Caribbean Islands and the Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles from China), but what about Antarctica? Throw in an Itzakadoozie ice pop and it’s complete!

Other Disney Food Blog E-book Reviews by Alice:

Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks

DFB Guide to WDW Dining

Alice McNutt Miller is a lifelong Disney fan whose fondest childhood memories include “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights and her first trip to Disneyland when she was 10 years old. Alice and her family are Disney Vacation Club members, and have visited Disney parks all over the world. They live in Vienna, Virginia.

AllEars belongs to an affiliate program with the Disney Food Blog ebooks.

REVIEW: Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks by AJ Wolfe

AJ Wolfe, writer of the online “Disney Food Blog” has followed her e-book, The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining: Steps to a Stress-Free, Personalized Plan, with a new e-book devoted entirely to snacks that can be found in the Magic Kingdom.

As noted in my previous review of the comprehensive dining guide, the new mini-guide is available as an e-Book, which, when purchased is downloaded as a .pdf file. Once downloaded, you can save the file as an e-Book in iTunes, and then download the file to your iPad or iPhone. Again, I tested using the guide on my laptop, iPad and iPhone, and preferred the iPad to the others, as outside links worked best from this platform. Note that if you are reading the book on any device in a place where you cannot access the internet, many of the links will not work. However, as I explain below, the iPhone version may be some Magic Kingdom guests’ best friend.

Ok, now on to the snacks!! Wow. I never knew there were so many choices! We have our family favorites, of course, including turkey legs (um, ok, not MY favorite, but my husband and daughters REALLY like them!), Mickey Ice Cream sandwiches and Itzakadoozies, but it appears that in all of my visits to the Magic Kingdom, I have not been paying close enough attention to all of the wonderful goodies hiding in the food kiosks that I always bypass, and the shelves at the back of the gift shops.

The food guide identifies both sweet and savory snacks that cost between $1 and $5 (although some cost more), offers advice on getting the best snacking bang for your buck, and reveals the availability of some snacks, toppings and add-ons that aren’t on Disney menus, but that are available to those who know to ask. The guide also includes suggested themed Magic Kingdom “Snack Crawls” (most intriguing, the “Ice Cream Headache Crawl”), snack pairings (popcorn and an English Toffee Bar anyone?) and meals that can be made out of snacks (soft pretzel with Chicken and Wild Rice Soup from Sleepy Hollow).

The guide is organized by taste (savory, then sweet), with alphabetical listings for each snack (Baked Potato, Ball Park Chili Cheese Nachos, Breadsticks with Marinara Sauce, etc.), and there is an index that lists each snack by each Magic Kingdom “land,” so that readers can easily locate that English Toffee Bar for the popcorn and Toffee Bar pairing at the Prairie Outpost and Supply in Frontierland.

Each snack has its own page, a description of the atmospherics, price and whether it is available as a snack credit on the dining plan. It is this feature that may end up being most useful for those guests on the Dining Plan. Have you ever been in the Magic Kingdom on the last day of your Disney World vacation with three snack credits left, and you are not sure how to use them? If you have loaded this mini-guide onto your smart phone, you will be able to find those snacks throughout the Kingdom that you can use your remaining credits on, and maybe even score a souvenir to take home with you (you know your co-worker will love those Mickey Mouse Coconut Patties!).

This is the first Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide, and Wolfe promises us that there will be more, including:

• The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
• Dining Strategies for Specific Locations and Resorts
• Dining with Special Diets in Walt Disney World
• Dining in Disneyland
• Dining with Kids in Walt Disney World

My mouth is watering already!

To purchase the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks with a $2 Discount, use Code: ALLEARS

AJ has also recently published the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival e-Book. We haven't done a formal review yet, but it looks to be another excellent comprehensive guide by the Disney Food Blog!

Click here to view more details $2 Discount, use Code: ALLEARS

DISCLOSURE: AllEars® received a complimentary review copy of the Magic Kingdom mini-guide. AllEars® is a member of the DFB affiliate program. This did not influence the review in any way by Alice McNutt Miller, an independent reviewer and guest blogger for AllEars®.

Alice McNutt Miller is a lifelong Disney fan whose fondest childhood memories include “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights and her first trip to Disneyland when she was ten years old. Alice and her family are Disney Vacation Club members, and have visited Disney parks all over the world. They live in Vienna, Virginia.

AJ Wolfe, writer of the online “Disney Food Blog” has written a very useful and extremely comprehensive guide to dining at Walt Disney World. The guide is available as an e-Book and was written in such a way as to take the best advantage of that format.

The 250-page guide includes some very basic information that will be quite useful to Disney dining newbies (and that the veteran user might want to skip over), but also includes very detailed information on planning, costs, discounts and dining options. I found that while the guide is focused on dining, the advice, tools and tips on budgeting and planning—including including choosing resorts and vacation package types—will help the reader plan his or her entire Walt Disney World vacation.

The guide includes:

• Wolfe’s “5-Step Guide to Stress-Free Dining Planning”;

• Detailed Information on the Disney Dining Plan options and other dining discounts;

• Introductions to each Disney restaurant, listed by park and resort. The entries include an overview of the restaurant type (“Is it for me?”) and recommendations on what is special about each restaurant that guests might like to explore (“ What to try?”);

• An overview of holiday and dining events;

• Tips on Dining with Kids—including recommended best restaurants for particular ages, and for picky or adventurous eaters, and pointers on how to eat healthy at Walt Disney World;

• Tips on dining with special dining needs;

• Tips for solo dining;

• Information for dining in large groups.

The guide also includes Wolfe’s recommended dining options for: table service, counter service, bakeries, snacks and alcoholic beverages. Wolfe also offers some sample dining itineraries: on the cheap, for vegetarians, for large groups, for certain WDW resorts. These itineraries will be especially useful in guiding readers in the best strategies for planning a dining (and overall vacation) strategy that takes into account where they will be staying and what park(s) they plan to visit on a particular day.

A few notes on the e-Book format. The guide is an e-Book, and is downloaded as a .pdf file upon purchase. I downloaded the file to my laptop. It was a simple, straightforward process. Once you have downloaded the file, you can save the file as an e-Book in iTunes, and then download the file to your iPad or iPhone. I did both, and tested using the guide on all three devices. First, let me say that this is not your grandfather’s .pdf. The book contains links to other sections of the book itself, links to various internet sites (including The Disney Food Blog) and links to fillable worksheets. VERY cool!

When using (I think “using” is a preferable term to “reading” in the case of this e-Book) the guide on a desktop or laptop machine, remember that the "home" and "end" keys are your friends. Clicking on links to other sections of the book (for instance a section on “Where to Go” includes a link to the “Dining Recommendations” section) works well, but then I found it a bit difficult to get back to where I started, since there is no "Back" button. Pressing "Home" will bring the reader back to the front of the book, and pressing "End" will take the reader to the last page of the book.

The Table of Contents, at the front of the book, has links to take you directly to each section, and there are several “Top 5” lists and indices at the back of the book. When I was reading the book on my iPhone the text was barely legible to my aging eyes (although I could make the print bigger, but then couldn’t see the whole page). Because of this, I found the book slightly less easy to use than on the other devices. However, if you need instant information while in the parks, the guide is certainly portable in this format.

I LOVED using this e-Book on the iPad! From my perspective, this is the best way to read the information and get quick links to other sections of the book and to outside websites. The fillable worksheets were easier to use on my laptop, but every other feature of the book worked best on this platform. Links were quick, the pictures were great, and navigation was fast.

Note that if you are reading the book on any device in a place where you cannot access the internet, many of the links, including the links to the fillable worksheets, will not work.

A few notes on the fillable worksheets. You must have live web access to open the worksheets. Once you have opened them in a browser window, they can be saved to your computer, and you can use them again and again. (I am tempted to replace “The Spreadsheet” with the Calendar Worksheet below. I may try using it to plan my next vacation, and see how it goes. I’ll let you know!)

The Calendar Worksheet includes spaces for two weeks of planning—which parks, breakfast lunch dinner times and ADR number—notes on snacks/food to try and space for other notes on events and activities

The Budgeting Worksheet will help you to estimate how much you will send on each adult/child in your group, depending on what kinds of meals you plan to eat. It also helps you to decide how to pay for meals (out-of-pocket, using the Disney Dining Plan, etc.), and includes a discount checklist for various discounts available (e.g. Tables in Wonderland, DVC, AAA, etc.). It also helps price out different resort and ticket options, that when combined with estimated food costs, will give you a good idea of what you are likely to spend on your Disney World Vacation.

The Brainstorming Worksheet is a place to record your, well, brainstorming about different dining and vacation ideas.

The Booking Worksheet is a place to record all of the reservations you want to make, and any details you need to remember about the reservations (like if you will have a vegetarian in your party for that meal, if you want to order a special cake for the meal or note a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion on the reservation.

Here are the things that I liked about the book:

• It includes a full index of Disney World bars and lounges.

• The worksheets are a very cool feature.

• The planning guidance is clear and outlined step-by-step.

• Amazing pictures! They really made me hungry!

• Once you get the hang of it, navigation is relatively easy.

The e-Book format may not work for everyone, and is a bit difficult to use on the iPhone. However, it is amazing having a 250-page dining resource in your pocket. Again, I thought it rocked on the iPad!

This book is definitely for: Planners! Or people who really want to be planners, and need help figuring out how to do it. People who are feeling a bit overwhelmed with the idea of planning their Walt Disney World vacation, and would like a helpful, step-by-step approach mapped out for them. People who want to know more about the types of dining (and drinking) offered throughout Walt Disney World.

This book may not be for: Those for whom the idea of planning where to eat ahead of time is not appealing. Those who like a traditional paper format in their guidebooks.

To purchase the book with a 20% Discount, use Code: ALLEARS

DISCLOSURE: Photos provided by DFB Guide. AllEars® received a complimentary review copy of the book. Deb Wills was given a pre-publication copy of the book and provided a quote for advertising purposes. Once the e-book went on sale, AllEars® became a member of the DFB affiliate program. This did not influence the review in any way by Alice McNutt Miller, an independent reviewer and guest blogger for AllEars®.

Alice McNutt Miller is a lifelong Disney fan whose fondest childhood memories include “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights and her first trip to Disneyland when she was ten years old. Alice and her family are Disney Vacation Club members, and have visited Disney parks all over the world. They live in Vienna, Virginia.

Let me start this review by saying that when my 14-year-old daughter picked it up after seeing it on the counter in my kitchen, she immediately said: “Wow! This is so cool!” I thought that it was pretty cool, too.

The Guide to the Magic for Kids is more than just a Disney World guidebook aimed at kids (I’d say it would appeal most to kids between the ages of about 5 and 12), it is also a sticker book, an autograph book, and a trip journal. The Guide covers all four Disney World Theme parks and includes a very helpful couple of pages upfront explaining how to use the book, the symbols used, and ways to get the most out of it.

Author Tim Foster has created a truly interesting guide to Walt Disney World that kids (and their grown-ups) can use to determine what an attraction is all about, what it will be like, whether it will be scary, and other pertinent information about snacking and shopping in each area of the park.

The book starts with a description of how to use the book, with a visual explanation of what the handy symbols and used throughout refer to and what information is included (my faves: Hidden Mickeys and Scavenger Hunts). He then follows with some basic tips for making any visit to Walt Disney World more enjoyable (“Take your time!” “Take a break!”) and an index of attractions.

The book is then organized by park, by section or “Land” within each park, and by each attraction within that section of the park. Section pages list extra “stuff” to look for, a description of the shopping offered (not sure a 5-year-old would care much about this, but tweens and some grown-ups definitely would) and suggestions for where to find kid-friendly snacks or meals.

Attraction pages describe what type of ride or attraction it is, what you can expect to see or do on or in the attraction and whether or not it is scary (I didn’t always completely agree with these assessments). There is also space for kids to check off whether they did the attraction, how they rated it, and notes about things that they liked about the transaction. The pages for each country in Epcot’s World Showcase also include spaces for passport stamps and cast member autographs and spaces to draw and color each country’s flag.

Scattered throughout the book are interesting bits of trivia (“Did You Know?”). Some examples: “Did You Know? The World Fellowship Fountain [in Epcot’s Future World] was dedicated during the opening festivities of the park by Lillian Disney.” “Did You Know? As you enter Dinoland, U.S.A. [in Disney’s Animal Kingdom] you’ll pass under the Olden Gate Bridge, which is actually a replica of a 40 foot tall Brachiosaurus skeleton.”

Here are the things that I liked about the book:

• It was well-organized and easy to navigate. I liked the up-front explanation of how to use the book. The extensive index was helpful for quickly finding a particular attraction (although I kept flipping to the back of the book to find the index, and it is strangely located near the front).

• Color-coded pages allow you to flip quickly to a particular park.

• The “Did You Know?”entries add color and an additional level of interest to the entries.

• This book may actually entice your kids to do some thinking and writing during vacation!

Parents should note that the size of the book (and it is definitely meant to be brought with you as you are touring the parks) is not especially compact. It will be very difficult to be a “Guest Without Bag” if you are toting it around all day. That being said, most parents with kids are toting around lots of stuff for their little Mouseketeers. Just be sure to leave enough room in your backpack or stroller basket for the book!

This book is definitely for:

Kids who like to know more about the attractions they are about to experience than it says on the “You must be 44” tall to ride this ride” signs. Kids who like to keep notes about their trips, and want to keep all of their ink-based souvenirs (autographs, passport stamps, etc.) in one neat and tidy package.

Parents who want additional information on whether particular attractions will be right for their kids, or who are looking for a guidebook that will turn into a great trip souvenir for their kids.

This book may not be for: Kids who don’t really care to know much more about an attraction other than that they are tall enough to ride.

DISCLOSURE: Guide to the Magic is a paid advertiser in the AllEars® newsletter and provided a complimentary review copy of the book. This did not influence the review in any way. Alice McNutt Miller is an independent reviewer and guest blogger for AllEars®.

Photos provided by Guide to the Magic.

Alice McNutt Miller is a lifelong Disney fan whose fondest childhood memories include “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights and her first trip to Disneyland when she was ten years old. Alice and her family are Disney Vacation Club members, and have visited Disney parks all over the world. They live in Vienna, Virginia.

Are you the type of person who searches for references to your favorite Disney films when you visit Walt Disney World? Do you wonder where you can find your favorite (and sometimes obscure) characters from those films (J. Worthington Foulfellow*, anyone?) for a Character Meet and Greet? Do you wonder if you can find Flick anywhere in the World other than in the “it’s tough to be a bug” attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?** If so, this may be the perfect book for you!

Author Brent Dodge’s volume covering references to animated Disney films throughout Walt Disney World is fun to read, well-organized and very thorough. Dodge starts with a note about which films are and are not included in the book (only animated films, and only those films for which he believes that the references will be more than fleeting) and how to easily navigate the pages to find the references to your favorite films. The films are listed in date order; that is in order of the dates on which they were released in theatres. The index at the back of the book has listing for both the films and characters, so it is very easy to find all of the references for say “The Aristocats,” or for those specifically for Marie.

The section for each film includes the title of the film, the date of the film’s release, an enlightening and concise description of “The Film in Three Paragraphs,” references in each park, references found in Downtown Disney, and references found in the resorts. References range from the more obvious (Peter Pan’s Flight is, in fact, based on the movie “Peter Pan”) to the more difficult to spot (“If you enter Disney’s Days of Christmas [in Downtown Disney] through the first door on your left hand side while coming from the Marketplace bus stop, you can find the fairies from “The Nutcracker Suite” [“Fantasia”] on the ceiling).

Dodge also includes a variety of “Fun Facts” for some of the films, including film references that can be found in other Disney parks around the world and other interesting tidbits. For instance, in the section on “The Three Caballeros,” which takes center stage in the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros in Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion, Dodge notes that: “Even though the Three Caballeros attraction is in Mexico, Panchito is the only Mexican among the three. Jose [Carioca] is Brazilian and Donald [Duck] is American.” I did not know that!

The book also points to some areas where Disney had some rather confusing and/or mixed film references, but has since moved to make them more consistent. In Cinderella Castle: “Before 1997, Cinderella’s Royal Table was actually called King Stefan’s Banquet Hall. King Stefan is actually the father of Princess Aurora, or as most know her, Sleeping Beauty.”

Here are the things that I liked about the book:

• It was very well-organized. It is easy to find the references for particular films or characters.

• The directions for finding the references seem to be very easy to follow. [I have not actually had the chance to field test this book, however.]

• It appears that the references for each of the listed films are exhaustive. Dodge does ask readers to update him if they find references that he has either missed or that have been added since the publication of the book, and his website, www.fromscreentotheme.com, has a section for updates.

• The “Film in Three Paragraphs” inclusions are particularly useful for remembering the specifics of the films, and helping the reader to decide which of the films’ characters they are most interested in finding.

• The “Fun Facts” add color and an additional level of interest to the entries.

This book is definitely for: Those who are looking for all of the references to their favorite animated films and their characters in Walt Disney World, and who like their guidebooks to be peppered with interesting factoids. I will definitely take this book with me on my next trip to the World so that I can make sure that I spot J. Worthington Foulfellow (now that I know what his name is!) as my family and I tour the parks.

This book may not be for: Those who are not interested in finding the more obscure references to Disney animated films in the parks.

Dodge has indicated that he is working on a similar book with references to Disney live-action films. I will definitely buy this one once it is available. Brent?

* J. Worthington Foulfellow is the sneaky fox, who with his cat friend, Gideon, leads Pinocchio astray by convincing him to join up with the evil Stromboli (“An Actor’s Life for Me”) and later to venture to Pleasure Island, where Pinocchio and the other boys there are turned into donkeys by the equally evil Lampwick. I have to admit that I did not know this character’s name before reading this book!

**Observant guests can catch references to Flick in several places in the Magic of Disney Imagination attraction in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or may catch him at a Character Meet and Greet on the Discovery Island Trails at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

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DISCLOSURE: AllEars® received a complimentary review copy of the book. This did not influence the review in any way. Alice McNutt Miller is an independent reviewer and guest blogger for AllEars®.

Alice McNutt Miller is a lifelong Disney fan whose fondest childhood memories include “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights and her first trip to Disneyland when she was ten years old. Alice and her family are Disney Vacation Club members, and have visited Disney parks all over the world. They live in Vienna, Virginia.

by Alice McNutt Miller
Guest Blogger

“Walt Disney World Hidden History: Remnants of Former Attractions & Other Tributes” by Kevin Yee

Kevin Yee has written an enjoyable guide to the “hidden history” of Walt Disney World (with a bonus chapter on “History at Universal Studios Florida”), pointing out tributes to Disney personalities, park milestones and opening dates and remaining bits of now-defunct attractions. The book is organized by theme park and has helpful appendices that include the operational dates of now-gone attractions, and the individuals listed on the various windows of Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. A person could easily use the book on a “live” tour through each of the theme parks, searching for these interesting historical tidbits (unfortunately, I have not been able to do this yet!). Disney Imagineers left a huge number of homages to themselves, to Imagineers who had gone before them, and to previous Disneyland and Walt Disney World attractions scattered throughout the parks. This book will lead the reader on a voyage of discovery of intertwined historical references and remembrance of things past.

I found the book’s descriptions of “reused” or “repurposed” items particularly interesting. Yee describes a number of animatronic figures that show up in different guises in different attractions. For instance, the ghostly old woman in the rocking chair in the Ballroom scene in the Haunted Mansion is the same figure as the grandmother in the Carousel of Progress, and many of the animatronic figures in Epcot’s Spaceship Earth are copies of figures in the Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom. It is a great testament to the ingenuity of the Disney Imagineers that they are able to find multiple uses for these complex (and expensive!) figures.

I also enjoyed the descriptions of old attractions, how they have changed into newer ones, and what they left behind. A good example is the section where Yee describes the changes that have occurred over the years in the “Journey into Imagination with Figment” attraction at Epcot. I must admit that this attraction continues to befuddle me. I know that it has loads of enthusiasts, but I just don’t get it. After reading Yee’s description of the changes in the ride, and the elements remaining from earlier versions, I still don’t get it. However, I will look for the references to one of my all-time-favorite childhood movies -- “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” -- the next time I ride.

Here are the things that I liked about the book:

• It was obviously well-researched, and had tons of very interesting information, particularly for those who are either interested in the park histories, or who may be finding themselves missing a now-defunct attraction.
• The entries were laid out generally in order of proximity within each theme park, so finding them should be relatively easy.
• The book was fun to read, even at home when I was not able to actually look at the item being described.

However, I did find the subject headings a bit difficult to follow. Some refer to the attraction or building, some to an event, some to a particular person such as an Imagineer. I would have preferred more consistency in the labeling.

This book is definitely for: Those who want quick, concise historical information on “hidden” remnants and tributes scattered throughout Walt Disney World. This is the type of book that deserves to be taken to the parks with you, so that you can dip into the interesting trivia as you tour.

This book may not be for: Those who want more in-depth historical information on attractions, buildings, artwork and other structures, or Disney personages. While there was lots of basic information, I found myself wanting more in some instances. That may need to be the subject of a future book review...

Happy digging everyone!

“Walt Disney World Hidden History: Remnants of Former Attractions & Other Tributes” by Kevin Yee is available on Amazon through the AllEars.Net store HERE There is also a Kindle version of the book.

EDITOR'S NOTE: AllEars.Net received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author.