Rating: 
Summary: Good, but bizzare
Review: After reading this book, I will probably no longer feel safe in any Disney theme park. They're making the rides unsafe just to save money (it's stupid they're doing that because they have ALOT of money and they CAN make the rides safe!) which results with people dying on the rides. If you are injured, you probably won't make it because Disney will decide what to do. If you're taking your children to DisneyWorld, read this book and it will discourage you. If you're planning on becoming a fireman at DisneyWorld, read this book and it will scare you into not working at Disneyworld. What they talk about in this book is true(some mistakes) but some of the stories are so odd, they just can't be. It saddens me and even makes me really angry to see known directors mentioned in this book, such as Francis Ford Cuppola(Why?) who worked with Victor Salva(I never seen Victor's movies and I never will, because I don't care for his movies) who just happens to be a child molestor. Folks, read this book and it will send chills down your spine.
Rating: 
Summary: Proper attention to private agendas and moral relativism
Review: Despite what Disney apologists and libertarian cultural relativists have said to try and discredit this book, anyone who reads it cannot deny what the authors' documentation reveals: a company driven by profits gained from the ever growing hedonistic nihilistic youth culture, bent on tearing down any semblance of traditional morality. The book was co-authored by a Hoover fellow and his wife and is very well written and documented. Among other things, the book chronicles the dubious and dangerous labor practices that Disney seems to have adopted at the risk of worker and customer safety at its theme parks (especially interesting after the death of a woman over this past Christmas at one of Disney's parks). The authors also expose the activities of Disney owned companies such as Hollywood Records and Miramax films. In regard to the former, we learn that Disney actively embraced and promoted the most extreme rock groups. These groups sing about satanism, rape, drug use, suicide, among other things. Despite simple minded libertarian defenses of this behaviour as simply economic self interest, (after all, British opium producers would have said the same thing to their Chinese victims), Disney pursued this type of music even when other labels and MTV thought many of their groups were too extreme to either sign or give air time to. Likewise, the authors discuss Miramax films, a company specializing in quasi pornographic movies that purvey themes so perverse many of their films initially received a rating of NC17 until their lawyers entered the fray. Of course of all the various movie companies to buy, interestingly enough Disney chose Miramax even with its many controversial movies. Miramax movies such as Powder and Kids, movies with directors who either are convicted child molestors or who engage in child pornography, made their movies with Disney financial support. The authors also interview animators who admit to having included obscene drawings in various Disney cartoons. We also learn the various political and new age agendas behind movies such as Pocahontas and Mulan. Far from being a 'fringe' book with an axe to grind, anyone who reads this shocking and well documented book cannot but help think that those who attack it 'protest to much,' perhaps because they can't stand the light of day. Lenin always said cinema was the most powerful modern medium.
Rating:
Summary: Walt is Rolling in His Grave.
Review: Everybody loves the Walt Disney Company. At least Disney wants everyone to love Disney and if you don't love them, you know deep down inside that you really, really, really want to love the company. However, every since Michael Eisner took control of the company in the late 1980's, the house that Walt built has changed into a den of sin facaded by the image that Walt worked so hard to earn.DISNEY: THE MOUSE BETRAYED is a proper title for this book because it illustrates just how drastic things have changed at the Walt Disney Company. The first half of the book deals with crime, accidents, and controversies that have occurred at the Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida. The evidence to support the claims made in the book is quite solid and well documented. The second part of the book displays the various enterprises that Disney has ventured into since Eisner became king, illustrating how the Company has abandoned the policies and ethics established by Walt Disney himself. Granted that when Walt was alive there were problems and things weren't as rose-colored as most people believe. Nevertheless, Walt Disney did love families and he did follow a code of ethics and respectability that was enforced throughout his enterprises. He made an entertainment empire that people came to trust and feel safe about. However, that trust has been betrayed and many have no idea just how deep the darkness flows. The book has some flaws, but overall it is an eye-opener. If you've never heard of some of the sin and greed that Disney has ventured into the past 15-20 years, you will be surprised and possibly shocked.
Rating:
Summary: All I can say is that it checks out.
Review: Having recently finished this book after reading a number of the posted reviews available in this forum, it is understandable why reactions seem rather polarized. The book is well-written, documented, and responsible in its claims. The authors do discuss some of the disturbing activities and products promoted by Disney owned companies. It is true that the book suggests that Disney may be engaged in certain political and cultural propaganda activities of its own through employing and promoting certain attitudes towards sex, environmentalism, and family. The theory seems to be that Disney -- not necessarily at the behest of a cabal of upper management but through some sort of conscious means -- uses the venue of its family entertainment products to "adjust attitudes" and proselytize for various liberal ideas. If you are familar with recent Disney movies and the ideologies and politics of Hollywood, this may sound like a plausible claim; if you think this would be a good thing or, at the very least, unobjectionable if true, the claims in this book might seem trivial or uninteresting. In the end, if you sense or believe something has changed in what Disney produces these days, the book will be interesting and valuable. If, however, you believe people ought to be allowed to profit from activities that are legal and underscored by consentual agreement, the fact that Disney might be engaging in good 'ole fashioned Kurt Lewin "change-agent" behaviour, might sound paranoid or ridiculous. If you are a concerned parent, reading this book and viewing some of the cartoons released by Disney in the last decade might assist you in determining whether the claims hold water or are hogwash.
Rating:
Summary: Read and decide for yourself
Review: Having recently finished this book after reading a number of the posted reviews available in this forum, it is understandable why reactions seem rather polarized. The book is well-written, documented, and responsible in its claims. The authors do discuss some of the disturbing activities and products promoted by Disney owned companies. It is true that the book suggests that Disney may be engaged in certain political and cultural propaganda activities of its own through employing and promoting certain attitudes towards sex, environmentalism, and family. The theory seems to be that Disney -- not necessarily at the behest of a cabal of upper management but through some sort of conscious means -- uses the venue of its family entertainment products to "adjust attitudes" and proselytize for various liberal ideas. If you are familar with recent Disney movies and the ideologies and politics of Hollywood, this may sound like a plausible claim; if you think this would be a good thing or, at the very least, unobjectionable if true, the claims in this book might seem trivial or uninteresting. In the end, if you sense or believe something has changed in what Disney produces these days, the book will be interesting and valuable. If, however, you believe people ought to be allowed to profit from activities that are legal and underscored by consentual agreement, the fact that Disney might be engaging in good 'ole fashioned Kurt Lewin "change-agent" behaviour, might sound paranoid or ridiculous. If you are a concerned parent, reading this book and viewing some of the cartoons released by Disney in the last decade might assist you in determining whether the claims hold water or are hogwash.
Rating: 
Summary: An extremely mixed bag.
Review: Note that this book appears on the web site for conservative books. That should be the first sign of how biased this book is. Like all conservatives do, the authors distort things to their own liking and try to brianwash the gullible public. If Disney employs homosexuals I think they should be applauded. No, I'm not gay nor do I agree with homosexuality but I believe in being fair. What made these authors mad is clearly that Disney is becoming increasingly liberal (which I think is a good sign) and are offended by all the positive advancements of the Co. Don't waste your money, if you belive what this book says then you might as well believe that 4+4=13!
Rating:
Summary: Scweizers Expose a Disney few would recognize.
Review: The background of the authors as investigative journalists comes through in this book. some claim they lack proof, yet they reproduce actual documents, they name names. They give actual dates and times. Schweizers have no axes to grind. they have successful careers of their own even if theycompletely ignore Disney. They are in fact former annual season pass holders. This book is written to be very readable, even as it addresses subjects which can be hard to stommach. They spend two chapters on Disney's management ( or lack of it.) of Miramax International alone. other than making money Miramax founders were given one rule by "the mouse," nothing above a R rating. Yet this book will tell you how the men behind Miramax used Disney's money with Disney's knowledge to set up subsidiaires to do just that. You will also learn how Disney uses their control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District around their Orlando theme parks to act as a quasi-government. Call 911 at Disney ? You'll get Reedy Creek ! You can talk to a real cop only if Disney wants you too. However don't rip off "the mouse." If you steal from Disney you get to see a real cop in a heartbeat. Then they will prosecute to the limit. Other non-financial investigations seem to stall before they get started. If you have children in your life, you have an obligation to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: This is a very angry book--and it has every right to be.
Review: The Walt Disney Co. ("Walt Disney Productions" back in my youth before I was 15) was once one of my favourite studios. That all changed the moment Eisner took over and proceeded to destroy Walt's legacy as quickly and efficiently as possible without any care or concern to the studio he was tampering with. It was once my biggest dream as a professional cartoonist to work with Disney, but I turned down a huge contract offer with them simply because I could never support such a slander. The Schweizers have gone to excellent lengths to demonstrate just how badly astray Eisner has dragged Disney, so much so that I seriously wish that the studio had quietly vanished with dignity instead of suffering Eisner's corruption. There's only one reason why I don't give this book a full five stars: there are a few errors sprinkled here and there which I know about for a fact, and I only wish to report on them to show that I'm attempting to be fair (to all those who would accuse me of "jumping on the bandwagon without knowledge"). For example, the Schweizers report on the controversy regarding Donald Duck using profanity in the cartoon "Clock Cleaners". However, that cartoon is nearly 100 years old! (unless there was a new cartoon with the same name made recently for television which I don't know of.) Nobody had ever had any problems with that old short before all this occurred. But while reporting on that detail is flawed, it still nevertheless shows just how untrustworthy The New Disney had become; it demonstrates that by the mid-90s the public was so untrustworthy of Eisner's corporation that they were examining everything with scrutiny, and that isn't merely the result of mass hysteria. Also, while Walt certainly did strive to keep things family friendly during his reign, the studio wasn't always exactly as clean behind the scenes as one would like to think. But even with that fact being known, what used to go on in the past is tame compared to today. The authors are understandably angry with the situation, as anyone my age and older who remembers Old School Disney has to right to feel, and at times their reporting boils with sarcasm to the point where you get the impression that they want to explode and literally slap Eisner for all the harm he has caused. In their chapter detailing one of the most inexcusable actions Eisner's Disney has ever taken--getting involved in the porn business-- they pause long enough from describing the programming being supported by Eisner to briefly remark, "Can't you just feel the Disney magic?" But I can wholly understand their feelings: the authors are protecting someone they love. Walt was no saint, but God knows he tried his best, and watching greed corrupt his memory is akin to watching an innocent late relative being accused of child abuse. Walt cannot reply for himself, his dignity is seriously at stake. The authors speak for all of us who have watched this injustice: we demand wrongs to be immediately set right. Look at me, emphasizing up there such an outcry. That's the sort of urgeny this book fills you with. And, unfortunately, it's also a highly justified response to a hideous crime that is the sad, unneccessarily-brought-about truth. I say boot Eisner out and bring in someone who genuinely cares. It's the only solution.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: This book is a rather detailed look at WDW and the company profile. I find it suprising that people could look at WD Company and not conceieve that some of the things that this book covers would not happen. The culture, the types of people who are driven to work for the Mouse, and the company that from onr time period from 1984 to present has increased its value tenfold. The revelation that WD Company would sign a deal with different type of people to gain profits is not a revelation, but if you read this book, you need to read a few others before this one: Married to the Mouse, which discusses the relationship between WDW and the state of Florida; Storming the Magic Kingdom, the Wall Street Raid in WD Company; The Disney Touch, a recap of Michael Eisner's coming of age into WD Company. Another interesting book that could give you some backround into WDW is the pocket handbook for WDW by eve ziebart. I may have the title wrong, but you can find it on Amazon. There are also a few books that discuss the behind the scene look at Disneyland, which is entertaing reading. This book, while giving us good backround, I believe only touches the surface of what goes on in the company is experiencing trying to top the windfall years of yesterday. People need to look at Disney and accept them for what they are. The need to make money is overtaking the quality of things WDW is putting out, and the quantity is not equaling quality.
Rating: 
Summary: The Mouse Betrayed...By the author
Review: This book is a rather detailed look at WDW and the company profile. I find it suprising that people could look at WD Company and not conceieve that some of the things that this book covers would not happen. The culture, the types of people who are driven to work for the Mouse, and the company that from onr time period from 1984 to present has increased its value tenfold. The revelation that WD Company would sign a deal with different type of people to gain profits is not a revelation, but if you read this book, you need to read a few others before this one: Married to the Mouse, which discusses the relationship between WDW and the state of Florida; Storming the Magic Kingdom, the Wall Street Raid in WD Company; The Disney Touch, a recap of Michael Eisner's coming of age into WD Company. Another interesting book that could give you some backround into WDW is the pocket handbook for WDW by eve ziebart. I may have the title wrong, but you can find it on Amazon. There are also a few books that discuss the behind the scene look at Disneyland, which is entertaing reading. This book, while giving us good backround, I believe only touches the surface of what goes on in the company is experiencing trying to top the windfall years of yesterday. People need to look at Disney and accept them for what they are. The need to make money is overtaking the quality of things WDW is putting out, and the quantity is not equaling quality.
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