Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Information
Review: For anyone interested in knowing more of the facts, details, trivia and a few stories behind Walt Disney World and the Disney Company this is an interesting book. It does tend to have it's dark side, but since it's an "unofficial" book that is expected. It was easy to get over those parts and move onto reading the more interesting facts and trivia provided.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Information
Review: For anyone interested in knowing more of the facts, details, trivia and a few stories behind Walt Disney World and the Disney Company this is an interesting book. It does tend to have it's dark side, but since it's an "unofficial" book that is expected. It was easy to get over those parts and move onto reading the more interesting facts and trivia provided.
Rating: 
Summary: Little new, with condescension to boot
Review: I came to the book looking for interesting inside tidbits. What I found was a book not well-researched, with a number of outright factual errors, such as the old urban legend that the top of the castle can be removed in the event of a hurricane.
All this is wrapped up in a post-modern smugness that makes the reading experience, while fast-moving, downright unpleasant at times.
Rating: 
Summary: Looking for more...
Review: I guess I wanted there to be more... a lot of good information (although incredibly negative). This give you a glimpse into what WDW has inside of its shell.
Rating:
Summary: Looking for more...
Review: I guess I wanted there to be more... a lot of good information (although incredibly negative). This give you a glimpse into what WDW has inside of its shell.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven book with lots of good but some bad
Review: I really enjoyed most of the chapters of this book. The author gives lots of tidbits of behind the scenes, the beginning of DisneyWorld and the different lands. What I didn't enjoy was that it skipped about so much. The chapter on whether or not Disney's Magic Kingdom is politically correct was written in a biased tone and didn't match the other chapters upbeat tone. Also, although petty, it does seem the author rushed to print. Tom Cruise DID NOT dance with Snow White at the Academy Awards - that was Rob Lowe and Michael Eisner graduated from Denison not Dennison. The editors must have been asleep. These are very easy facts to check. Otherwise I enjoyed the information - it was a fun companion book to the typical guide book
Rating: 
Summary: A Fun and Interesting Read
Review: I think Zibart misses the point with this book. It reads like a collection of magazine or newspaper articles, and has a highly cynical tone, that masquerades as investigative journalism.Some portions of the book are interesting, but the most interesting parts are borrowed from widely available sources (she quotes Birnbaum's guide frequently). The review of Eisner era history is perhaps the most informative section of the book. Zibart doesn't go to Disneyworld to be entertained or to have a good time, she is in search of a story, and she doesn't really find one. Her chapter on Disney's view of history is particularly mean spirited, and deconstructionist in nature. She often gets it wrong, looking for political correctness. She overlooks Disneyland as an historical antecedant to the WDW Magic Kindgom, in terms of ride development and change. She overlooks the value of Disney style entertainment in stimulating interest in history. She also applies a kind of psuedo-psychological analysis of Disney, which ultimately says much more about Ziebarts psychology than Walt's or Eisner's. She spends far too much time writing about hidden Mickey's when that information is readily available on the Web. She doesn't give credit to her sources either. There are better insider books available. This fails to be an expose or a well thought out critique.
Rating:
Summary: A cynical book written in magazine style.
Review: I think Zibart misses the point with this book. It reads like a collection of magazine or newspaper articles, and has a highly cynical tone, that masquerades as investigative journalism. Some portions of the book are interesting, but the most interesting parts are borrowed from widely available sources (she quotes Birnbaum's guide frequently). The review of Eisner era history is perhaps the most informative section of the book. Zibart doesn't go to Disneyworld to be entertained or to have a good time, she is in search of a story, and she doesn't really find one. Her chapter on Disney's view of history is particularly mean spirited, and deconstructionist in nature. She often gets it wrong, looking for political correctness. She overlooks Disneyland as an historical antecedant to the WDW Magic Kindgom, in terms of ride development and change. She overlooks the value of Disney style entertainment in stimulating interest in history. She also applies a kind of psuedo-psychological analysis of Disney, which ultimately says much more about Ziebarts psychology than Walt's or Eisner's. She spends far too much time writing about hidden Mickey's when that information is readily available on the Web. She doesn't give credit to her sources either. There are better insider books available. This fails to be an expose or a well thought out critique.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't Live Up to the Unofficial Name
Review: I was disappointed in this book even though my expectations weren't particularly high. A large part of my disappointment had to do with the muddied writing, as other reviewers have noted. While some--not all--of the facts are correct (and I could have used footnotes for the rest), I found myself relying on what I already knew to make sense of what was written. Particularly bad was the section entitled, "The Mouse that Soared: The Michael Eisner Era." I was also confused as to what was the book's intention: biographical, trivia, cultural critique? The book's intentions and tones wavered throughout. In addition to problems with the book's style and objectives, I felt let down by its content. The book claims to be "for traveler who want more than the official line," but I didn't find it particularly revealing or enlightening. Many of the criticisms, especially those about Disney and history, are glossed over. Although I have heard these criticisms before (and find them valid), the book's use of these arguments seem underdeveloped. It appears the book attempts to appear critical by using others' critiques of Disney rather than developing its own. In fact, the whole book seemed derivative of Stephen Fjellman's Vinyl Leaves, biographies of Walt Disney, and other guidebooks or online resources. To be fair, there is one section that might be useful to the Walt Disney World traveler. It's "The Fun Factory," a section primarily dedicated to Hidden Mickeys (three-circle icons resembling the Mickey Mouse logo that are cleverly concealed). The book reveals the location for several of these Hidden Mickeys. While this information is available online and in more accessible structures, having it available in a pocket-sized edition is convenient. The timeline is also nice as a summary. And if you already know a lot about Disney, the book does remind you of the park's background and some of its problems. I think the more you know about the parks--the good and the bad--the more you can appreciate them. Unfortunately,I do not recommend this book to anyone but the most die-hard fans who can supplement this book with their own knowledge. While I have always found The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World helpful and delightful, I cannot say the same for this book. It does not live up the Unofficial Guide's reputation. If I wanted to read a book that offered more than the unofficial line in its examination of Disney World, I would read Fjellman's book. It *is* critical, but also well-written and detailed (if a bit dense at times). Or buy another Unofficial Guide.
Rating:
Summary: An editorial 5-day hopper!
Review: If you're looking for a Fodor's review look elsewhere! This is a great behind the scenes account on Disney. A must for any Disney Fan! Visiting the park 5 times myself, I found this book a great insight to the Magic and Myth of the happiest place on earth. The book covers everything from the land acquisition, to the history of the rides, to Eisner's Business dealings. Fun, yet frank. Straight to the point without being too biased or negative. Tons of facts. A nice easy read!
| 
