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About this item
Highlights
- A propulsive and "entertaining" (The Wall Street Journal) history chronicling the conception and creation of the iconic Disneyland theme park, as told like never before by popular historian Richard Snow.One day in the early 1950s, Walt Disney stood looking over 240 acres of farmland in Anaheim, California, and imagined building a park where people "could live among Mickey Mouse and Snow White in a world still powered by steam and fire for a day or a week or (if the visitor is slightly mad) forever.
- Author(s): Richard Snow
- 432 Pages
- Business + Money Management, Corporate & Business History
Description
About the Book
"By the early 1950s Walt Disney's great achievements in animation were behind him, and he was increasingly bored by the two-dimensional film medium. He wanted to work in three, to build an entirely new sort of amusement park, one that relied more on cinematic techniques than on thrill rides ... Disneyland's Main Street sparked an architectural preservation movement that touched every American downtown--and remains controversial: many see it as a retreat from life itself. What is beyond argument is that Disneyland was something new, both in public entertainment and in the way its 'lands' managed to chime with how millions of Americans wanted to view their country"--Book Synopsis
A propulsive and "entertaining" (The Wall Street Journal) history chronicling the conception and creation of the iconic Disneyland theme park, as told like never before by popular historian Richard Snow.One day in the early 1950s, Walt Disney stood looking over 240 acres of farmland in Anaheim, California, and imagined building a park where people "could live among Mickey Mouse and Snow White in a world still powered by steam and fire for a day or a week or (if the visitor is slightly mad) forever." Despite his wealth and fame, exactly no one wanted Disney to build such a park. Not his brother Roy, who ran the company's finances; not the bankers; and not his wife, Lillian. Amusement parks at that time, such as Coney Island, were a generally despised business, sagging and sordid remnants of bygone days. Disney was told that he would only be heading toward financial ruin. But Walt persevered, initially financing the park against his own life insurance policy and later with sponsorship from ABC and the sale of thousands and thousands of Davy Crockett coonskin caps. Disney assembled a talented team of engineers, architects, artists, animators, landscapers, and even a retired admiral to transform his ideas into a soaring yet soothing wonderland of a park. The catch was that they had only a year and a day in which to build it. On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened its gates...and the first day was a disaster. Disney was nearly suicidal with grief that he had failed on a grand scale. But the curious masses kept coming, and the rest is entertainment history. Eight hundred million visitors have flocked to the park since then. In Disney's Land, "Snow brings a historian's eye and a child's delight, not to mention superb writing, to the telling of this fascinating narrative" (Ken Burns) that "will entertain Disneyphiles and readers of popular American history" (Publishers Weekly).Review Quotes
"Entertaining...Mr. Snow [proves] to be as solid a storyteller as Walt Disney himself." -The Wall Street Journal "Disney fans will enjoy this rendering of the founder and entrepreneurs will find their time well spent inside the covers of Snow's book." -Associated Press "Disneyland is rarely mentioned as a milestone American invention, but it should be...The captivating origin story of the 'Happiest Place on Earth' is well-told in Disney's Land, the latest work from esteemed historian and novelist Richard Snow. It's a rollicking read befitting the home of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, chock full of Alice-in-Wonderland-level surprises, with the grandeur of Sleeping Beauty's Castle, and other delightful details (Walt Disney would eat his favorite hot dog lunch from a cart, walk away, and place garbage receptacles at the exact spot he finished his frankfurter.)" -Medium
Dimensions (Overall): 8.3 Inches (H) x 5.4 Inches (W) x 1.1 Inches (D)
Weight: .75 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 432
Genre: Business + Money Management
Sub-Genre: Corporate & Business History
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Format: Paperback
Author: Richard Snow
Language: English
Street Date: December 1, 2020
TCIN: 80404811
UPC: 9781501190810
Item Number (DPCI): 247-48-1733
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 1.1 inches length x 5.4 inches width x 8.3 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.75 pounds
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