How in the World…?, by Dave Schroeder, is a book that takes a look behind the scenes at Disney World. Read on for my review!
I really enjoy reading and learning about Disney history, so I was excited to come across How in the World…? It covers quite a good bit of history in the beginning. Then it also takes a behind-the-scenes look into how the park has functioned throughout the years. Think of it as not just the what, but the how.
If you’ve ever wondered:
- How did Disney build a vacation kingdom in the middle of a swamp?
- How did Disney build an attraction inside a geosphere?
- How does Disney make 3,500 acres of landscaped grounds look so beautiful?
- How does Walt Disney World run so smoothly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?
And more, then this is the book for you.
Now, I will be honest – I went into reading this one like I do most Disney World non-fiction books. My expectation was that I would probably learn a few tidbits here and there. But ultimately, I thought I would probably be familiar with most of the material.
I’m happy to say I was wrong! This is one of the most in-depth, detailed Disney books I’ve ever come across. There were some things I did know already, but I’d venture to say that there was plenty new to me. As a Disney book nerd, that’s a pretty great feat!
About this book
Dave Schroder is the right person to write this book, as he spent a long time working with the Disney company – both in California and in Florida. He worked in Burbank corporate headquarters and spent a lot of time at the Disney archives doing research for this project.
The book features three sections. Section One tackles “How Walt Disney World Came to Be.” It starts with the World’s Fair, and then leads into Disney acquiring the swampland in Florida. If you’re a Disney history buff, I suspect this first section will probably have the most information that you’re already familiar with. This part also covered the creation of some of the early resorts, including the Swan and Dolphin.
The next section is “Walt Disney World’s Theme Parks and Attractions.” It starts off with a section about imagineering. Then we have a chapter on Magic Kingdom, and two on Epcot (Future World and World Showcase). We also get a chapter about MGM (today’s Hollywood Studios). Finally, a chapter covers a few other things, such as Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs).
I found the chapter about MGM particularly interesting. Many Disney history books really only focus on Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I also feel like some of the tidbits in this chapter were not your usual Disney facts.
Finally, part three is about “The Daily Operations of Walt Disney World.” Some chapters focused on entertainment spectaculars, landscaping, human resources, marketing, park operations, food operations, and merchandise operations.
Disney’s formative years: 1963-1992
When covering such a huge topic with so much detail, there was the potential for the book to feel a bit unwieldy. The author chose to only focus on the World’s Fair and Disney World’s opening up until 1992.
This is actually a good choice in many ways, because there is just so much information to cover. You’ve got to draw the line somewhere! I think he actually could have written several books with the amount of content here. Limiting the scope slightly helps prevent it from getting too nitty-gritty or boring.
When you pick up the book, you might not realize it only goes up to 1992 – and that really needs to be clearer. The tone makes this even more confusing. Some sections use present tense to describe attractions Disney removed long ago. For instance, a sentence about Epcot: “The Italian pavilion is home to another one of guests’ favorite World Showcase Restaurants – Alfredo’s.”
If you’re learning about this for the first time, it’s easy to conclude that Alfredo’s is still operating in Epcot. In actuality, it closed in 2007. A little editing might have helped with that. I say that just to be aware when you start reading. Don’t expect to be hearing anything about Animal Kingdom!
I had the chance to interview Dave, and asked him to talk a little bit more about why he chose this time period. I think it makes a lot of sense (and for those of us who didn’t experience Disney back then, it’s great to have a book that takes that perspective).
Dave: “A lot of that decision was because I really wanted to focus on the “early” days and the “can do” and “pioneering” spirit of the people involved at that time. The things they were able to achieve in those times were remarkable and the underlying theme of the book.”
Highlights
My favorite section was probably about the Daily Operations of Walt Disney World, the last section in the book. It reminded me of when I did the Backstage Magic tour.
I also wanted to share a few of my favorite fun facts that I learned about the book!
- Eisner described MGM as the Hollywood of the 1930s and 40s that never really existed, except in the minds of people caught up in Tinseltown’s glitz and glamour.
- Robert Moses was very interested in the Lincoln animatronic – when it came to getting it at the World’s Fair, he actually helped raise some money himself.
- The voice of Cousin Orville in Carousel of Progress was provided by Mel Blanc.
- Imagineering has its own Information Research Center, with over 50,000 books and periodicals.
- When designing the costumes for the Hall of Presidents, they only used the types of fabric that were available during each president’s era.
- Some of the more unusual items that have been turned into Disney World’s lost and found include a typewriter, waterbed, portable organ, and glass eye.
- Over the course of a year, 32,000 pounds of spaghetti sauce are prepared at Disney World.
This is honestly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what you can learn in this book. But I think it gives you a good example of the kind of info you can find here!
When I spoke with Dave, I asked him his favorite Disney World “fun fact” that many people probably don’t know:
” Back in the day when cash was king, the currency taken in was weighed – not counted – by cast members in Deposit Operations who prepared the daily bank deposit. Deposits were initially prepared by the cashiers at each sales location who bundled the currency by denomination and prepared an internal deposit slip. When the deposit bags reached Deposit Operations, scales which were specially calibrated to account for the weight of “dirty” money and the rubber bands used to bundle the currency, were used. If the scale indicated the same amount of currency as the internal deposit slip, the individual bills of currency were never counted in Deposit Operations.” “
Researching the book
Finally, I do have to mention that as a librarian, my biggest qualm with this book is the lack of any citations or source material. It seems that Mr. Schroeder had access to many reliable resources and lots of experience, but in today’s day and age we cannot just accept things are fact because someone has a good resume. I would have liked to see citations, or at the very least more discussion on how he acquired this information.
For instance, on page 151 the book mentions that Walt Disney World is the largest employer of musicians in the world. That sounds plausible, but I’d love to know the source for that information! The book includes many examples like this, and factual claims consistently need proper citations.
For a little more background, here’s what Dave had to say about his research:
” Almost all the information came from hundreds of articles in magazines, newspapers, trade publications and internal Disney newsletters as well as other books about Walt Disney World. The great thing about the Disney Archives is that they had copies of virtually all the articles that have been written about Disney. There were many articles in trade publications for the construction industry, hotel industry, mechanical and engineering trades which were very detailed about various topics. The internal Disney newsletters were also a source of very interesting and reliable information particularly about backstage operations.”
Overall I would say that if you enjoy learning about Disney World, you don’t want to pass this up! This book packs in a lot of fascinating information, and I think almost everyone will learn something.
Interested in grabbing a copy for yourself? Head over to Theme Park Press to get an e-book or physical book!
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