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From Dreamer to Dreamfinder: A Life and Lessons Learned in 40 Years Behind a Name Tag
Ron Schneider takes you on a journey through 40 years of personal triumph and corporate challenges. It's an intimate look into the creative worlds of Disney, Universal, and Six Flags Magic Mountain; a no-holds-barred memoir filled with wild characters and wilder concepts, complete with a step-by-step guide to how the magic is made!
302 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 8, 2013
3.5 Stars
I was interested in the book since I still fondly recall how much Imagination sparked my own imagination and sense of wonder since my first trip to WDW in 1984. Figment and Dreamfinder hold special places in my heart and I was curious to learn more about the characters, the creation and the back story as it were.
The book does get into a bit of that, but it's not just about that. It's about Schneider's history in theater, amusement parks, etc. from his early days of visiting Disneyland as a child through various jobs ranging from dinner shows to theme parks and more. He's been all over the place apparently. I never gave much thought to the scope of the actor for whom the singular character was my only prior point of reference.
And while all of that was interesting from an autobiographical sense, really, I thought the meat and bones of the book was going to be more JUST about Dreamfinder. And it wasn't.
The other issue is that Schneider comes across in the beginning as a wide-eyed kid full of wonder and spunk, but by the end, you feel he's got a bit of a self-inflated ego. Everything HE thinks is - or often rather would be - flawless and perfect, if it weren't for those meddling managers! (Said in the Scooby Do villain voice.)
I've know this kind of person before. Having been VP of Drama Club, worked in theater, doing voice overs, plays, etc. [oh so many years ago] myself in my younger days, I encountered people for whom there is NOTHING they are not certain they know better than EVERYTHING theatrical. They get so deep into it that they become annoying to be around because everything they do is GOLD and they always have something critical to say about others - but never themselves. Their passion is impressive but it overrides their balance and their ability to interact on a social level or business level in more moderate ways. For those who have worked directly in creative environments and have encountered these types, you'll recognize immediately as the book goes on how Schneider is so thoroughly That Type. (For those who haven't worked with creative types, well, I still think you'll see what I mean as the book progresses.)
All that said, the book was still interesting. And there's no doubt Schneider has a lot of experience and passion for the craft of entertainment and characters. But, if you're in it for the Disney-only side of things, Dreamfinder is only a small part of the book, so I'd caution you against buying it merely for some deep, insider knowledge of that character alone.
This would be an informative book for someone wanting to pursue a career in live entertainment (with a theme park focus specifically) because of the depth of tips and knowledge included but...I'd caution against taking it all too literal. You'll see Schneider goes through many (many!) jobs throughout his career and many of them ending due to "problems" with "management" which translates into being "a difficult to manage" employee. One needs to tread lightly in his lessons to take the truly valuable tips while leaving the slightly smug sense of superiority behind.
I was interested in the book since I still fondly recall how much Imagination sparked my own imagination and sense of wonder since my first trip to WDW in 1984. Figment and Dreamfinder hold special places in my heart and I was curious to learn more about the characters, the creation and the back story as it were.
The book does get into a bit of that, but it's not just about that. It's about Schneider's history in theater, amusement parks, etc. from his early days of visiting Disneyland as a child through various jobs ranging from dinner shows to theme parks and more. He's been all over the place apparently. I never gave much thought to the scope of the actor for whom the singular character was my only prior point of reference.
And while all of that was interesting from an autobiographical sense, really, I thought the meat and bones of the book was going to be more JUST about Dreamfinder. And it wasn't.
The other issue is that Schneider comes across in the beginning as a wide-eyed kid full of wonder and spunk, but by the end, you feel he's got a bit of a self-inflated ego. Everything HE thinks is - or often rather would be - flawless and perfect, if it weren't for those meddling managers! (Said in the Scooby Do villain voice.)
I've know this kind of person before. Having been VP of Drama Club, worked in theater, doing voice overs, plays, etc. [oh so many years ago] myself in my younger days, I encountered people for whom there is NOTHING they are not certain they know better than EVERYTHING theatrical. They get so deep into it that they become annoying to be around because everything they do is GOLD and they always have something critical to say about others - but never themselves. Their passion is impressive but it overrides their balance and their ability to interact on a social level or business level in more moderate ways. For those who have worked directly in creative environments and have encountered these types, you'll recognize immediately as the book goes on how Schneider is so thoroughly That Type. (For those who haven't worked with creative types, well, I still think you'll see what I mean as the book progresses.)
All that said, the book was still interesting. And there's no doubt Schneider has a lot of experience and passion for the craft of entertainment and characters. But, if you're in it for the Disney-only side of things, Dreamfinder is only a small part of the book, so I'd caution you against buying it merely for some deep, insider knowledge of that character alone.
This would be an informative book for someone wanting to pursue a career in live entertainment (with a theme park focus specifically) because of the depth of tips and knowledge included but...I'd caution against taking it all too literal. You'll see Schneider goes through many (many!) jobs throughout his career and many of them ending due to "problems" with "management" which translates into being "a difficult to manage" employee. One needs to tread lightly in his lessons to take the truly valuable tips while leaving the slightly smug sense of superiority behind.
June 20, 2013
While most books on theme park development focus on design and engineering, Schneider gives us a glimpse into an often neglected aspect, live entertainers. Schneider himself has led a unique and industrious career portraying a variety of characters in themed entertainment around the world. Although perhaps his greatest and most beloved character was the Dreamfinder in Epcot's original Journey Into Imagination. Dreamfinder was so beloved he even managed to find his way into an episode of South Park decades later.
Schneider clearly is a master of his craft, his appendices alone are worth the price of admission. In there he makes a number of extremely keen observations on the art of themed entertainment. However, his scholarship becomes his Achilles heel in this memoir, because all too often we're left reading page after page about why his management in one job after the next was incompetent, and if only they'd listened to him, things would have been better. I don't doubt he may have suffered through some difficult bosses, but managing creative people is challenging, and the trend that emerges in this book is that Schneider may have been particularly difficult himself. Being a stage actor no doubt requires a great deal of self-confidence and bravado, so a certain amount of self aggrandizement might be expected. But the tone of latter portion of the book starts to sound almost bitter, which is a shame because it detracts from all the wisdom Schneider obviously has to share. All the same, certainly worth a read for Disney fans because it focuses on aspects of the parks rarely discussed in other books.
Schneider clearly is a master of his craft, his appendices alone are worth the price of admission. In there he makes a number of extremely keen observations on the art of themed entertainment. However, his scholarship becomes his Achilles heel in this memoir, because all too often we're left reading page after page about why his management in one job after the next was incompetent, and if only they'd listened to him, things would have been better. I don't doubt he may have suffered through some difficult bosses, but managing creative people is challenging, and the trend that emerges in this book is that Schneider may have been particularly difficult himself. Being a stage actor no doubt requires a great deal of self-confidence and bravado, so a certain amount of self aggrandizement might be expected. But the tone of latter portion of the book starts to sound almost bitter, which is a shame because it detracts from all the wisdom Schneider obviously has to share. All the same, certainly worth a read for Disney fans because it focuses on aspects of the parks rarely discussed in other books.
April 6, 2023
I went through a phase listening to old Defunctland podcasts, and learned about this book through an old episode! It was surprisingly super interesting and well-written! Great insight and fun for any Disney parks history fans :)
February 14, 2014
I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, especially just having finished Rolly Crump's book and starting to read "Knott's Preserved".
The Disney parts were great and enjoyable, and as a Disney (and Figment) fan, it's a must-read. It's neat to see how people that worked for Disney got their start, and I loved reading about the beginnings of Magic Mountain, too. However, much of the book from the middle to the end just tasted like a cup of burnt coffee. Always upset about "the management", and having been let go from this position or that position. The author comes off as rather bitter about so many of the fantastic jobs he had.
Without the bitter flavor, this would've been a more enjoyable read. But by the final third of the book, I was nearly in "skim mode" going, "Uh huh, uh huh" just to move it along to completion. Also, there were numerous spelling errors in the book which always irk me a little. Some days I'd love to be an editor instead of a software developer.
The Disney parts were great and enjoyable, and as a Disney (and Figment) fan, it's a must-read. It's neat to see how people that worked for Disney got their start, and I loved reading about the beginnings of Magic Mountain, too. However, much of the book from the middle to the end just tasted like a cup of burnt coffee. Always upset about "the management", and having been let go from this position or that position. The author comes off as rather bitter about so many of the fantastic jobs he had.
Without the bitter flavor, this would've been a more enjoyable read. But by the final third of the book, I was nearly in "skim mode" going, "Uh huh, uh huh" just to move it along to completion. Also, there were numerous spelling errors in the book which always irk me a little. Some days I'd love to be an editor instead of a software developer.
March 18, 2013
Meh.
There was some interesting stuff, but I was longing for more relatable tales about the inner workings of Disney. Author comes across as a pain in the ass and I am guessing, behind the scenes, he was difficult to work with. Maybe I'm just stereotyping because I've met this "type" before. He's a talented guy, but I think his social ineptitude hindered his ability to work well with others. It's just my opinion; what do I know?
If you want to read a memoir by a man who fits this description, then you should enjoy this book. That being said, I suppose it naturally takes a certain amount of narcissism to write a memoir.
There was some interesting stuff, but I was longing for more relatable tales about the inner workings of Disney. Author comes across as a pain in the ass and I am guessing, behind the scenes, he was difficult to work with. Maybe I'm just stereotyping because I've met this "type" before. He's a talented guy, but I think his social ineptitude hindered his ability to work well with others. It's just my opinion; what do I know?
If you want to read a memoir by a man who fits this description, then you should enjoy this book. That being said, I suppose it naturally takes a certain amount of narcissism to write a memoir.
December 29, 2024
NEW RATING!!! I SAID SCREW IT AND GAVE IT A 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MUAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA Ron Schneider you rock!!!! You've inspired me quite a lot from this book!!!!!
Thank you Ferre for lending this book to me!🙏
This book for sure has inspired me to look seriously into the themed entertainment business as a possible career! I LOVE THEME PARKS😪😪😪
Thank you Ferre for lending this book to me!🙏
This book for sure has inspired me to look seriously into the themed entertainment business as a possible career! I LOVE THEME PARKS😪😪😪
March 3, 2019
This book was...fine. The Disney and Universal chapters were the most interesting to me but I appreciate all that Ron has contributed to Orlando entertainment. Not only did Ron work in Disneyland and Epcot, he also developed the celebrity walk around character program at Universal Orlando and worked on Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor!
I have had the audiobook for a while and decided to finally listen. I was very happy to hear Schneider and his Dreamfinder. The audiobook, however, left me extremely confused at times. There were times where the sound would drop and you could tell that something happened during recording (maybe he shifted away from the microphone?) There were also multiple times where, mid-chapter, a sentence or phrase would be repeated for no reason.
There is also a lot of really out of date information but that’s what I get for waiting so long to listen (I really cringed when he was calling John Kricfalusi a comic genius. He is a monster creep. Obviously this says nothing about the author, he didn’t know. In 2019 though, it’s all I could think about)
If you are a theme park fan, you will enjoy those parts of this book. The rest of it, sadly, is pretty boring.
I have had the audiobook for a while and decided to finally listen. I was very happy to hear Schneider and his Dreamfinder. The audiobook, however, left me extremely confused at times. There were times where the sound would drop and you could tell that something happened during recording (maybe he shifted away from the microphone?) There were also multiple times where, mid-chapter, a sentence or phrase would be repeated for no reason.
There is also a lot of really out of date information but that’s what I get for waiting so long to listen (I really cringed when he was calling John Kricfalusi a comic genius. He is a monster creep. Obviously this says nothing about the author, he didn’t know. In 2019 though, it’s all I could think about)
If you are a theme park fan, you will enjoy those parts of this book. The rest of it, sadly, is pretty boring.
October 26, 2023
This was really cool to read, since Figment is one of my favorite Disney park characters. I’ve always been a bit sad that I couldn’t experience the original version of Figment’s ride at Epcot (though I do still get a kick out of the current version for different reasons). From the writing, I could tell that the author is a genuine storyteller with so much passion for his craft, and I especially enjoyed reading about how Dreamfinder came to be. But something I found fascinating (and frustrating at times) is that he would change the tenses as he wrote. Most of the book is in chronological order, going from his childhood to close to the present day (the present day being 2011/2012). Within each time period/chapter, he writes in present tense (though all of the events are technically in the past), but then he’ll throw in future tense as well, and that always tripped me up as I was reading when I was trying to keep track of the timeline of events. It was a cool way to write his story, it just took me more mental energy than I realized in order to follow along.
March 10, 2019
As a Disney enthusiast and vintage Epcot lover, I couldn’t help myself from picking up Ron Schneider’s “From Dreamer to Dreamfinder”! I craved tales of Journey Into Imagination’s glory days, but ended up with so much more than just fun Figment tales. I grew to love all of Ron’s characters that he has portrayed, from Disney and Universal to unique dinner shows. Most importantly, I became quite fond of the main character, Ron himself!! An entertaining and engaging read that delves into the history of themed entertainment from one dreamer’s perspective., you won’t want to pass this one up!
June 3, 2019
Lots of fun! A really great behind the scenes look at entertainment at all theme parks. The curtain was pulled back enough, but not too much to ruin the magic. Highly recommend for anybody interested in the inner workings of theme park entertainment
June 23, 2019
Interesting insight to all the background happenings and theme parks. It also shows what happens when dollars become more important than entertainment, which, unfortunately for the theme park is what really draws a crowd and the almighty dollar.
October 24, 2020
Well done bio
Before & beyond the purple Dino, with a litany of shows & plenty of behind the scenes stuff. Easy to read & to follow...
Before & beyond the purple Dino, with a litany of shows & plenty of behind the scenes stuff. Easy to read & to follow...
December 24, 2020
I enjoyed Ron’s stories, and I learned about creativity and the theme park world. I was expecting more about his time as Dreamfinder, considering the name of the book.
January 31, 2013
I enjoyed reading the story of Ron Schneider's training and career in themed entertainment. Ron has worked in a variety of settings and attractions beyond Disney and Universal. His is truly an American story -- a combination of luck, hard work, resourcefulness, human connection and following a dream. He portrays a balanced and honest outlook on the roles of production, management, creativity and talent in themed attractions. His understanding of the guest experience is central to his craft and there are many lessons in this book that can be learned or relearned by the corporations behind these productions. At times thrilling (I got chills when he discussed returning to the stage as Dreamfinder with Figment in 2011 during a D23 event) and suprising (who even knew there was a Titanic attraction in Orlando) but always a well-crafted, funny and a fast read (he IS a show-writer after all!) I love that he remains a true Disney fan at heart despite his healthy and correct amount of skepticism and informed criticism. Highly recommend!
May 10, 2014
A really fascinating look at the themed entertainment industry, especially in the 70's and 80's, which seems to have been a real golden age in theme park entertainment. It makes me a little sad that I was only alive at the tail end of this time. Being a big Disney (and even more especially, classic EPCOT Center) and Universal Studios fan, I especially enjoyed hearing about Ron Schneider's experiences with these two companies. However, all of his really varied jobs in the entertainment industry were really fun to read about. While a repeat theme of the book seemed to be Mr. Schneider's exasperation with various forms of management (and made me wonder on more than one occasion what the story sounded like from the other side), his passion for his craft far overshadowed any of the grumbling and kept the book enjoyable.
August 18, 2012
A Dream of a Find! Being a Walt Disney World fan, I found this book entertaining, heartwarming, and eye opening. Reading Ron's account of his personal journey in the industry is fascinating and enlightening to the casual theme park guest as well as the seasoned veteran. His professional career spanning several theme parks and dinner shows gives the reader a detailed insider view to theme entertainment. I had met Dreamfinder and figment as a 10 year old child at Epcot Center and on several return visits. This book filled me with memories of those trips and reminded me of how everyone, no matter what their age, can feel like a kid again!
December 18, 2014
I see some five-star reviews here and I really don't understand why that would be. The book has an adorable premise, but does not really deliver on it. The Disney involvement in this book is scant, and much of the authors experience in parks takes place in areas removed from the action. There's a four page chapter covering four years of the authors life were he states that he was freelancing (with no story) and running a trivia game on Prodigy Classic for Disney fans.
Not terribly engaging or illuminating.
Not terribly engaging or illuminating.
August 2, 2012
I cannot say enough nice things about how wonderful this book is. I'll post a full review to MiceChat.com in a week or so, but until then, just know that this book is invaluable to theme park fans and performers everywhere. Ron's approach to his life in entertainment is hilarious, honest, and candid. Definitely well worth the price.
May 21, 2013
Loved this story of the man behind The Dreamfinder! I was privileged to witness his comeback on stage at the D23 concert with Richard Sherman & it was a magical moment that brought back my fond memories if the original Journey Into Imagination pavilion at EPCOT. Fascinating stories of a man who has portrayed a lot of characters with a lot of heart.
September 4, 2013
I know I'm a sucker for anything Disney (and Figment in particular) but I really loved this book! It jumps a bit here and there, but it's also full of so many wonderful moments that I just loved it. The opening and closing... made me smile and tear up. 5 stars for me (and hardly any books get 5 stars!).
September 20, 2013
I loved EPCOT Center, I loved Journey into Imagination, I love Figment, and I loved the Dreamfinder! So it's no surprise that I love this book too. Ron has lived a life in theme parks and themed entertainment, and his stories are fascinating and entertaining. It's a side of theme parks most of us fans aren't privy too!
June 18, 2013
As a huge Disney fan, I am alway interested in the history of the parks. This autobiography allowed me to glimpse into many of the aspect of these parks. The Dreamfinder is a huge part of Disney's past but clearly many of Ron's contributions are still evident today.
January 31, 2016
Amazing book for everyone who dares to dream
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews