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Dream It! Do It! (The People, The Places, The Projects): My Half-Century Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms
Marty Sklar was hired by The Walt Disney Company after his junior year at UCLA, and began his Disney career at Disneyland in July 1955, the month before the park opened. He spent his first decade at Disney as "the kid," the very youngest of the creative team Walt had assembled at WED Enterprises. But despite his youth, his talents propelled him forward into substantial responsibility: he became Walt's speech writer, penned Walt's and Roy's messages in the company's annual report, composed most of the publicity and marketing materials for Disneyland, conceived presentations for the U.S. government, devised initiatives to obtain sponsors to enable new Disneyland developments, and wrote a twenty-four-minute film expressing Walt's philosophy for the Walt Disney World project and Epcot. He was Walt's literary right-hand man.
Over the next forty years, Marty Sklar rose to become president and principal creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, and he devoted his entire career to creating, enhancing, and expanding Walt's magical empire. This beautifully written and enlightening book is Marty's own retelling of his epic Disney journey, a grand adventure that lasted over half a century.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
132 people are currently reading
2024 people want to read
About the author
Marty Sklar
12 books22 followersMarty Sklar worked for the Disney company for over 50 years. He was hired shortly before Disneyland opened and rose through the company to become Vice President of Creative Development. He was honored as a Disney legend and with a window on main street. Now in retirement he has released a book chronicling his tenure for Disney.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
September 25, 2013
I was really excited to get this book and then I started reading. It is filled with a tons of stories about the Theme Parks but the problem is that, especially in the beginning, there is no rhyme or reason for why stories were put together. It very hard to follow when in one paragraph he's talking about 1960 and in the next he's talking about 1990 and they seem unrelated. Plus it seemed like half the book was filled with quotes from other books. If I wanted to read other peoples thoughts I would have.
I actually stopped reading for a couple weeks because it just wans't holding my interest any more.
As I got to the end of the book it was very apparent that Mr. sklar thinks very highly of himself. Why else would he include 5-6 pages of letters written to him about how great he is. That really turned me off.
This book is great for the Disney history if you can wade through the uneven storytelling.
I actually stopped reading for a couple weeks because it just wans't holding my interest any more.
As I got to the end of the book it was very apparent that Mr. sklar thinks very highly of himself. Why else would he include 5-6 pages of letters written to him about how great he is. That really turned me off.
This book is great for the Disney history if you can wade through the uneven storytelling.
August 28, 2016
I've read a lot of books on Disney as a company and the theme parks in general. I have a strong appreciation for everything Marty Sklar has done and the significance of his role with the company.
With that preface, I was really excited that he was finally writing a book. I couldn't wait to hear more behind-the-scene stories and get the dirty details.
While there certainly are stories, they seem more scrambled and thrown on the pages. Block quotes are massive. It really feels more like you're just sitting with him and hearing him recollect the old days. Now that isn't bad, but it just makes things feel stretched out longer than they could be. Lots of redundancies. It's actually quite disappointing in that regard, because I was hoping for lots of details instead of filler.
That said, Sklar is a legend and there is a TON of great material here. It just isn't quite as strong a I had hoped.
With that preface, I was really excited that he was finally writing a book. I couldn't wait to hear more behind-the-scene stories and get the dirty details.
While there certainly are stories, they seem more scrambled and thrown on the pages. Block quotes are massive. It really feels more like you're just sitting with him and hearing him recollect the old days. Now that isn't bad, but it just makes things feel stretched out longer than they could be. Lots of redundancies. It's actually quite disappointing in that regard, because I was hoping for lots of details instead of filler.
That said, Sklar is a legend and there is a TON of great material here. It just isn't quite as strong a I had hoped.
March 28, 2016
A bit thin on direction and content. The book tends to wander between projects and time periods, and includes a surprising number of substantial block quotes from other Imagineer's books. Particularly strange because all these issues seem to run counter to the brilliant "Mickey's Ten Commandments", written by Sklar himself:
It's a great list, and can easily be applied to any creative endeavour. There is a definite irony in the fact that the book containing these rules seems to break just about every one of them at one time or another.
There were two other highlights to the book for me. The first was the description of how Disney Imagineering (at least initially), allowed only for the public identity of the group as a whole, not for individual superstars. The quote below describes the reasoning, and demonstrates how Walt applied the very same logic to himself:
And the second bit I found interesting was Sklar's description of the Disney parks downward spiral in the early 2000's. It was certainly something anyone paying attention could sense, but until reading this I'd never really heard an insider's explanation for. The silver lining seems to be that in Sklar's estimation, the ship has been righted, but the parks are still recovering from almost a decade of mismanagement.
1. Know your audience
2. Wear your guest's shoes
3. Organize the flow of people and ideas
4. Create a visual magnet
5. Communicate with visual literacy
6. Avoid overload - create turn-ons
7. Tell one story at a time
8. Avoid contradictions-maintain literacy
9. For every treatment, provide a ton of treat
10. Keep it up! (maintain it)
It's a great list, and can easily be applied to any creative endeavour. There is a definite irony in the fact that the book containing these rules seems to break just about every one of them at one time or another.
There were two other highlights to the book for me. The first was the description of how Disney Imagineering (at least initially), allowed only for the public identity of the group as a whole, not for individual superstars. The quote below describes the reasoning, and demonstrates how Walt applied the very same logic to himself:
"Look," Walk told us, "I don't want people to say, 'that's a Bill Walsh production for Disney,' or 'that's a John Hench design for Disneyland.' I've spent my whole life building an image of entertainment and product by Walk Disney. Now Walt Disney is a thing, an image, an expectation by our fans. It's all Walt Disney-we all think alike in the ultimate pattern. I'm not Walk Disney anymore."
And the second bit I found interesting was Sklar's description of the Disney parks downward spiral in the early 2000's. It was certainly something anyone paying attention could sense, but until reading this I'd never really heard an insider's explanation for. The silver lining seems to be that in Sklar's estimation, the ship has been righted, but the parks are still recovering from almost a decade of mismanagement.
May 26, 2017
Marty Sklar is an extremely well known former Disney cast member and now Disney Legend. Before I read this book, I knew of Mr. Sklar's educational background and that he wrote many of Walt's remarks for the business. This knowledge caused me to be surprised at the way Mr. Sklar wrote the book.
I echo some of the comments written already by people about the structure of the book. The book reminds me of an artist with a fountain pen compelling drops onto a piece of paper to see if they can manipulate them into an artistic creation.
The book contains lots of information concerning the Disney Corporation over the years, which is fantastic if one is doing any historical research about the company. I particularly enjoyed the photos of some of the original material used for the various events and of the former cast members integral in making the events happen.
As I mentioned above, the book contains an incredible amount of information that is now committed to paper for preservation. I appreciate this because many of individuals who started at Disney are no longer alive, but because they put things in writing, a reader can experience events that transpired within the Disney business in the early years. I believe that when reading this book with the other Disney books by former cast members, it provides a better understanding of the synergy that evolved to make up the Wonderful World of the Disney Corporation. But, be forewarned that you may struggle to get through the material due to the way the book is composed.
I echo some of the comments written already by people about the structure of the book. The book reminds me of an artist with a fountain pen compelling drops onto a piece of paper to see if they can manipulate them into an artistic creation.
The book contains lots of information concerning the Disney Corporation over the years, which is fantastic if one is doing any historical research about the company. I particularly enjoyed the photos of some of the original material used for the various events and of the former cast members integral in making the events happen.
As I mentioned above, the book contains an incredible amount of information that is now committed to paper for preservation. I appreciate this because many of individuals who started at Disney are no longer alive, but because they put things in writing, a reader can experience events that transpired within the Disney business in the early years. I believe that when reading this book with the other Disney books by former cast members, it provides a better understanding of the synergy that evolved to make up the Wonderful World of the Disney Corporation. But, be forewarned that you may struggle to get through the material due to the way the book is composed.
November 16, 2013
As a huge Disney fan, I found this book enjoyable for all the "insider" info from before Disneyland even opened to the present day written by a member, and later head, of the famous Disney "Imagineering" team. The chronology did tend to jump around, and there was a lot of chest-thumping ("It was under my watch that...", "I was the last word on...", "they needed me to put the deal over the top"), and the occasional unfortunate choice of words (esp. when he winds up the chapter about Tokyo Disneyland with "the next test would come with the tsunami in corporate management..."). He really shares Walt Disney's vision of what Walt wanted to accomplish with the parks, and gives a lot of (well-deserved) credit to the Michael Eisner/Frank Wells years. I especially enjoyed the chapter called "Edie's Conference Room", where Sklar shares a number of "priceless comments" made at meetings, such as -- my favorite -- "Indecision is the key to flexibility!"
One factoid that really surprised me was how Disneyland was NOT open on Mondays and Tuesdays until 1985! I'd been there at least four times prior to '85, and don't remember having to plan our visit around when the park would be open. There's some great stuff about Disney's involvement with the 1964-65 N.Y. World's Fair and the Fair in general -- I'd been there but had forgotten, for example, how Michaelangelo's famous sculpture, the Pieta, was loaned from the Vatican for display there. Now I want to get out the home-movies my parents took of our visit there. I was hoping there would be something about the "Disney's America" project that was planned for Virginia in the late '80's but got shot down by the locals, but there wasn't. I remember at the time being SO excited to have a Disney-something near us (in Maryland), and a friend of ours even bought some land adjacent to land Disney had bought, figuring he'd sell it at a huge profit once the park was built. Well, we were all disappointed... not only that it didn't get built, but also there's no mention of it in the book.
The husband and I visited the Magic Kingdom and Epcot early in October, but reading this made me want to go again, soon, and look at things with an eye to the back-stories covered in this book. If you're a Disney parks fan, you'll want to check this out.
One factoid that really surprised me was how Disneyland was NOT open on Mondays and Tuesdays until 1985! I'd been there at least four times prior to '85, and don't remember having to plan our visit around when the park would be open. There's some great stuff about Disney's involvement with the 1964-65 N.Y. World's Fair and the Fair in general -- I'd been there but had forgotten, for example, how Michaelangelo's famous sculpture, the Pieta, was loaned from the Vatican for display there. Now I want to get out the home-movies my parents took of our visit there. I was hoping there would be something about the "Disney's America" project that was planned for Virginia in the late '80's but got shot down by the locals, but there wasn't. I remember at the time being SO excited to have a Disney-something near us (in Maryland), and a friend of ours even bought some land adjacent to land Disney had bought, figuring he'd sell it at a huge profit once the park was built. Well, we were all disappointed... not only that it didn't get built, but also there's no mention of it in the book.
The husband and I visited the Magic Kingdom and Epcot early in October, but reading this made me want to go again, soon, and look at things with an eye to the back-stories covered in this book. If you're a Disney parks fan, you'll want to check this out.
October 19, 2013
This book was great. I think it's always a pleasure to read about Disney, specially about the Imagineering efforts. I love how personal this book felt, how "real" it felt since Sklar told a lot of personal stories. It's also great to hear him talk about Walt, about how everyone worked really hard - and still does - to keep his philosophy alive. It's really inspirational to read about the flow of ideas and imagination that shaped Disney in the years Marty was there.
What I didn't like about the book was that I thought it should be told in chronological order. All of the great biographies that I have read tell the story following a timeline, because this makes the journey more exciting to follow. I often found myself confused about what stage of his career Marty was talking about in certain parts of the book. The astounding number of names and dates also makes the read a bit heavy.
All this though, is not enough to take away from the delight and inspiration I felt reading this. I love that Marty encourages the hiring of new talent and I really wish Disney still had this thought. It's easy to see he was a major part of Disney history and the book makes it clear why.
I read it really fast and recommend it to any Disney fan. It sure got me pumped again to follow my dream of being an Imagineer.
What I didn't like about the book was that I thought it should be told in chronological order. All of the great biographies that I have read tell the story following a timeline, because this makes the journey more exciting to follow. I often found myself confused about what stage of his career Marty was talking about in certain parts of the book. The astounding number of names and dates also makes the read a bit heavy.
All this though, is not enough to take away from the delight and inspiration I felt reading this. I love that Marty encourages the hiring of new talent and I really wish Disney still had this thought. It's easy to see he was a major part of Disney history and the book makes it clear why.
I read it really fast and recommend it to any Disney fan. It sure got me pumped again to follow my dream of being an Imagineer.
January 21, 2014
This book took me a while to get through. It was nothing like I expected and maybe that was the problem. There were tiny jewels of information throughout the book but it just didn't flow well. Long list of people were mentioned with little to do with the story told. I am thinking he must have tried to mention a lot of friends.
I did learn a great deal about the parks and CEOs. And there was something mentioned in the last of the book regarding the maintenance of the parks that I had wondered about. I have been going since WDW opened and remember when you wouldn't ever find a piece on lint on the ground.
If I had not made a commitment to finished all books I started in 2014 I probably would have put this one down.
Sorry Marty, I sure your a great guy.
I did learn a great deal about the parks and CEOs. And there was something mentioned in the last of the book regarding the maintenance of the parks that I had wondered about. I have been going since WDW opened and remember when you wouldn't ever find a piece on lint on the ground.
If I had not made a commitment to finished all books I started in 2014 I probably would have put this one down.
Sorry Marty, I sure your a great guy.
October 26, 2013
This book is a must read for fans who want the real stories of what it was like to open every Disney park on the planet from the one man who has actually done just that...and so much more in his Disney career! Thanx, Marty Sklar, for sharing your rich history and experiences with us via this book. It made me laugh; it made me cry; it gave me insight into what it was like to be there with Walt Disney and then carry his philosophy through countless projects. Truly an "E Ticket" book that I'm going to read again!
July 21, 2019
This was one of the hardest books to get through and I consider myself a huge Disney fan. Someone else in a different review said that it reads as if someone is just rambling about their life and I believe that could not be more true. Having been written by someone who considers themselves a writer, this was one of the most unorganized pieces of literature I’ve ever read. There were so many tangents and random side stories that he’d stop to write about and then the reader would have no idea what the purpose of the chapter was even about. Even the chapter titles didn’t make any sense. They were just quotes of something he’d say in the first two pages but then would be irrelevant to the rest of the chapter as a whole making you wonder why he even had chapters in the first place.
The stories he told were obviously very intriguing and it was amazing to get insight into life with Walt all the way to recent Disney history. But the writing was so bad and all over the place that it was impossible to stay engaged for too long.
Another reviewer noticed how often he would include quotes about others talking highly of him. I would agree with that reviewer that it does give the impression that Marty Sklar was very full of himself. I’m sorry, but reading pages of other people’s letters to you talking about how great you were just seems weird.
All in all, I enjoyed the stories but I think all of this information you can find in the many Disney podcasts out there and it would be presented a lot better in short episodes. Unfortunately, I would not recommend anyone try and read this, even if you are a huge Disney fan.
The stories he told were obviously very intriguing and it was amazing to get insight into life with Walt all the way to recent Disney history. But the writing was so bad and all over the place that it was impossible to stay engaged for too long.
Another reviewer noticed how often he would include quotes about others talking highly of him. I would agree with that reviewer that it does give the impression that Marty Sklar was very full of himself. I’m sorry, but reading pages of other people’s letters to you talking about how great you were just seems weird.
All in all, I enjoyed the stories but I think all of this information you can find in the many Disney podcasts out there and it would be presented a lot better in short episodes. Unfortunately, I would not recommend anyone try and read this, even if you are a huge Disney fan.
November 29, 2021
Author: Marty Sklar
Title: Dream It! Do It!
Publication Info: Disney Editions, 2013
Genre: autobiography/ memoir
Age: Young Adult
Marty Sklar was hired by The Walt Disney Company in 1955, just months before Disneyland opened. He was the youngest member of the Disney team. He was hired to create an write the Disneyland Newspaper. He was given a substantial amount of responsibility at such a young age. He was Walt Disney’s right-hand man. Marty wrote his reports and created films encompassing Walt’s ideas for new projects. Marty shares stories of how he leveled up in The Walt Disney Company from vice-president to principle executive. He shares advice on teamwork and the business world. Marty Sklar’s memoir tells his half-century adventure as a part of The Walt Disney Company.
Marty Sklar’s memoir gives great advice for new businessmen and women. It was hard to read for a teenager because many of the concepts did not apply to my life at the moment. Being a big Disney fan, I greatly enjoyed the behind the scenes stories of how the theme parks were created. His memoir was a hard read because it was filled with numerous stories, but they were not connected in any specific way. As a whole, the memoir is not strong with purpose, but is great for advice and guidance.
If you are looking for a dive on the business word and how to be a strong leader, I highly recommend Marty Sklar’s memoir. Disney fans would enjoy this read because it gives in depth stories of the creating of the theme parks.
Title: Dream It! Do It!
Publication Info: Disney Editions, 2013
Genre: autobiography/ memoir
Age: Young Adult
Marty Sklar was hired by The Walt Disney Company in 1955, just months before Disneyland opened. He was the youngest member of the Disney team. He was hired to create an write the Disneyland Newspaper. He was given a substantial amount of responsibility at such a young age. He was Walt Disney’s right-hand man. Marty wrote his reports and created films encompassing Walt’s ideas for new projects. Marty shares stories of how he leveled up in The Walt Disney Company from vice-president to principle executive. He shares advice on teamwork and the business world. Marty Sklar’s memoir tells his half-century adventure as a part of The Walt Disney Company.
Marty Sklar’s memoir gives great advice for new businessmen and women. It was hard to read for a teenager because many of the concepts did not apply to my life at the moment. Being a big Disney fan, I greatly enjoyed the behind the scenes stories of how the theme parks were created. His memoir was a hard read because it was filled with numerous stories, but they were not connected in any specific way. As a whole, the memoir is not strong with purpose, but is great for advice and guidance.
If you are looking for a dive on the business word and how to be a strong leader, I highly recommend Marty Sklar’s memoir. Disney fans would enjoy this read because it gives in depth stories of the creating of the theme parks.
December 25, 2017
A very good inside look at the late Disney legend Mary Sklar's 50 year career helping to shape the creative direction of Disney Parks worldwide! In addition to the behind the scenes view of the planning and business of the Walt Disney Co., Marty also presents lots of great leadership lessons, especially in the areas of creativity and customer service. I read this over several months in between reading other books and it was always fun to come back to the magic of Walt Disney from the point of view of one of the people who's been there since Disneyland's opening day!
January 11, 2021
The title says a lot about the book. The part of the book that dealt with EPCOT changed some of my perceptions of the creation of the park. Cooperate, academic and group develop was at the hart of what was built. Disney did something very special and was very much in the spirit of what Walt had wanted. The use of big name architects to build result hotels and other on property experiences is something that was also new to me. Marty is a force for good and we could all be a little like him. I will be keeping this book close as reference material.
May 19, 2020
It's always wonderful to read first-hand accounts from long-time Disney Cast Members, especially one like Marty Sklar, who actually worked with Walt. At this point, there are few Disney stories and photos that I've never heard or seen before, but Marty delivers them in spades. A great read.
January 12, 2020
If you liked The Imagineering Story, this is a great place to start after the show. New details along with many things I heard from the documentary. A great look into Disney history.
June 9, 2021
Marty Sklar is just delightful, it was wonderful to read his take and influence on so much Disney history. Definitely one to return to for pep talks and inspiration!
(Thanks, Kim!)
(Thanks, Kim!)
April 9, 2024
Cool guy! It’s so funny how much he openly dislikes Paul Pressler.
December 27, 2024
Incredible stories of the history behind some of the greatest attractions for the Disney Parks.
February 5, 2021
Marty Sklar has been at Disney longer than anyone and is (according to the book) the only person to work on every single Disney park. So, there are a lot of really fun stories. The book is definitely all over the place. It kind of reads like a really nostalgic person wrote it for himself, but I still enjoyed it.
November 27, 2013
A great Disney book by a true Disney Legend!
Marty Sklar started his career with Disney in 1955, one month prior to the opening of Disneyland. He remained with the company until retiring in 2009, and is the only Disney employee to have participated in the design and opening of all 11 currently operating Disney theme parks (Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Disneyland Paris, and Walt Disney Studios Park). Though he started in marketing, he quickly found a home at WED Enterprises / Walt Disney Imagineering where he eventually ended up leading the organization for more than 30 years until his transition to "Ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering" leading up to his retirement in 2009.
This book is a "memoir" of the author's 50+ years working for Walt Disney Productions/The Walt Disney Company, and includes chapters about the development of all of the theme parks, as well as a chapter about the author's time at UCLA and his association with Coach John Wooden. It also includes "Mickey's Ten Commandments", a list of ten key principles for theme park design that have become legendary in their own right. The book also includes 3 additional lists of "Mickey's Ten (more) Commandments", focusing on leadership and followship. Because of the close working relationship the author had with Walt Disney, this book provides an intimate look at the impact of Walt's death on the company.
The role that Marty Sklar has played in the success of the Walt Disney Company and Disney Theme Parks can't be understated. In his early days at WED, Marty wrote many of Walt Disney's speeches, presentations, and film scripts, including the script for the Epcot film (which was the last film Walt recorded before his death in December 1966). It was Marty Sklar who coined the famous definition of imagineering: "the blending of creative imagination and technical know-how." Later he was pivotal in the design and creation of Epcot and every other Disney theme park since.
As a fan of Disney theme parks in general and Imagineering in specific, buying and reading this book was a no-brainer for me. Despite that, I was initially somewhat skeptical about this book, thinking that it wouldn't provide the level of detail and insight that I like most in books about Disney parks and Imagineering. I was worried it would be a white-washed memoir that would retell the stories found in the other books in my Disney/Imagineering library. I needn't have worried at all.
After reading the introduction, I was hooked. While many memoirs like this tend to gloss over details and omit "unpleasant" or controversial stories, this isn't the case with this book at all. This book is a welcomed addition to my library, and one that I expect I will read and re-read again and again.
If I have one minor quibble with the book it's the lack of an index, which would be helpful in finding stories about the many people that the author worked with during his time at Disney.
I strongly recommend this book to any fan of Disney theme parks. You won't be disappointed!
Marty Sklar started his career with Disney in 1955, one month prior to the opening of Disneyland. He remained with the company until retiring in 2009, and is the only Disney employee to have participated in the design and opening of all 11 currently operating Disney theme parks (Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Disneyland Paris, and Walt Disney Studios Park). Though he started in marketing, he quickly found a home at WED Enterprises / Walt Disney Imagineering where he eventually ended up leading the organization for more than 30 years until his transition to "Ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering" leading up to his retirement in 2009.
This book is a "memoir" of the author's 50+ years working for Walt Disney Productions/The Walt Disney Company, and includes chapters about the development of all of the theme parks, as well as a chapter about the author's time at UCLA and his association with Coach John Wooden. It also includes "Mickey's Ten Commandments", a list of ten key principles for theme park design that have become legendary in their own right. The book also includes 3 additional lists of "Mickey's Ten (more) Commandments", focusing on leadership and followship. Because of the close working relationship the author had with Walt Disney, this book provides an intimate look at the impact of Walt's death on the company.
The role that Marty Sklar has played in the success of the Walt Disney Company and Disney Theme Parks can't be understated. In his early days at WED, Marty wrote many of Walt Disney's speeches, presentations, and film scripts, including the script for the Epcot film (which was the last film Walt recorded before his death in December 1966). It was Marty Sklar who coined the famous definition of imagineering: "the blending of creative imagination and technical know-how." Later he was pivotal in the design and creation of Epcot and every other Disney theme park since.
As a fan of Disney theme parks in general and Imagineering in specific, buying and reading this book was a no-brainer for me. Despite that, I was initially somewhat skeptical about this book, thinking that it wouldn't provide the level of detail and insight that I like most in books about Disney parks and Imagineering. I was worried it would be a white-washed memoir that would retell the stories found in the other books in my Disney/Imagineering library. I needn't have worried at all.
After reading the introduction, I was hooked. While many memoirs like this tend to gloss over details and omit "unpleasant" or controversial stories, this isn't the case with this book at all. This book is a welcomed addition to my library, and one that I expect I will read and re-read again and again.
If I have one minor quibble with the book it's the lack of an index, which would be helpful in finding stories about the many people that the author worked with during his time at Disney.
I strongly recommend this book to any fan of Disney theme parks. You won't be disappointed!
December 21, 2016
Disneyland has always been a magical place for me. It’s the only place in the world where I feel young and filled with childlike wonder. It always is a place of beauty, and I can’t wait to take my kids and re-experience all the joy through their eyes.
The other part of Disneyland that fascinates me is how it works. I love knowing and seeing the inner workings, and the behind the scenes stuff that turns plain buildings into virtual fairy tales. Knowing how the magic is made doesn’t spoil anything for me, in fact it allows me to appreciate the artistry and design even more.
I have read plenty on the original Disneyland and the creation and evolution of all the Disney parks. The stories have become so polished and overused over the years that they have become somewhat boring.
Walt sat on a park bench. He had an idea; fast forward a few years and you get Disneyland despite the critics.
It’s a good story just not too interesting anymore.
Marty Sklar gives you the backstories you want to hear. No, there is nothing scandalous or shocking in the in Sklar’s stories, but they do show you the grit and gruff it took to design the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the rest of Walt Disney World, and the parks throughout the world. Since the death of Walt Disney, the Disney company and brand has gone through a lot of trials and tribulations and Marty Sklar was one of the main, positive stars throughout it all.
I definitely wanted to hear more about the development of the Disneyland Resort. There is no mention about the ill-fated WestCOT and very little talk about the development of Disney’s California Adventure. It was fun to see Sklar rip into the Paul Pressler era. Any Disneyland fan understands the disdain and contempt directed at Pressler, but it was nice to hear a Disney legend give his official stamp of frustration towards Pressler. Furthermore, it was surprising to see Sklar have a generally positive review of Eisner. According to Sklar, Eisner saved the company from despair yet failed to make it thrive.
This was simply a great book. If you love Disney history, buy it.
The other part of Disneyland that fascinates me is how it works. I love knowing and seeing the inner workings, and the behind the scenes stuff that turns plain buildings into virtual fairy tales. Knowing how the magic is made doesn’t spoil anything for me, in fact it allows me to appreciate the artistry and design even more.
I have read plenty on the original Disneyland and the creation and evolution of all the Disney parks. The stories have become so polished and overused over the years that they have become somewhat boring.
Walt sat on a park bench. He had an idea; fast forward a few years and you get Disneyland despite the critics.
It’s a good story just not too interesting anymore.
Marty Sklar gives you the backstories you want to hear. No, there is nothing scandalous or shocking in the in Sklar’s stories, but they do show you the grit and gruff it took to design the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the rest of Walt Disney World, and the parks throughout the world. Since the death of Walt Disney, the Disney company and brand has gone through a lot of trials and tribulations and Marty Sklar was one of the main, positive stars throughout it all.
I definitely wanted to hear more about the development of the Disneyland Resort. There is no mention about the ill-fated WestCOT and very little talk about the development of Disney’s California Adventure. It was fun to see Sklar rip into the Paul Pressler era. Any Disneyland fan understands the disdain and contempt directed at Pressler, but it was nice to hear a Disney legend give his official stamp of frustration towards Pressler. Furthermore, it was surprising to see Sklar have a generally positive review of Eisner. According to Sklar, Eisner saved the company from despair yet failed to make it thrive.
This was simply a great book. If you love Disney history, buy it.
January 8, 2015
For over 50 years, Marty Sklar was one of the insiders of the Walt Disney Company. This memoir is filled with insights and fun stories but tremendous insights for every reader.
I loved the personal stories and the detailed insights into the Disney culture. As Sklar writes, "I am proud to say that because my Disney career began at Disneyland one month before the park business began, I retired in 2009 as the only case member to have participated in the opening of all eleven Disney parks around the world." (Page 285) This book is filled with insights such as "In a Disney park, not only is storytelling 'the thing'--everything tells a story." (Page 286)
I enjoyed reading DREAM IT! DO IT! and recommend this engaging memoir.
As you can see from my words above, I liked this book and gave it high praise. Here is the disconnect on this book that a high class outfit like Disney missed. The book is a beautiful hardcover with full color photos and well-written. Yet it violates the basics of book production and uses a san serif font typeface--which is never done--except maybe some newbie who self-publishes their book. San serif type is hard to read. Just take down the books on a random shelf and see how many books you find with the san serif type. I would expect zero. It is simply not done. That is the reason I downgraded the rating on this book.
I loved the personal stories and the detailed insights into the Disney culture. As Sklar writes, "I am proud to say that because my Disney career began at Disneyland one month before the park business began, I retired in 2009 as the only case member to have participated in the opening of all eleven Disney parks around the world." (Page 285) This book is filled with insights such as "In a Disney park, not only is storytelling 'the thing'--everything tells a story." (Page 286)
I enjoyed reading DREAM IT! DO IT! and recommend this engaging memoir.
As you can see from my words above, I liked this book and gave it high praise. Here is the disconnect on this book that a high class outfit like Disney missed. The book is a beautiful hardcover with full color photos and well-written. Yet it violates the basics of book production and uses a san serif font typeface--which is never done--except maybe some newbie who self-publishes their book. San serif type is hard to read. Just take down the books on a random shelf and see how many books you find with the san serif type. I would expect zero. It is simply not done. That is the reason I downgraded the rating on this book.
August 29, 2022
This is a pretty good book. It's sentimental to me because I met Marty at the 2015 D23 Expo and got my copy signed: he signed my name "Kathy" instead of "Katy" and then corrected it (I was one of the last people in line, I don't blame him.) The book is slow, I haven't actually finished it yet, but it has some very nice stories and I will always cherish it because of the memory I made while meeting Marty Sklar. (He is very sassy and sweet in real life. A real Disney Treasure if you ask me.)
**UPDATED REVIEW**
It took me two years to finally finish this book, just a few weeks after Marty's death on July 27th. I finally picked it back up literally the day before he passed.
I am very pleased with this book. It was hard to read at times - other reviewers have commented on how it goes from 1965 to 1990 in two paragraphs - but I really loved this book. It's like sitting down with him and hearing all of his Disney stories and secrets. I will treasure this book forever. He was a truly remarkable man, and Imagineering will never quite be the same without his light.
Thank you, Jiminy Cricket, for all you have done! You will be missed :)
**UPDATED REVIEW**
It took me two years to finally finish this book, just a few weeks after Marty's death on July 27th. I finally picked it back up literally the day before he passed.
I am very pleased with this book. It was hard to read at times - other reviewers have commented on how it goes from 1965 to 1990 in two paragraphs - but I really loved this book. It's like sitting down with him and hearing all of his Disney stories and secrets. I will treasure this book forever. He was a truly remarkable man, and Imagineering will never quite be the same without his light.
Thank you, Jiminy Cricket, for all you have done! You will be missed :)
January 6, 2018
The First book of 2018, I almost finished in 2017. This book was a real page turner.
I've always been a big fan of Walt Disney and recently I've begun to read as much Disney History as I can get my hands on. At the advice of Michael Bowling and the Connecting with Walt Podcast, I requested this book for Christmas and started reading it immediately.
Marty Sklar is a staple at Walt Disney Imagineering and his experience and stories are brought to the forefront in this book. It is 1/3 biography, 1/3 anecdotal Disney history, and 1/3 motivational speeches in that order. The book really has a great beginning and okay ending. Marty is never afraid to name drop or reference other works on Disney or the Disney company. He did a great job telling of his experiences with Walt Disney as his primary ghost-writer in the mid 50s and 60s. I loved hearing how WDI and the Walt Disney Company worked. Marty's stories about Walt and the months after his death, his time working on WDW and on EPCOT, and his relationship with Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, Don Tattum and Dick Irvine.
Around the time following the opening of EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland (mid 1980s) he switches the narrative. I am not sure if this is because his involvement decreased, or if he felt like turning things around. We don't get the type of in-depth detail on MGM-Studios, Animal Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland or California Adventure. We do get some wonderful stories on Euro-Disneyland, but that is where it ends. I wish he had added a more complete story to these parks, but it is what it is at the end of the day. He does briefly touch on his opinions on these parks, but never to the degree that the first 4 parks (Disneyland, WDW, EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland) get.
My briefest of nitpicks is in Marty's desire to name drop. Marty name drops almost every important celebrity or executive he works with. It is somewhat understandable, I would want to talk about George Lucas or Frank Wells or Jeffery Katzenberg if I met them. But at times Marty seems to do this in a way that comes off as though he is justifying his legacy or emphasizing the impact of his decisions. For example, a line in this book may come off something like:
"Michael Eisner didn't like the concept of the Grand Floridian that the Imagineers came up with. I conversed with World Class Architect Jim Jimmason over at World Class Architects inc. and decided I needed to fight for my team's creative decisions. Ultimately we managed to convince Michael. Upon it's opening the Grand Floridian was ranked #1 in customer satisfaction by the International Association of Theme Park Entertainment in 1989 and 1990. Today, the Grand Floridian has entertained millions of guests with it's amazing vestibule design!"
So, obviously this isn't a quote from the book, but it illustrates a couple points I'd like to make.
#1, I don't know why Marty felt the need to defend his choices as vehemently as he does in this book, I don't think any of the stories he mention have any sort of controversy surrounding them, and I for one think Marty is beloved for his work in the theme park industry.
#2 Obviously the Grand Floridian is popular, it is part of one of the top theme parks in the world! The need to cite how beloved the projects he worked on were is a little unnecessary. To me, it comes of as insecure and unsure of his legacy. He takes for granted the love for him that readers bring to the table before even picking up the book!
If you don't know who Marty Sklar is or don't like the Disney Themepark industry, then you probably won't pick this book up. Perhaps I am being naive, but I think anyone who wants to read this book will already have some idea of who Marty is or what the Theme Parks he worked on are. So the need to defend himself and the popularity of the things he worked on seem totally unnecessary. No one I know in the community of fans of the Walt Disney Company has some secret hatred of Mr. Sklar that would warrant him the need to defend himself like this. Again, this is a nitpick I felt the need to elaborate on, Marty Sklar is still an amazing storyteller.
The last 1/3 of the book morphs from anecdotal into a story about Marty and his maxims on creativity and management. He cites his "Ten Commandments of Mickey" and even expands them with more "Commandments" all to show how Disney makes quality attractions. While this does come off as a little self aggrandizing, I can forgive it as it fits more in line with the premise of the book, to show how Disney created the wonderful attractions they did. I will admit it was harder to read than the first 2/3rds of the book and I had trouble finishing it. However I don't think this last section does anything to seriously hamper the awesome first sections.
This book did alot to add to the mystique of Disney and Theme Park History. Yes, he does name drop, he does cite an awful lot of other writers work, and he does defend himself a little too ardently in my opinion, but I think this is a truly great book for Theme Park lovers interested in some first hand (and sometimes secondhand) accounts of how the parks they loved were built.
If you love Walt Disney, Theme Parks, Imagineering, Marty himself or the History of the Walt Disney Company, you will love this book.
If you're interested in learning more about those things, this book is still a pretty good read. You might want to read up in your Disney History a tad before diving in, but you'll still have a pretty good read!
I've always been a big fan of Walt Disney and recently I've begun to read as much Disney History as I can get my hands on. At the advice of Michael Bowling and the Connecting with Walt Podcast, I requested this book for Christmas and started reading it immediately.
Marty Sklar is a staple at Walt Disney Imagineering and his experience and stories are brought to the forefront in this book. It is 1/3 biography, 1/3 anecdotal Disney history, and 1/3 motivational speeches in that order. The book really has a great beginning and okay ending. Marty is never afraid to name drop or reference other works on Disney or the Disney company. He did a great job telling of his experiences with Walt Disney as his primary ghost-writer in the mid 50s and 60s. I loved hearing how WDI and the Walt Disney Company worked. Marty's stories about Walt and the months after his death, his time working on WDW and on EPCOT, and his relationship with Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, Don Tattum and Dick Irvine.
Around the time following the opening of EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland (mid 1980s) he switches the narrative. I am not sure if this is because his involvement decreased, or if he felt like turning things around. We don't get the type of in-depth detail on MGM-Studios, Animal Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland or California Adventure. We do get some wonderful stories on Euro-Disneyland, but that is where it ends. I wish he had added a more complete story to these parks, but it is what it is at the end of the day. He does briefly touch on his opinions on these parks, but never to the degree that the first 4 parks (Disneyland, WDW, EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland) get.
My briefest of nitpicks is in Marty's desire to name drop. Marty name drops almost every important celebrity or executive he works with. It is somewhat understandable, I would want to talk about George Lucas or Frank Wells or Jeffery Katzenberg if I met them. But at times Marty seems to do this in a way that comes off as though he is justifying his legacy or emphasizing the impact of his decisions. For example, a line in this book may come off something like:
"Michael Eisner didn't like the concept of the Grand Floridian that the Imagineers came up with. I conversed with World Class Architect Jim Jimmason over at World Class Architects inc. and decided I needed to fight for my team's creative decisions. Ultimately we managed to convince Michael. Upon it's opening the Grand Floridian was ranked #1 in customer satisfaction by the International Association of Theme Park Entertainment in 1989 and 1990. Today, the Grand Floridian has entertained millions of guests with it's amazing vestibule design!"
So, obviously this isn't a quote from the book, but it illustrates a couple points I'd like to make.
#1, I don't know why Marty felt the need to defend his choices as vehemently as he does in this book, I don't think any of the stories he mention have any sort of controversy surrounding them, and I for one think Marty is beloved for his work in the theme park industry.
#2 Obviously the Grand Floridian is popular, it is part of one of the top theme parks in the world! The need to cite how beloved the projects he worked on were is a little unnecessary. To me, it comes of as insecure and unsure of his legacy. He takes for granted the love for him that readers bring to the table before even picking up the book!
If you don't know who Marty Sklar is or don't like the Disney Themepark industry, then you probably won't pick this book up. Perhaps I am being naive, but I think anyone who wants to read this book will already have some idea of who Marty is or what the Theme Parks he worked on are. So the need to defend himself and the popularity of the things he worked on seem totally unnecessary. No one I know in the community of fans of the Walt Disney Company has some secret hatred of Mr. Sklar that would warrant him the need to defend himself like this. Again, this is a nitpick I felt the need to elaborate on, Marty Sklar is still an amazing storyteller.
The last 1/3 of the book morphs from anecdotal into a story about Marty and his maxims on creativity and management. He cites his "Ten Commandments of Mickey" and even expands them with more "Commandments" all to show how Disney makes quality attractions. While this does come off as a little self aggrandizing, I can forgive it as it fits more in line with the premise of the book, to show how Disney created the wonderful attractions they did. I will admit it was harder to read than the first 2/3rds of the book and I had trouble finishing it. However I don't think this last section does anything to seriously hamper the awesome first sections.
This book did alot to add to the mystique of Disney and Theme Park History. Yes, he does name drop, he does cite an awful lot of other writers work, and he does defend himself a little too ardently in my opinion, but I think this is a truly great book for Theme Park lovers interested in some first hand (and sometimes secondhand) accounts of how the parks they loved were built.
If you love Walt Disney, Theme Parks, Imagineering, Marty himself or the History of the Walt Disney Company, you will love this book.
If you're interested in learning more about those things, this book is still a pretty good read. You might want to read up in your Disney History a tad before diving in, but you'll still have a pretty good read!
October 8, 2016
Marty's book has a lot of 'hidden Mickey's' in it - but overall what you get is a fairly unstructured approach to his experience and stories.
Marty relies heavily on quoting from other books from Disney Legends throughout the book and used so lavishly detracts from Marty's own experience and story.
There was however a great deal of detail regarding EPCOT, Tokyo Disneyland and some of the other parks that you'd be hard to find in any other book about Disney.
Marty relies heavily on quoting from other books from Disney Legends throughout the book and used so lavishly detracts from Marty's own experience and story.
There was however a great deal of detail regarding EPCOT, Tokyo Disneyland and some of the other parks that you'd be hard to find in any other book about Disney.
March 28, 2014
Never read a business book before. This was an amazing read.
I learned so much about team leadership and the creative process. It helped that the subject matter happened to be my favorite thing in the world - Disney parks.
Great stories about Walt, imagineering, building EPCOT and other parks - and many lessons to learn from.
I will be reading this again.
I learned so much about team leadership and the creative process. It helped that the subject matter happened to be my favorite thing in the world - Disney parks.
Great stories about Walt, imagineering, building EPCOT and other parks - and many lessons to learn from.
I will be reading this again.
April 9, 2014
Sklar is one of those unsung heroes. While Walt Disney always takes the spotlight, what is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book is how Sklar was there in the background making shit happen. It's a great book for both the hardcore, Disney nerd and the the creative capitalist.
August 21, 2014
I really enjoy most books related to The Walt Disney Company and this is no exception. Sklar jumps around a bit and at times it was quite confusing but he has a career that is very interesting to read about.
May 23, 2022
Enjoyable gems: insider stories, lists of leadership commandments, and valuable pointers to other books worth reading.
However, this book exemplifies why you shouldn't wait until you're in retirement at near 80 to write your story. It suffers from too much of the following:
1.) Name-dropping: I can appreciate that Marty shares the spotlight with his teammates and coworkers, but he resorts to name-dropping to the point that I don't even know what kind of people most of these names are. Sometimes, he attaches a title, like amazing "Marketing Director" or "Vice President of Imagineering," but even then, these faces need more personalities and participation in-scene, for us to know them better. It reads like an old guy thanking or praising all the people he has worked with over the years, when it would have been more interesting and informative to pick a handful of characters that he knew very well, and delve deeper by telling us stories involving them.
2.) Glossing over: An experience or teammate was too often deemed "amazing" or "wonderful" As a professional ghostwriter -- self-proclaimed one of Disney's best -- Marty should know better than using this language. He rarely delves into deep details, relying instead on overarching adjectives and images. Don't tell us that construction workers for Disneyland Paris were sleeping just two hours, without giving us a name or a scene that captures that memory. Too often, Marty retreats to tired phrases and quotations, listing who did what, rather than telling us how or why. Like many Disney Editions, we spend most of this book on the surface, only rarely looking at the emotions and inner workings underneath.
3.) Digression and disorganization: The book tells a chronological story in the sense that it starts with Marty's college internship and rising up as a writer under Walt, then progresses to the Eisner/Wells days and overseas park expansion. But the chapters don't organize these timelines with enough linearity. In the middle, he jumps back and forth, often within the same chapter, without subtitles or headers indicating why. It feels like listening to an old man digress from one vignette to another, telling his grandchildren about Card Walker one paragraph before moving on to Donn Tatum the next. There is a flow and loose relationship, but I would have appreciated more focus and cohesion to each chapter.
4.) Overreliance on the words of others: Marty, you're the author, the writer, the storyteller. Tell us your story, in your words, not the words of others! The telling too often relies on huge page-long block quotes from books written by former coworkers and colleagues like John Hench, Buzz Price, and Jack Lindquist, many of which I've already read multiple times thanks to Theme Park Press. This shows a stunning lack of awareness about the audience -- people who want to learn more about Disney's inner workings -- and the background we already share coming into his telling. While this pointed me to reread other books in a different context, I wanted to hear from Marty himself, rather than his more famous teammates.
However, this book exemplifies why you shouldn't wait until you're in retirement at near 80 to write your story. It suffers from too much of the following:
1.) Name-dropping: I can appreciate that Marty shares the spotlight with his teammates and coworkers, but he resorts to name-dropping to the point that I don't even know what kind of people most of these names are. Sometimes, he attaches a title, like amazing "Marketing Director" or "Vice President of Imagineering," but even then, these faces need more personalities and participation in-scene, for us to know them better. It reads like an old guy thanking or praising all the people he has worked with over the years, when it would have been more interesting and informative to pick a handful of characters that he knew very well, and delve deeper by telling us stories involving them.
2.) Glossing over: An experience or teammate was too often deemed "amazing" or "wonderful" As a professional ghostwriter -- self-proclaimed one of Disney's best -- Marty should know better than using this language. He rarely delves into deep details, relying instead on overarching adjectives and images. Don't tell us that construction workers for Disneyland Paris were sleeping just two hours, without giving us a name or a scene that captures that memory. Too often, Marty retreats to tired phrases and quotations, listing who did what, rather than telling us how or why. Like many Disney Editions, we spend most of this book on the surface, only rarely looking at the emotions and inner workings underneath.
3.) Digression and disorganization: The book tells a chronological story in the sense that it starts with Marty's college internship and rising up as a writer under Walt, then progresses to the Eisner/Wells days and overseas park expansion. But the chapters don't organize these timelines with enough linearity. In the middle, he jumps back and forth, often within the same chapter, without subtitles or headers indicating why. It feels like listening to an old man digress from one vignette to another, telling his grandchildren about Card Walker one paragraph before moving on to Donn Tatum the next. There is a flow and loose relationship, but I would have appreciated more focus and cohesion to each chapter.
4.) Overreliance on the words of others: Marty, you're the author, the writer, the storyteller. Tell us your story, in your words, not the words of others! The telling too often relies on huge page-long block quotes from books written by former coworkers and colleagues like John Hench, Buzz Price, and Jack Lindquist, many of which I've already read multiple times thanks to Theme Park Press. This shows a stunning lack of awareness about the audience -- people who want to learn more about Disney's inner workings -- and the background we already share coming into his telling. While this pointed me to reread other books in a different context, I wanted to hear from Marty himself, rather than his more famous teammates.
December 19, 2017
I am a huge Disney fan. Love almost everything about it.
Had no idea what to expect from this book, but it was very underwhelming. Mr. Sklar had an amazing professional experience working for Disney for so long, interacting with many of the greats, and even being one of the greats himself. That said, this book was too filled with names that we never got to "know" well enough to follow along. Sure, many are Disney Legends and the names are at least familiar, but it would have been better to include more personality from both the author and the named characters within the pages. The first half or more of the book would be better used as a template for aspiring businessmen. His experiences are well chronicled here, but it seems to just miss for the average reader. I really enjoyed the last few chapters that got more into Mr Sklar's leadership strategies and guidelines. These were applicable to any reader. The stories about creating the magic and the various experiences with Disney Parks and attractions was very interesting, but often times the stories became encumbered with so many names and just lightly touched on experiences of these other characters that were included in the stories.
I feel bad giving a less than impressive review because I wanted so much for this book, luckily Mr Sklar delivered in his Disney experiences and his Disney writing more so than he was here in these pages.
Had no idea what to expect from this book, but it was very underwhelming. Mr. Sklar had an amazing professional experience working for Disney for so long, interacting with many of the greats, and even being one of the greats himself. That said, this book was too filled with names that we never got to "know" well enough to follow along. Sure, many are Disney Legends and the names are at least familiar, but it would have been better to include more personality from both the author and the named characters within the pages. The first half or more of the book would be better used as a template for aspiring businessmen. His experiences are well chronicled here, but it seems to just miss for the average reader. I really enjoyed the last few chapters that got more into Mr Sklar's leadership strategies and guidelines. These were applicable to any reader. The stories about creating the magic and the various experiences with Disney Parks and attractions was very interesting, but often times the stories became encumbered with so many names and just lightly touched on experiences of these other characters that were included in the stories.
I feel bad giving a less than impressive review because I wanted so much for this book, luckily Mr Sklar delivered in his Disney experiences and his Disney writing more so than he was here in these pages.
July 8, 2022
Want to learn more about Disney's fabled Imagineering?
Then let Marty be your guide!
After all, he'd been with Disney since Walt hired him back in 1955 to help with PR as part of the launch of Disneyland. From his early beginnings, straight from UCLA, Sklar's storied career with The Walt Disney Company spanned decades, seeing the launch of new Parks, attractions, and resorts all over the globe, all through Walt's later chapters, and seeing through management changes over time (from Walt, to Card Walker, to Michael Eisner, and finally to Bob Iger before his retirement).
As a fan/student/Cast Member of The Walt Disney Company, I loved hearing about some of the design philosophies from this team (arguably the best R&D in-house firm on the planet!), and about some of the stories behind the attractions we've come to know and love.
This I expected to read, but what I didn't expect was to hear more hints of the politics behind the scenes. There's definitely some gems in here in relation to executives (many of whom are no longer with the company), with some tales of unchecked ego and hubris with some, and you can tell from Marty's own words that while he's not throwing shade per se, there were clearly some execs that he did NOT see eye to eye with.
Highly recommended for any Disney fan!
Then let Marty be your guide!
After all, he'd been with Disney since Walt hired him back in 1955 to help with PR as part of the launch of Disneyland. From his early beginnings, straight from UCLA, Sklar's storied career with The Walt Disney Company spanned decades, seeing the launch of new Parks, attractions, and resorts all over the globe, all through Walt's later chapters, and seeing through management changes over time (from Walt, to Card Walker, to Michael Eisner, and finally to Bob Iger before his retirement).
As a fan/student/Cast Member of The Walt Disney Company, I loved hearing about some of the design philosophies from this team (arguably the best R&D in-house firm on the planet!), and about some of the stories behind the attractions we've come to know and love.
This I expected to read, but what I didn't expect was to hear more hints of the politics behind the scenes. There's definitely some gems in here in relation to executives (many of whom are no longer with the company), with some tales of unchecked ego and hubris with some, and you can tell from Marty's own words that while he's not throwing shade per se, there were clearly some execs that he did NOT see eye to eye with.
Highly recommended for any Disney fan!
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