Kungaloosh!: The Mythic Jungles of Walt Disney World

by Jim Korkis, Bob McLain (Editor)

Join your safari guide, Disney historian Jim Korkis, as he explores the hidden histories and mysteries of the different jungle environments at Walt Disney World. From the fabled Jungle Cruise through Disney’s Animal Kingdom and more, including the tropical wildernesses of Indiana Jones and the world of Avatar, discover the magic behind the magic. Uncover the many secrets of the iconic Trader Sam and his Grog Grotto from the Imagineer who created that Tiki bar. Learn the philosophy of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the lore of the Forbidden Mountain from an exclusive interview with Imagineer Joe Rohde. There is even a chapter devoted to the extinct attractions in WDW’s Adventureland like Shrunken Ned’s Junior Jungle Boats. In addition, half of the book is devoted to The Complete Adventurers Club Guidebook that includes several exclusive lengthy interviews with the Imagineers who created that beloved Pleasure Island venue. This is the most extensive documentation that has ever been published of what a night in the club was like and how things worked behind the scenes. Every page is filled with fun facts from over a decade and half of research that even the most loyal fans never knew. Read about the complete membership of that fictional location such as detailed descriptions of members that disappeared or never materialized including Madame Zenobia and Raoul Manzanera, as well as full descriptions of the twenty-six plaques placed on the island and how they related to the story of Merriweather Adam Pleasure. The book overflows with everything you will ever need to know about the Adventurers Club.

Genres: Nonfiction

254 pages, Paperback

Published April 27, 2021

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

An explanation of my 3-star review: this book is very good if you are interested in the Disney "jungle" properties, like Adventureland, the world-famous Jungle Cruise or Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. That said, a disproportionate amount of this book is dedicated to the history of the Adventurers Club nightclub/improv show that called Pleasure Island home. If you are interested in either of those things, this book is a gold-plated 5-star treasure. Not that I don't appreciate those things - I do - and the comprehensive history of them presented here is second to none. I took off one star for the fact that while "adventure" certainly entails its share of jungles, I fail to see how the Adventurers Club or Pleasure Island qualify for inclusion as synonymous with jungles. Maybe this is for a general audience, probably this is for Disneyfans, definitely for superfans of any of the above mentioned IP.

[Jamie Hecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fascinating book my Disney historian Jim Korkis. It nicely covers the 'jungles' of Walt Disney World, and includes a deep dive into the Adventurers Club -- presumably because the 'adventurers' have been to jungles around the world.

Most of the AC section relies on past web articles Korkis has written, but they remain evergreen. There was some continuity issues though. For example, each time he writes about Fingers Zambezi multiple times, each time mentioning the performer's name. Once was sufficient. It's a minor nit, but the AC section could have benefitted from tighter editing.

[Alicia von Kugelgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to be able to give this a better rating. I LOVED the Adventurers Club and so anything about it interests me greatly. However, this book is so poorly written that it was nigh impossible to get through. The writing is disjointed, the grammar APPALLING, and many of the chapters contain the same (or similar) information just barely altered. Mr. Korkis is in desperate need of a new copy editor.

[Erik Koster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is kinda strange. It sorta reads like a wikipedia page combined with recorded transcripts of a documentary? Very all over the place. Some chapters include just literally lists of random info like book titles. There were some cool nuggets of info in there hence why it didn't get a lower rating, but I'd say unless you're *super* interested in Animal Kingdom, adventurers club, or S.E.A, then you can take a pass on this one.

[Debra Serra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

Jim takes you behind the scenes as only Jim can do. Take the back door tour on the true story of pleasure island. Find the untold stories on this once DIsney land. So sit back and relax ( where did I hear that before?) oh hi Lou. And relive the wonderful insights as jim takes us through the jungles of untold and wonderful stories behind the magic of Disney.
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[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and specialized content. But holy shit this book needed an editor. The same content was repeated in multiple chapters making reading this feel like three overlong encyclopedia entries back-to-back as opposed to a unified non-fiction narrative.

[Shannon Mancus]

This was read for research purposes only.