More Mouse Tales

In More Mouse Tales: a Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland, David Koenig adds more to his first book. More what? More humor, more information on how the park works, more stories I didn’t want to read, and a lot more criticism. To be fair, a lot of his criticism has to do with Michael Eisner (of whom I am no great fan), and the personnel he brought into the park. The author makes a very good point that you can’t run a show like a retail store. Disneyland is a show, with shops and restaurants included. Under Eisner’s management, the focus largely shifted to the retail aspect. At least now I know who to blame for the disappearance of some of my favorite shops when I was younger.

To continue with the business aspect of the book (which is how the book concluded), Disneyland’s management made a big mistake by cutting down on costs by basically trampling all over their employees. Before long, everyone who had been there since opening day quit. They couldn’t handle the new approach. The magic was gone. The business was not run the way Walt would have done it. I greatly respect Walt as a business man. You have to take care of the people working for you if you want them to preserve your brand. Walt would listen to anybody. That doesn’t mean he always did what was requested, but he would listen, and when he liked an idea, he gave it the green light.

Walt’s philosophy was to keep money in his guests’ pockets. Eisner’s philosophy was to take everything you could and leave them with nothing. Sadly, you can tell Disneyland maintains this philosophy, as prices go up year after year. I still love Disneyland, and I completely understand that Disneyland is still a business. But I think it’s important for its executives to remember exactly what business they are in. On that much, the author and I can agree.

As for the rest of the book, it was fun to read how different attractions have worked throughout the ages, and I especially enjoyed reading the humorous mishaps that happen now and then, along with silly questions and comments from guests. However, once again, the author shared some stories that I did not care to read.

Have these two books given me information about Disneyland I didn’t have before? Yes. Have they thrown a lot of dirt on Disneyland? Absolutely. Am I less of a Disney fan? No. Call me naïve. Call me ignorant. Or maybe, just call me a believer. I am a believer in Walt’s dream, and there is still magic in the park. It is a place of happy memories for me. Instead of boycotting it, or spreading snide comments about it, or looking for all the dirt I can, I will do my best to contribute to the goodness of it.