Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation and Theme Parks (review copy)

Offers a chronologically arranged look at the thirty animated Disney films, as well as the development and growth of the Disney industry and theme parks

YA. An evaluation of the quality and financial successes of Disney's ventures. Koenig presents a chronological overview of 30 films from "Snow White" through "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"; he relates each one to its original tale, gives the Disney version, and tells what and why cuts were made. The promised secrets consist of such things as "Plot Holes," "Bloopers," "Hidden Images," and "Strange Reactions." Although there is no Disney art here, there are a few black-and-white illustrations by Joel Chandler Harris as well as Tenniel's famous Alice sketches and one of Ernest Shepard's Mary Poppins. Anecdotes about the growth of the Disney industry and the development of the theme-park rides are included. One of the most enticing sidebars offers over 50 names that were originally considered for the seven dwarfs.?Frances Reiher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Disney books tend toward shameless promotion or intractable hostility, so a critical but fun examination of the mouse empire is welcome. Critical here refers to examining plot inconsistencies, bloopers, and background stories in Disney movies from Snow White to The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The original stories on which the scripts were based, significant Disney-version departures, and theme-park attractions based on each movie all get attention, but of surpassing value are "strange reactions" to the movies. For example, the NAACP picketed Song of the South, and that shocked Uncle Walt; now, which reaction was strange is an open question. Another surprise: contemporary reaction to Sleeping Beauty and the changes at Disney in its wake; now generally considered a Disney classic, the film was an ungodly long time a-making, got some hostile reviews, and barely broke even in first release. With a background narrative supplying historical context and such boxed features as a Disney Tragedy Trivia Quiz and the Orphan-O-Meter for passing amusement, consider this a must for Disneyphiles. Mike Tribby