Greg Maletic: Book Review - The Disneylands That Never Were
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The Disneylands That Never Were is available at Lulu.com in two formats, a $14.99 paperback version or a $5.49 downloadable PDF. Expecting that a non-sanctioned Disney book would contain a lot of text and very few pictures (none, in fact) I went for the PDF edition and found it relatively easy to read on my computer screen. I haven’t seen the paperback edition so I can’t comment on the quality of the printing or binding, but at $14.99 it seems reasonably priced for those who want to enjoy the book while away from their computer.

It would be nice if Mr. Finnie were to evolve this book over time. In addition to updating it with the latest in rejected Imagineering proposals, the book could use a sharp editorial eye. Its text is certainly readable and easy to follow along with, but there are occasional missteps. With regards to a description of Disneyland's Rocket Rods:

“This high speed slot car ride ran around a track high above Tomorrowland, but was so prone to breaking down that it was permanently mothballed within three years of its opening. Even worse, no corporate sponsor could be found for the ride, so its planned high speed banked curves never materialised.�?

Not finding a corporate sponsor was “even worse�? than the ride being mothballed after three years? And this paragraph on Disneyland Paris' Sequoia Lodge:

“In its original plan the impressive Sequoia Lodge hotel would have been called the Forest of the Giants. Instead of the collection of mountain wilderness lodges that the resort holds today, its first incarnation had the buildings actually located in the branches of giant sequoia trees. Sadly the man-made ‘trees’ proved too costly and fraught with safety issues, but the name survived to the final product.�?

Yet the name didn't survive to the final product. The original name was "Forest of the Giants," right? Other head-scratching moments occur due the lack of source attribution. In a section about scuttled plans for a Disney Vacation Club in Times Square:

“In hindsight of course, it would have been a wonderful idea: visitors could see a Disney show on Broadway and then carry on the overall experience by staying in the Disney Hotel. Ex-Disney chairman Eisner apparently regarded the failure to move this project along as the most important business decision that the company got wrong during his leadership.�?

Perhaps Michael Eisner does regard this as his biggest mistake. If so, he's delusional. In fact, the notion that he considers not building condominiums in Times Square his biggest mistake is so absurd that it's practically inconceivable that it's true. And unfortunately, there's no way to find out whether it is or not. A footnote would clear up the confusion immediately, but there isn't one to be found anywhere in the text. The book does have a bibliography, and I’m certainly not suggesting that there’s any deliberate attempt on Mr. Finnie’s part to claim ownership of others’ work. But there are too many surprising statements in the text that are just crying out for attribution.

Despite its flaws, for the right kind of fan—one presumably new to the Disney fold—this book will be a fun read. It’s sincere, well-intentioned, and it's clear that Mr. Finnie has a huge enthusiasm for his topic. I hope that he does evolve the book, as mentioned earlier, so that it really can become the definitive source on this interesting topic. Maybe someday it can even gain some Disney-sanctioned respectability and feature actual illustrations and Imagineer interviews. It’s a long-shot, but this is a book about dreams, right?

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-- Greg Maletic

-- Posted September 5, 2006