Considering the cultural impact the Walt Disney Company has had since its founding, it’s really no surprise how often their works are a source of parody. After all, in order for a good spoof to land, the audience must first be familiar with the original material. That’s why readers with even a passing interesting in the Disney Parks are likely to get many of the jokes crafted in written by Geoffrey Golden. Dream it! Screw it!: 30 Years of Rejected Disney Park Ideas from Dipp Disney.
This book from The Devastator publishing serves as a biography of Walt’s fictional cousin Dipp, journaling his time at Imagineering and cataloging his various attraction proposals. While some of these ideas are obvious parodies of actual Disney rides (The Haunted Mansons, The Stinky Drinky Pirates, The Jackson 5 Dimensions etc.), others are clever originals that still fit the theme… albeit inappropriately.
Speaking of inappropriate, this book is intended for adults and does contain some material that’s sexual in nature. There’s also some dark humor (the aforementioned Haunted Mansons, for example) but, overall, the tone is not far from that of Cracked or Mad. And, like those publications, Dream it! Screw it! sometimes falls into the trap of pushing a one-note joke too far.
That being said, I found that the book succeeded more times than not. Part of this has to do with the way it’s arranged to go chronologically through Dipp Disney’s career, making allusions to actual periods of the Disney Parks ranging from the 1964 World’s Fair to their recent acquisitions. I was also impressed by the colorful and fun concept art that looks great on the book’s glossy pages. There are also some gags that only slightly more seasoned Disney fans will fully understand (like the revelation that Dipp was responsible for Walt Disney World’s 25th-anniversary cupcake castle).
Overall I’d recommend Dream it! Screw it! to Disney geeks with the right sense of humor. At a scant 68 pages, it’s $12 price tag might sound steep, but the book’s full-color layout helps justify that price, especially when given as a gift (which, in all honestly, is probably the best market for the book). So if you want to learn more about Dipp Disney and his crazy, misguided theme park creations, pick up Dream it! Screw it! by Geoffrey Golden on Amazon.