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By Michael - June 24th, 2010 Someone posted this chestnut from 1990 on a message board today, and I thought it was good for a chuckle or two. Or, you know, tears. Lots of tears.
Counting generously, I have them at zero-for-seven on those announcements. That’s a hitting percentage of… .000. Nice. Although I guess you could be super generous, and [...]
By Michael - April 13th, 2010
Waking Sleeping Beauty is a film that, by all rights, shouldn’t exist.
After all, at its core it’s the story of massive egos maneuvering for control and credit in the wake of one of the Disney company’s most successful artistic and financial periods since Walt’s death in 1966. Getting any of the parties involved [...]
By Michael - January 16th, 2010 Once upon a time, ibis-crazed visitors to Walt Disney World could visit Discovery Island – a relaxing tropical hideaway in the center of Bay Lake. It was a pleasant little zoological park; the kind of subdued but atmospheric attraction that is rarely seen today.
In 1993, Discovery Island was looking for a new logo. Disney [...]
By Michael - November 11th, 2009 Previously, on As the Eisner Turns…
Ambitious young Michael Eisner and his boon companion Frank Wells took over control of Walt Disney Productions, which was struggling to make its way in the modern film industry. Disney began to cash in on underexploited assets, and the eyes of management shifted from theme parks to film and [...]
By Michael - November 1st, 2009 For nearly two decades, beginning with Frank Wells wining and dining Chinese officials in 1990, the Disney corporation has danced around the possibility of building a theme park in Shanghai. China’s largest city was long a target destination for former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, but despite frequent negotiations during the 1990s the park was never [...]
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Four Decades of Magic

Essays about the first forty years of Walt Disney World, including two pieces by yours truly. Available in print and for Kindle.
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