DREAM CHASING

A longtime Disney Imagineer takes us behind the curtains at the Magic Kingdom.

Weis, a four-decade Disney employee, was initially hired as a Disneyland “outdoor ice cream and popcorn vendor,” despite the fact that he was a talented set builder trained in both drama and architecture. On the job, he learned to pay attention to details: “As dry as they seem, popcorn kernels contain 14 percent water. As the kernel is heated to a high enough temperature, this water transforms into steam.” That gig didn’t last, and Weis wandered off, only to return as a coordinator on “a top secret project called Tokyo Disneyland.” Whereas there were just two Disney theme parks when he started off in the 1970s, half a century later there were a dozen. Each of the new parks, most of which he had roles in developing while climbing the corporate ladder, had its own problems, and each had to conform with Disney’s mores while offering its own brand of magic. Weis writes in great but not overwhelming detail on all such matters. We learn that Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris was built to a plan B that “was smaller and cheaper and lacked both charm and Disney warmth” until it was overhauled. Disneyland Shanghai had to lose a few trademark features: in a country full of high-speed trains to put American rail to shame, it didn’t add much to have a slow-moving steam locomotive poking around the place. Weis provides notes on such matters as how to direct traffic flow inside a park and how to leverage the latest technology to yield the greatest wow experiences for visitors—all of which were deeply compromised when Covid-19 came along, requiring a thorough cultural transformation in the face of a severe blow to corporate income.

A treat for Disney fans and a revealing look inside the day-to-day workings of Big Entertainment.