Inside the Mouse: Work and Play at Disney World, The Project on Disney

by Sharon Willis (Editor), Jane Kuenz (Editor), Shelton Waldrep (Editor)

This entertaining and playful book views Disney World as much more than the site of an ideal family vacation. Blending personal meditations, interviews, photographs, and cultural analysis, Inside the Mouse looks at Disney World’s architecture and design, its consumer practices, and its use of Disney characters and themes. This book takes the reader on an alternative ride through "the happiest place on earth" while asking "What makes this forty-three-square-mile theme park the quintessential embodiment of American leisure?"
Turning away from the programmed entertainment that Disney presents, the authors take a peek behind the scenes of everyday experience at Disney World. In their consideration of the park as both private corporate enterprise and public urban environment, the authors focus on questions concerning the production and consumption of leisure. Featuring over fifty photographs and interviews with workers that strip "cast members" of their cartoon costumes, this captivating work illustrates the high-pressure dynamics of the typical family vacation as well as a tour of Disney World that looks beyond the controlled facade of themed attractions.
As projects like EuroDisney and the proposed Disney America test the strength of the Disney cultural monolith, Inside the Mouse provides a timely assessment of the serious business of supplying pleasure in contemporary U.S. culture. Written for the general reader interested in the many worlds of Disney, this engrossing volume will also find fans among students and scholars of cultural studies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, History

264 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 1995

Reviews

[Becky Ippolito]

How can you give a book ZERO stars you ask? When it's a bunch of bullsh-. Don't think I am some happily ever after DISNEY lover. I like going to Disney World, don't care for the characters, or even Mickey Mouse for that matter, and don't have anything emblazoned with the Disney label or Mouse Head. I am also a cynical person. I got this book because I had just been to Disney World and I wanted to read more about the inner workings of the place itself. It intrigued me how the workers could be so happy, so helpful, the place so clean, so organized, and I wanted to see how that happened. Because that seems like the real magic. I just didn't want a happy little guide about everything you can see at Disney. Well this book didn't tell me anything. In fact it just spouted out loads of theoretical concepts about "the classes", the "empire", the "brainwashing of the masses", that I felt like I was reading a conspiracy blog. And let me just say, that the word "bourgeois" so many times that it would have made a good drinking game. Who the Hell uses the word BOURGEOIS" anymore?????? According to this book and its authors- Disney World is so popular because it whitewashes history and culture and brainwashes the masses to consume consume consume. Unless you are a zombie (which I would much rather have been reading about) you make the choice to buy things in Disney world. Basically when I went, I let my kids buy what they wanted, I bought souveneirs and for myself, Coffee and international candies. I resisted the "terrible" impulse to buy every little Mickey Mouse item found on every corner. Instead, for once, while I was there, I enjoyed being taken care of. Not having to worry about anything. Unlike the elistist authors of this book, that is not something common for me. I would suggest- since the authors were very intent on how Disney makes a fantasy and does not present real life (duh- isn't that the point?) that they bring their families for a vacation to some of the neighborhoods where I live- then they can see the "reality" they are looking for. I have never read such a high and mighty book full of conceptual crap. I'm sorry, PROJECT ON DISNEY, I for one, along with most of the American public, are not the brainless masses you think we are.
I would recommend this book for those people who sit around drinking bourbon at elegant writer's parties and look down at everyone else from their non-consumerism elistist noses.
Ok. I'm done.

[Bqueenbandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the unseen side of Disney. It critiques and ponders everything from crying children to architecture. The blurb says "written for the general reader," so I can understand why there are so many one/zero star reviews. Maybe it should be amended to say "written for the general reader that already has a good handle on Marxist, feminist, and critical theory." I've read my fair share on feminist/queer theory and anarchism, and I got stumped on some of the references and concepts in this book. I liked the idea behind the book very much and had a good time reading it, but it does get bogged down in high academia language frequently. Also, for future writers, a tip: not every page of your critical theory book needs a reference to Debord's Society of the Spectacle. If you sprinkle them sparingly, we'll still know you listen to NPR and hate Christmas.

Beyond my snark, though, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in pop culture criticism or workers' rights, folks interested in the concept of identity, anyone writing a college paper, or people like me who listen to NPR and hate Christmas.

[Heather Downs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read this collection of essays when I was in college. The authors have some very interesting interpretations of the Disney phenomena. The most compelling chapter is the analysis of Disney workers submission and resistance to "working at the rat". I recommend this book for those interested in learning more about Disney from a cultural studies standpoint.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched. Not cynical, but clear eyed. As a consumer, I love Disney, too, but that doesn't mean its employment practices are not fair game. I like being warm in the winter, but that does not give ExxonMobil a free pass.

[William Dury · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clash of value systems-the scholarly and the corporate. My favorite chapter was “Working At The Rat,” which is self explanatory. The book was published in 1995 so there are unavoidable anachronisms, most notably here with the boots on the ground in the parks.

Jane Kuenz writes : “I want to be clear about this lest anyone think I’ve been unfair, misleading, or two one sidedly negative: in the main, and in many ways quite understandably, Disney employees like their work. They don’t particularly like Walt Disney Co.: they find its rules and policies unbending, silly and degrading, but they love working at Disney World. Without a single exception, every person I spoke with found something good to say about their time at the park, and without a single exception, every person I spoke with identified that something in similar terms: it has to do with being in public, with being performative, and with the kind of transformative potential many feel is generated-though not necessarily carried through-by the two,” p 141.

Which explains why those jobs paid minimum wage for so many years. Like the animators before them, they accept low wages because they like the work, or at least the “transformative potential” thing. Now that they are getting paid double minimum wage it changes the model. If anything, it increases the competition for those jobs. What I find interesting about the Disney pay raise is that Walt Disney Co. could afford it and the money makes its way back to the worker communities.

Good (if occasionally infuriating for true believer types) book for anyone interested in the Disney phenomenon.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The essays were interesting- they contained some little known behind-the-scenes of the way things work at the Disney theme parks. It's classified as culture studies and some of the essays delve deeply into theory.

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I saw this book recommended by Ask A Manager, I expected more first person accounts of cast members in Disney World and more information on the strategies involved in making it's magic. Instead, this is a critical analysis of the Disney park and what it means for then-modern American culture--"critical" in the sense of "negative" and also the sense of academia. Lenses like Marxism, feminism, even a bit of queer theory look at what we get out of the park and what it means to enjoy it--in a rather unflattering way. I didn't get the impression that any of the authors ever actually liked Disney.

The book was published in 1995 and is extremely dated, which makes the analysis more interesting and also gives an unfinished feel. The Disney World written about here not only sells plenty of film, but only Kodak brand, it hasn't finished building the Tower of Terror much less opened Animal Kingdom. I'd be interested in a more modern (and preferably not so entirely critical, in the more-negative, less-academic sense) book along similar lines; but if there is one, I haven't found it in Google scholar's citations of the book.

Overall, the tone is entirely cynical, not just of Disney World itself but of what it means for our society that something like Disney World exists and is popular. It's also very political, in a way that is extremely dated. It was interesting enough for about 250 pages, but definitely not something I'd read again or recommend.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I expected reading this book: A book about the logistics of running Disney World and how everything works together. I knew it would be dated, but I love a logistic, so I was all in.

What this book actually is: an academic critique of all things Disney, written in the 90s, about all things to be found at Disney World, including literal film/cameras (a hilariously dated essay), an essay about family vacations, and a chapter on working at Disney that had very little to do with the logistics. Barely a logistic to be found! Plenty of critiques on capitalism, though, if that's your thing.

So, this was a weird book, and I think even had I gone in expecting an academic critique I wouldn't have been super into it. It's just very, very dated; understandably preoccupied with seeing the world through a very 90s lens (some of that was interesting to read--the concerns that didn't come to pass, etc.); and a little too academic for me to be interested in reading when I don't have to for a class. Your mileage may vary! (And, full disclosure, I read the first two essays and the Working at the Rat essay very closely and skimmed VERY briefly over the others. Maybe I missed the genius of the book that way!)

[jaydro · Rating 3 out of 5]

A scholarly dissection of Walt Disney World mostly from a sociological standpoint. Coming from the mid-1990's some of this stuff seems quaint now (there's a lot of obsession over how Reagan and Bush have ruined various things and the impressions of the then-recent Gulf War loom large), but embedded within it are definitely some of the seeds of what we now see in the language of equity movements. Anyway, some of it was interesting (the chapter on architecture was scarily prescient as we have since seen the Disney-fication of various things) and even the self-important denigration was somewhat entertaining to me.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Academic essays on Disney as a culture, corporation, capitalist tyrant, and political entity

Here's what I wanted when I read this book: something that would give me an insider's look at behind-the-scenes information. I wanted a hit of nostalgia and text and photo that would make me remember the place and the people. Here's what I got: a bitterly written book about how Disney is dragging down people and turning them into sheep who have no clue what is going on when they're there. Half the text and the photos are more generalized - Disney is used to expound on cultural theory. The best chapter was "Working at the Rat" with interviews with former Disney staff.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great intersection of concepts for me personally, as someone who loves reading about Disney and psychological / sociological theory. A couple of the chapters were dense and harder to get through (I much preferred the chapters where the exploration was done more casually or anecdotally, as it felt easier to connect to), but overall I really enjoyed the read and the thought-provoking that I participated in as a typically avid consumer of Disney World.

3.5 stars.

[Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I was hoping for some really cool back stage insight on Disney. What I got was a book that read way too much like a sociology textbook. There is only one chapter worth reading and its the one about working at Disney called "Working for the Rat". Reading any part of this book will probably ruin DisneyLand for you.

[Serena Solange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting read but it reads more like a textbook than a collection of personal essays.

[kylajaclyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need to quote Charlie from Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:

"Candy doesn't have a point. That's why it's candy."

And, similarly, Disney is a place of dreams and magic. It doesn't need to be overanalyzed. You appreciate Disney for what it is, period. The authors of this book do not. In fact, they claimed at one point that they didn't want to "seem negative" or portray Disney in a negative light. And yet… they didn't try all that hard to hide their disgust. If you are Marxist, Socialist, Communist, or somewhere in between, you will love and understand this book thoroughly. Most of the authors (there are four) admit to being Marxists. So expect to read the words "postmodern," "bourgeoisie," and "capitalism" over and over. "Inside the Mouse" is middle-class snobbery at its finest. There is a point where one of the authors is talking to an overweight woman who used to work for WDW. As she (the author) leaves this woman's house, she makes it a point to note JUST HOW SORRY she feels for this woman. But, when she meets a woman who was happy working at Disney World, an attractive woman who worked in entertainment, she (the author) has to "bite back a snide remark." See? They are constantly above all of us, and yet claim they hate the upper class or, honestly, those who don't slam Disney World.

Truthfully, it's the authors I feel sorry for. They live completely exhausting lives when they can't even enjoy something as simple as Disney World. I did know what to expect from this book - I realized it was an upper crust take on a park they consider too easy and exhausting. I thought it would be funny to read about their snobbery, and it was, but it was also hard to read and follow at times. The concepts presented were just like "what?! how did you arrive at that?" unless you have a good grasp of Marxism. I also want to say that while it is stupid to criticize WDW exhaustively, I realize Disney often leaves the door wide open, often deservingly so, for criticism. It's not that I believe no one should ever say a bad thing about Disney. I just think you are horribly misinformed if you believe the rest of us don't know what we are getting into when we play or work in the parks. I think the trouble here is that the authors don't wish to admit that people actually go to WDW knowing full well what Disney is and what they stand for. So they had to write a book telling us about all the capitalist horrors that WDW hath wrought. And? I mean, if you're going to analyze Disney and WDW, at least be original. Saying that Disney is capitalist is like saying that the Pope is Catholic. It's so intrinsically ingrained in all of us that it's basically beside the point. And so what if I like to shop for Disney merchandise? The authors can kiss my Mickey Mouse-clad ass. And if you don't like Disney World? Don't go. Duh. The rest of us will be Disneybounding and sipping tea at our Alice in Wonderland Tea Party. Enjoying life. Having fun.

[Cat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worse piece of crap I ever had the misfortune of reading. I'm a huge Disney enthusiast, and although I could tell from the get go that this book was going to be negatively slanted, I bought it, kept an open mind and read it from cover to cover. Now mind you, I have worked for the Disney Company as a cast member so I already have my own opinions of their ethics and practices toward their employees. I wasn't reading this book through rose colored glasses. I came away feeling as if these four or five authors (or however many there were) had an agenda of how can we trash the Walt Disney Company and paint it in the worse possible light ever. Although I shall most likely never read this drivel of a book again, for better or worse, I have made it a part of my Disney collection of written material.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started this book thinking that it might actually portray Disney in a positive light. I was sorely disappointed in the realization that the authors were very cynical and sought out the worst reviewers possible to quote in this book. I'm not oblivious, I've worked for Disney and I know that there are pros and cons to everything, this theme-park included. The Disney Company is not perfect, but I still believe in it's intended ideals - the ideals that started with Walt Disney. The magic is what you make it and if the guests are cynical and are determined to find the worst, then they will.

I just couldn't finish this book after the first few chapters and after skimming through the rest. It is the first book of 2009 that I couldn't force myself to finish.

[Anne-marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here are the two sentences that did it in for me: "While it is certainly no secret that capitalism depends in part on regulating sexual identity, fantasy, and desire, what needs to be understood is how, it does so and how that process is re-enacted in the park."

and in reference to young, park-going girls - thirteen or fourteen - "Waiting in the long line for "Space Mountain," brushed and arranged their own and each other's hair - a species of eroticism, not vanity - composed and sang songs, played what they will later discover are drinking games, and in one case planned revenge on school on 'the biggest sexist in the class'."

Why do we constantly sexualize our youth!?
Illogical Liberalism at its best!

[Dale · Rating 1 out of 5]

or "I Did Not Enjoy my Trip to Disney That My Spouse Made Me Go On, and I Have a Liberal Arts Degree"

Marketed as some kind of behind the scenes expose of Disney World, this sad piece of claptrap represents the worst of academic wankery. A series of jargon laden essays despising Disney out of sheer hatred for the concept of entertainment, mixed with some long discredited urban myths and a disregard for facts or actual research.

More reviews at Trash Menace.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, but I think in the end what was more interesting was that it was written by 4 or 5 people, and each has their own baggage and levels of irony to uncover, and veered back and forth between enjoying Disney World and being unable to enjoy anything.. except for a few pages it's almost incidental that this is about Disney at all.

[Chelsea DeVries · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so anti-Disney it made me sick. Plus, there was nothing really of value in it. Waste of my time.