Tag Archives: Disney Book Review

Book Review! Top Disney (Lists)

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Back in February I received an email from author Christopher Lucas. Christopher offered me a free copy of his new book to review. Of course I responded with an enthusiastic, “Heck yes!”. He had me at the book’s title: Top Disney: A Book of 100 Top Ten Lists, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond.

Book Review! Top Disney (Lists)

I must confess, I’ve had the book a few weeks. It’s been sitting in my kitchen where I look over the chapters and their dozens of lists while I’m prepping dinner in the evenings after work. It’s become part of my daily routine and I am finding myself both entertained and educated in the process.

Here are the Chapter Titles…

  • Lists About Walt Disney Himself
  • Lists About the Disney Company
  • Lists About Disney Films
  • Lists About Disney Characters
  • Lists About Disney Cast Members
  • Lists About Disney Television/Other Media
  • Lists About Disney Parks and Attractions

One evening as I reached for the book, Joseph told me he’d taken time to read through several lists and was extremely interested in the Disney information that was new to him. He particularly liked “Lists About Cast Members” and “Lists About Disney Parks and Attractions.” This book absolutely has multi-generational appeal.

As for me, I find the lists as thought-provoking as my favorite Disney Blogs and Podcasts. Sometimes I agree with which items made a list and sometimes I don’t. For example, I would not have rated Inside Out as a top Pixar Film (unpopular opinion: I didn’t care for it!). I would have chosen Ratatouille instead. I was pleased to see that Remy at least made the “Disney Critters” list. That’s one of the best aspects of this book for me – critiquing the lists based on my own Disney favorites in each category. If “Dinosaurs” hadn’t made the list of top “Live-Action Disney TV Series”, I’d have been crushed. I loved that show!

Top Disney Lists About Disney Films

There are also tons of new-to-me facts about a lot of Disney topics! Two lists in particular, “Disney Legends Who Should Be Better Known” and “Folks Who Are Overdue For Recognition as Disney Legends” are exceptionally interesting.

“Top Disney” is a treasure trove for Disney fans of all types and ages.

It’s made me want to watch movies I haven’t seen and download music I haven’t heard (or had forgotten about). I didn’t read the chapters and lists in order, preferring to skip around as the mood strikes. I’ve learned something new every time I open the cover. I’m honestly very happy I got the opportunity to review this book and highly recommend it! Fellow Disney fans will not be disappointed! You can pick up a copy here.

Many thanks to Christopher Lucas for reaching out to me and getting this great read into my hands. Your book is a fantastic addition to my Disney library.

Review: Disney Trivia from the Vault by Dave Smith

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Oswald the Lucky RabbitSummertime is a great time to relax with a good book and enjoy the warm weather.  With perfect timing, my friend Andrew dropped by with this wonderful book review.  I already have Dave Smith’s Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, and now I want this trivia book as well, thanks to Andrew’s review.

Review: Disney Trivia from the Vault – Andrew Carrieri

In the summer of 2012, Dave Smith, the chief archivist emeritus of the Walt Disney Archives, released a trivia book, Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered. Here, Smith discusses trivia from eight categories over 262 pages: “Animated Features,” “Animated Shorts,” “Disneyland,” “Live-Action Films,” “Publications,” “Television,” “Walt Disney World,” and “Walt Disney.”

Unlike Lou Mongello’s popular Disney trivia books, Smith’s version is not written in a quiz-like format with multiple choice questions and corresponding answers in a separate section. Rather, Smith compiles a wide selection of questions and answers from his various columns over the past thirty or so years and duplicates these questions and answers in the appropriate section of the book. As such, Smith’s book is better utilized as a light read than for a game with friends.Early Disney Cartoon

I purchased Smith’s book shortly after its release and have greatly enjoyed it. More than anything, I have used the book to discover new films and shorts to view. I first watched the live action movies The Ugly Dachshund (1966), The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973), and The Cat from Outer Space (1978) after seeing them referenced in questions in Smith’s book. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed the first two of the aforementioned movies, but thought the third figuratively stunk like cat food; oh well.Donald's-Decision

As for shorts, based on mentions in Smith’s work, I watched “Donald’s Nephews” (1938), “Mickey’s Trailer” (1938), “Donald’s Decision” (1942), “Susie, the Little Blue Coupe” (1952), and “In the Bag” (1956). These shorts are all available to view on youtube. I found “Donald’s Decision” especially interesting because it was made as a propaganda piece such as to encourage Canadians to purchase war bonds during World War II rather than for general amusement. Also, in “Donald’s Nephews,” we learn that our favorite duck, the one who is never wrong but always right, the one who never dreams of starting a fight, the one who gets stuck with all the bad luck, the one and only Donald Duck, has a sister named Dumbella.

While Disney fans will likely be familiar with some of the information presented by Smith, it is equally likely that you will learn something new, especially since multiple aspects of the Disney Company are highlighted. I strongly recommend reading it if you get the chance.

Feel free to sound off with any thoughts in the comments!

Want to read more of Andrew’s posts?  He’s a contributing writer at The Mouse For Less and you can also follow him on Twitter @AndrewCfran