Vault Of Walt : Volume 5 Review
Whenever I go on vacation, especially if I’m planning on sitting on a beach, is to read some Disney history books, spend some time researching the company and the man himself. And I’ve become a big fan of the Vault Of Walt Series from Jim Korkis and his style of writing. His most recent book, Vault of Walt volume 5 has many chapters on a wide selection of subjects including Disney movies like Pete’s Dragon, the history of some attractions at the theme parks like the American Adventure, and many on Walt Disney himself.
The book is split into four chapters, all featuring stories based around Walt Disney, Movies, Theme Parks and a generic chapter of random stories. One thing with this style of book is there are 20 different stories, so it’s a good book to just pick up and do a couple of chapters.
Personal favourite stories include some of the facts about Disney’s role in the Winter Olympics and learning about the difficulties of creating Pete’s Dragon, one of my all time favourite movies. There was other little side stories that I wasn’t aware of, the goldfish bowl as part of a real film studio in Hollywood Studios, what Walt’s son in law brought to the company while he was in charge and many other little facts.
I love Disney, I always feel there is more to learn, these books aren’t about sugar coating the details, it doesn’t gloss over the stories with a Disney pixie dust coating, and that’s what I want to hear. Many of these stories don’t require much more than a chapter, but bringing together all the stories is a very enjoyable read.
Of course some of the chapters aren’t as good as others, while I wasn’t too keen on the American Adventure story (not being a US citizen, Presidents don’t really mean much to me) yet I really enjoyed reading what Walt said in a HUAC meeting while America tracked down communists. You might not enjoy every story, but I like the variety, there is even a chapter on classic Disney comic books. Plus why Disney created all those package movies which are often forgotten. There are so many stories from this book that make me more intrigued, I want to see if I can find some footage on YouTube of Back To Neverland with Robin Williams or the lost Figment TV shows, that I never knew existed until I read this book.
There is something in this book for most Disney fans, personally I like the variety as for me Disney isn’t just about the parks, the TV shows etc, it is a brand with many fingers in many pies. I always feel I walk away after finishing one of Jim’s books with a little more knowledge about the company and the man himself.