If you happen to follow this blog (and if you do, thank you!), you may have noticed that there has been something of a content drought lately. I can’t entirely explain it: there are the usual reasons – work, a crippling heat wave that keeps me away from the computer and in front of the air conditioner, the supermoon, betting on the Royal Baby(tm) – but there’s also something more…metaphysical? going on here.  I just…don’t know what I want to say.

Trip reports tend to be the life bread of a site like mine; since I’m currently between trips, that naturally gives me less to write about. But beyond that, I’m at something of a critical crossroads with Disney. I still love it – the history, the criticism, the experiences (good and bad) of visiting and appraising the parks – but as I’ve mentioned on Twitter, some cynicism has crept in of late.  Walt Disney World is my park, and there isn’t a ton going on there that makes me happy, intrigued, or even angry. There is a staleness that does not lend itself to inspiring the written word.  On the other hand, I have neither the time nor the inclination to be a full-time Disney hater. I have neither the inside sources nor the research capabilities to write historical pieces as I’d like.  (And let’s be honest; there are several incredible writers out there doing that already.) So again, it’s a crossroads: what do I want to say? What can I say? What sustains my curiosity, and  enlivens a discourse with a group of fellow Disney fans and critics that I’ve come to know and admire?

The bottom line is that the hot and hazy days of summer provide a good time for some refocusing. I’ve got a big Disney trip coming up in August, my first cruise ever on the Disney Dream in February, and probably a smattering of small trips in between that will give me more to write about. Beyond that, though, I’m looking for new angles, new inspiration(s).  Which led me to think – maybe other people would be interested in some new angles and inspiration, too.

So, what I’m proposing is something of a groupthink. Below is a smattering of books, websites, and other sources that I’ve either read or want to read. I hope these titles inspire you to explore Disney in new ways; I’d also love for it to be a starting point for you to suggest new titles and sources for me. I have gained so much reading and interacting on Twitter with an incredible Disney community, and I think we have much to teach – and learn from – one another. And, of course, I realize not everyone wants to get this intellectually involved with a company/place that is synonymous with vacation. But if you’d like to nerd out with me this summer, let me know – maybe we can be inspired together.

Books

Vinyl Leaves: Walt Disney World and America by Stephen Fjellman.

I’d call this book the Cadillac of  Disney academic texts. A trained anthropologist, Fjellman brings sharp critical analysis to a place – and a product – that ultimately he loves as deeply as many of us do. His book offers both a thorough history and a detailed microanalysis of all the people, things, and ideas that make WDW tick. Tempering my praise is Fjellman’s sometimes wandering gaze, and the fact that this is a book that cries out for an updated edition. If you’re looking to cut your teeth on a “serious” book about Disney, this is worth at least a glance.

Designing Disney’s Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance by Karal Ann Marling.

This was one of the first scholarly books about Disney that I ever read. It offers a fantastic blend of visual imagery and engaging, thoughtful academic writing, exploring Disney’s built environment and the many political, cultural, and social contexts that frame it.  This book was a great resource for me in graduate school, when I authored a lengthy paper on Disneyland’s political place in the Cold War. It’s a wonderful reference text and also a nice coffee table book all at the same time – that’s kind of an impressive feat, don’t you think?

Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando by Richard Foglesong.

For such a dense, information-packed book, Married to the Mouse is also quite readable. If you’re a wonk who can’t get enough of urban planning and policy debate, this will read like a James Patterson mystery novel. The relationship between Walt Disney World and the Orlando area is a long and complicated one, and Foglesong does an expert job delving into the tangled history.

DisneyWar by James Stewart

Admittedly, this title is a bit dated now, but that doesn’t diminish the resonance of this detailed accounting of Roy Disney’s assault on then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Further, it’s an interesting study in contrasts: how can a company that could “do no wrong” be so horribly, painfully dysfunctional? (Some might still ask that question today.) I’d give anything for an updated edition covering Bob Iger’s Disney tenure, but nevertheless, this is one book I return to time and again when I want perspective on the business side of all things Disney.

On the Beaten Track: Tourism, Art, and Place by Lucy Lippard.

This was a book I first encountered way back in college, and it remains one of my favorite texts on the subjects of tourism and nostalgia.  It’s not a book about Disney, but yet it’s a book all about Disney – you know what I mean? There’s really no way to think critically about a place like Walt Disney World without taking a step back and examining the larger issues of consumerism, nostalgia, and themed architecture and presentation.

Articles

If you’re reading this and happen to be enrolled in a Master’s/PhD program, let me suggest to you a real opportunity: scholarly articles about all things Disney are few and far between. You could have a niche all to yourself! That said, there are a few standout pieces you can find if you do some digging. Instead of recommending specific articles, I’d like instead to throw out a few journals that could be of interest: the Journal of Popular Culture, the Journal of Consumer Research, the Florida Historical Quarterly, Boom: A Journal of California, and – no kidding – the Ethnomusicology Forum. I’ve consulted these titles on numerous occasions when looking for articles on Disney, but you’ll also find great research on tourism, popular culture, and history that complement Disney topics quite nicely.

Newspaper archives are another excellent (and often overlooked) source of Disney history and analysis, particularly those of the New York Times and the Orlando Sentinel.

Websites

For historic/vintage Disney images – particularly those documenting Disneyland – you’ll find no better source on the web than Yesterland. It’s also a great source for fleshing out Disney rumors and discussing projects that might have been.

For excellent Disney history and analysis, I have three recommendations: Progress City, U.S.A., Passports to Dreams Old and New, and Progressland. (Note: I am thinking of changing my site’s name to something starting with a “P.”)

When I want a fix of rumors and gossip, I typically head to the forums at WDWMagic. If I want to read trip reports – which can be both entertaining and informative on the gossip/rumor front – I tend to check out reports posted on the DIS boards.

I’d be remiss, too, if I didn’t point you in the direction of several blogs whose authors I follow on Twitter. There are some fantastic reads on a variety of topics, ranging – as they say – from the ridiculous to the sublime. The following deserve a place in your permanent blog-reading rotation: This Happy Place Blog, the Disney Hipsters Blog, the wonderfully tongue-in-cheek Duffyngton Post, the Disney Tourist Blog, and Disney Travel Babble.

While it’s too hot to do anything else, let’s get reading! Please feel free to leave me your favorite Disney reads in the comments below, or send me at tweet @WonderlandNerds.