I saw the new Grand Canyon list while at AZLA and I was glad to see Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson in the midst.
Disclaimer: I love Disneyland.
Another Disclaimer: I’ve never been to Disneyworld.
Kingdom Keepers is every kid’s dream – to be able to stay within Disney park boundaries after closing time. Who wouldn’t want to walk those magical streets?
To fully appreciate the book, you gotta read the acknowledgments. Many thanks to Wayne and Christina for the insider’s scoop on the parks. Can you imagine having your own apartment over Main Street? Someone has to be a first responder.
(And yes, there is a sweet trash evacuation system in the city of tunnels underground. (I had an ex-girlfriend who shoplifted (after we had broken up) at Disneyland. She got to visit the “Happiest Underground Jail Cell on Earth”.)
The Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
1. Ridley Pearson, also of Peter and the Secrets of Rundoon fame, has a Disney license. Big hook-up.
2. Many of the rides are desribed in detail. The imagery, building on already strong emotional ties, puts you right there.
3. The rides have a nice, twisted spin. The premise of the book is that a hologram system, built to fully immerse patrons in the experience, goes haywire. Imagine the Pirates of the Carribbean firing at the little boats. Imagine the tiny animatronics of It’s a Small World swarming as a tidal wave of chomping faces, singing in a drone, wanting you to smile. (They actually stop up the tracks and spill over into the boats.)
4. It’s really cool trying to name which characters he’s describing. “I see two chipmunks followed by a clumsy dog in a hat.”
The Beast
1. If you are annoyed by Disney merchandising, it might be tough to get through the book. But! There is still good character development (and he even parodies how Disney has to select multi-ethnic teams to be the most staring at a copy that’s on hold right now).
This is definitely one that I wish I had more copies of (as I stare at one that’s on hold).
