New Release Books by Jim Korkis

How the Magic Was Born Once upon a time, the swampy flatlands of central Florida were home to oranges, cattle, and alligators. Then a man came and said, "lo, there shall be a theme park." A few years later, swampland turned to fantasyland, as Walt Disney World arose. This is the story of how it happened. Jim Korkis, the world''s premiere Disney historian, weaves a compelling, organized tale from the thousands of details, reports, and eyewitness accounts--some of them never before in print-- about the early days of the most magical place on earth. As with his companion book, The Unofficial Disneyland 1955 Companion, Korkis delivers a top-down history, from the perspective of high-level Disney executives to that of front-line Disney cast members. Korkis begins with the initial surveys of the Disney World site in 1958 and takes the story through 1972, telling the complete and definitive story of how the park was designed and built, and how it was run during its first year. As Walt Disney stood on a swampy marsh in central Florida not long before his death in 1966, he did not see a wilderness, he saw a bright city of tomorrow, a towering castle, innovative hotels, and above all, families having fun in themed lands of wonder. We know how the story turned out, but now you can stand alongside Walt and experience it all over again, from the very beginning.

The Vault Closes Vault of Walt Volume 10: Final Edition brings to a close the best-selling decade-long series of books that showcased the rarely told and out-of-the-ordinary stories of Disney history that never appear in any other books. The books are each divided into four distinct sections devoted to Walt Disney, Disney films, Disney theme parks and oddball niche material. All of these tales are based on decades of research, dozens of exclusive interviews with people who worked at Disney and obscure, long out-of-print magazines and articles. These stories have helped to fill in many gaps in Disney history as well as being praised by Walt Disney''s oldest daughter, Diane Disney Miller. Disney historian Jim Korkis has tried to squeeze in even more stories that usual for this final volume. This particular edition highlights how a young Walt Disney survived a virus pandemic that took the lives of millions of Americans, the complete story of every project comedian Robin Williams did at the Walt Disney Company, how Walt Disney World handles the threat of hurricanes, and a detailed look behind the creation of Jessica Rabbit. That''s only the beginning! Stories about Walt''s personal adventures in Hawaii, the true story behind Disneyland''s Indian Village, a lengthy overview of Disney postage stamps and the behind-the-scenes information on films like Enchanted, Dick Tracy and Condorman as well as much, much more fill these pages to overflowing. With the recent flood of Disney related books and the ever-increasing difficulty in finding and verifying obscure information, it is now an appropriate time to conclude this popular series of ten books that will all remain in print to inform and entertain Disney fans as well as provide valuable and accurate research material for future scholars.

Excavating the Magic To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, Disney historian Jim Korkis, who has written five previous books on WDW, takes a nostalgic look at the dozens and dozens of things that have disappeared at the vacation destination over the decades. Recent years have seen a rapid and massive demolition of much of Disney''s Hollywood Studios and Epcot to make room for new additions, from a mythological galaxy far, far away to an ambitious rat who became a renowned chef. However some things even disappeared within the first year to be replaced by others that have also vanished. Jim was fortunate to personally experience many of the shows and attractions included in this book so that helped with providing an accurate perspective of these long-forgotten treasures. The chapters are filled to overflowing with quotes from Imagineers and show producers, facts, anecdotes, and behind-the-scenes stories that have rarely if ever been told. ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, Cranium Command, Skyleidoscope, Catastrophe Canyon, Diamond Horseshoe Revue, Pocahontas, Fort Wilderness Railroad, Walt Disney World Speedway, DisneyQuest, the Disney Inn Resort, and eighty more things that only still exist in the memories of past WDW guests are documented. The book brings back fond memories for those who experienced these shows and attractions but is also designed to tantalize the curiosity of others who might have only briefly heard about them if they knew they had ever existed at all.

Where No Mouse Has Gone Before To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy''s Edge at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, Jim Korkis weaves over three dozen tales of both fact and fantasy about outer space from Disney''s films, theme park attractions, comics, and elsewhere, including: How Walt Disney and former Nazi scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun took a man "to the moon" over a decade before one actually went there The secret story of Garco, Walt Disney''s mechanical celebrity friend, and how it helped inspire human audio-animatronics The many different versions of the Epcot Space Pavilion that were never built and the details behind the Sci-Fi City concept that would have replaced Tomorrowland What happened to the Walt Disney World attraction created by George Lucas that would have featured the deadly Xenomorph alien from the popular movie series How Dr. Who almost ended up in Disneyland''s Tomorrowland, Ward Kimball''s strange connection to the UFO community, and much more ENGAGE

What If Walt Had... For every project that Disney has produced, there are hundreds more that never happened despite significant investments of time, talent, and money. But what if you could see them anyway... Jim Korkis enters the limbo of Disney Never Lands to report on new theme parks, new lands in existing parks, television shows, and animation that were left unbuilt and unfilmed. Over the decades, he interviewed Imagineers and animators who worked on these projects as well as researching contemporary newspaper accounts and official publicity releases. Korkis details the usual suspects like WestCot, Mineral King, Roger Rabbit feature sequels, and Epcot''s Africa pavilion as well as surprises like Jim Henson''s television series about Ariel the Little Mermaid and the Disney Channel''s series that would have featured Dreamfinder and Figment as well as the animation Disney had Ub Iwerks do for Danny Kaye''s first feature film. Korkis shares the surprises that he discovered in the deepest vaults of Disney history. For the first time, these stories are gathered together in one book to inspire Disney fans'' imaginations of what might have been and to document in great detail these lost dreams.

Disney History - Written by You. Who writes the Disney history you love to read? A select group, immersed in the history and culture of Disney, from films to theme parks. Now these authors reveal their inspirations, their methods, and their secrets. Why just read Disney history when you can write it yourself!

Excavating the Magic In over eighty individual chapters, each filled with facts, quotes, and anecdotes, Disney historian Jim Korkis chronicles the very best of a Disneyland that no longer exists, taking us back in time to "Walt''s park" and revealing how it has changed between then and now. Live mermaids swimming in the Submarine Lagoon. ... Pack mules nipping at the shoes of children. ... Flying saucers hovering inches in the air over a circular floor. For many people this was the Disneyland of their youth, but over the years dozens of shows, attractions, and experiences have disappeared forever from the Happiest Place on Earth. In this latest volume of his best-selling Secret Stories series, Korkis shares behind-the-scenes information--much of it never before in print--about what used to delight guests at Disneyland. From Main Street''s Intimate Apparel Shop and Frontierland''s Mineral Hall, to Fantasyland''s Pirate Ship restaurant and Adventureland''s Barker Bird, Korkis excavates, unearths, and discovers a Disneyland past that will be sweetly nostalgic to some, and a unique glimpse into a forgotten past for others. Who knows what we''ll find!

Deck the Halls with Disney Those stockings hung by the chimney with care aren''t stuffed with toys this year, but with a Yuletide collection of seasonal Disney lore. Put some extra Christmas (and Disney ) magic under your tree with Jim Korkis'' jolly compendium of merry mouse tales. The best-selling Vault of Walt series has brought serious, but fun, Disney history to tens of thousands of readers. Now in its seventh volume, the series features Disney historian and master storyteller Jim Korkis'' meticulously researched, entertaining tales about Disney''s films, theme parks, and Walt himself-- and this time they''re brimming with holiday cheer: The making of Disney classic holiday films like Mickey''s Christmas Carol and Tim Burton''s Nightmare Before Christmas The truth behind Walt Disney''s ambivalent attitude toward Christmas The story of how Disney creates its holiday parades, decorations, and processionals in the theme parks The rundown of Disney''s many Christmas comic books and giveaways, including Walt''s early involvement with Toys for Tots The history of such "extinct" Disney theme park holiday celebrations as Lights of Winter and Port Orleans Christmas And best of all: you don''t have to wait until Christmas morning

Mickey Mouse! This Is Your Life... In this one-of-a-kind "biography," Disney historian Jim Korkis chronicles the animated life of Mickey Mouse, from his birth on a train to proud parents Walt and Lillian Disney, to his upcoming 90th birthday bash. It''s the full and *complete* story of Disney''s forever-young mouse.

A Year in the Life of Disneyland. And what a year! In 1955, Walt Disney''s dream of a theme park, the first of its kind in the world, came true. Disney historian Jim Korkis'' entertaining tale of an American pop culture icon is power-packed with details, and the most thorough account of Disneyland''s early days ever published.

Disneyland has a lot to hide. Well, that sounds nefarious, so how about, Disneyland has a lot for you to discover. And I don''t mean wait times and ride descriptions. I mean the deep, rich, hidden legacy of the park. Its *real* secrets.

Did Walt Really Say That? Now you''ll know for sure, in this comprehensive collection of Walt Disney''s wisdom, as delivered through interviews, speeches, television appearances, and more. Each of the over 800 quotes in this book is authoritatively sourced as well. You''ll be surprised by what Walt said - and what he didn''t say!

Blame It on Gremlins? In the 1940s, Walt Disney had his hands on a new film franchise involving gremlins, little creatures that caused mischief, mostly of the mechanical kind. But no gremlins film was ever made. Walt himself cancelled the project. This is the story of what went wrong. (And it wasn''t gremlins.)

Learn the secrets of Walt Disney''s success. Acclaimed Disney expert Jim Korkis tells the stories of what Walt did right, what he did wrong, and how you can follow in his footsteps. Packed with lessons, anecdotes, and quotes, Jim''s new book is all you need to master the Disney way.

"(Almost) everything you wanted to know about Mickey Mouse! Thousands of facts, quotes, and stories about Walt Disney''s famous alter-ego." -- Back cover.

Jim Korkis takes you behind the scenes of 54 Disney animated films, from Snow White to Big Hero 6. This is more than a trivia book: it''s a book of life lessons served up by Disney characters, loved and loathed alike.

"Includes five new unofficial, unauthorized, uncensored Disney stories never told"--Cover.

The most current Disney World guide book on the market! Beat the crowds, the cost, and the chaos, and take the pain out of the pixie dust, with Disney experts Dave Shute (yourfirstvisit.net) and Josh Humphrey (easywdw.com), whose innovative, step-by-step advice makes The easy Guide the only Disney World trip planning book you''ll ever need.

Your Cartoons Will Never Be the Same. The history of animation in America is full of colorful characters - and that includes the animators themselves! Jim Korkis shares hundreds of funny, odd, endearing stories about the major animation studios, including Disney, Warner Brothers, MGM, Hanna-Barbera, and many more.

Walt Disney''s first studio, in 1923, was his uncle''s garage in Hollywood. Six decades later, the garage went up for auction. Nobody wanted it. This is the story of Disney executive Art Adler''s struggle to save an essential piece of Disney history. Plus, Art''s insider story of working on the "suit-and-tie" side of Disney for ten years.

Brer Rabbit. Uncle Remus. Song of the South. Racist? Disney thinks so. And that''s why it has forbidden the theatrical re-release of its classic film Song of the South since 1986. But is the film racist? Are its themes, its characters, even its music so abominable that Disney has done us a favor by burying the movie in its infamous Vault, where the Company claims it will remain for all time? Disney historian Jim Korkis does not think so. In his newest book, Who''s Afraid of the Song of the South?, Korkis examines the film from concept to controversy, and reveals the politics that nearly scuttled the project. Through interviews with many of the artists and animators who created Song of the South, and through his own extensive research, Korkis delivers both the definitive behind-the-scenes history of the film and a balanced analysis of its cultural impact. What else would Disney prefer you did not know? Plenty. Korkis also pulls back the curtain on such dubious chapters in Disney history as: Disney''s cinematic attack on venereal disease Ward Kimball''s obsession with UFOs Tim Burton''s depressed stint at the Disney Studios Walt Disney''s nightmares about his stomping an owl to death Wally Wood''s Disneyland Memorial Orgy poster J. Edgar Hoover''s hefty FBI file on Walt Disney Little Black Sunflower''s animated extinction Plus 10 more forbidden tales that Disney wishes would go away. Whether you''re a film buff, an armchair academic, or a Disney fan eager to peek behind Disney''s magical (and tightly controlled) curtain, you''ll discover lots you never knew about Disney. With a foreword by Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Who''s Afraid of the Song of the South? is both authoritative and entertaining. Jim Korkis is the best-selling author of Vault of Walt, and has been researching and writing about Disney for over three decades. The Disney Company itself uses his expertise for special projects. Korkis resides in Orlando, Florida.

Disney comics collectors have long reveled in the work of "Duck Man" Carl Barks; now, by popular demand, it''s time to celebrate Floyd Gottfredson -- groundbreaking "Mouse Man" and 2006 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Hall of Fame inductee! This multi-volume collection will bring together the majority of Gottfredson''s works, many never before reprinted in North America! Volume One traces the earliest, scrappiest Mickey from Gottfredson''s first daily strip adventure, 1930''s "Death Valley," through such legendary classics as "Circus Roustabout," "Blaggard Castle," and "Mickey Mouse and His Horse Tanglefoot"! Join feisty Minnie, know-it-all Horace Horsecollar, fiendish Pegleg Pete and our daring, two-fisted hero for wild adventures among cowboys, mad scientists, and even (gulp!) city slickers! Fascinating essays by Disney historians Jim Korkis and Thomas Andrae round out this collectors'' volume in style!

Finally ... The Real Walt Disney. In the half century since his death, Walt Disney has picked up a lot of biographical baggage. Fans see him as a saint, critics as a fraud. Was he kindly Uncle Walt, or a racist, rapacious tycoon? Disney historian Jim Korkis puts the rumors to rest.

Extra Helping of the Magic. You''ve heard Jim Korkis'' secret stories of Walt Disney World. Then you heard *more* of Jim Korkis'' secret stories of Walt Disney World. And then his *other* secret stories. If you still have room, Jim has a special treat: *extra* secret stories of Walt Disney World. Gather round.