Before you spend $9 on this book you need to know that it's less than 100 pages. This is not so much a book but a critical essay. Many Disney lovers have obviously read and reviewed this book and written scathing reviews, you will notice that most of these reviewers live far away from the Disney machine. I grew up in Florida and lived for 4 years of it in Orlando, less than 20 minutes from Disney. Many of my friends worked there, we dealt with the Disney machine on a daily basis. This essay may seem to be a vicious stab at the wholesome goodness that is Disney, and many who spend their hard earned money on their yearly trip to mouse land will be incensed, outraged at the audacity of Hiaasen to point out that Disney is not the loving arms of your parents, it is a mega-glomorate that is a master of shifting perception and hails above all, the almighty dollar. If you live there then you know the sickening scales that you are forced to live on, you can't truly hate Disney because it employs either directly or indirectly just about everyone you know, but if you live there, you know the truth about what they stand for and it is appalling. Along with the thousands upon thousands of tourist who flock there every year under the delusions that they can behave however they please both on and off Disney property because "They are spending their hard earned money here." They trash our beaches, wreak their cars on our roads while reading maps or screaming at their children, they behave rudely and expect to be waited on by everyone. They load their cars full of trinkets from the roadside stands, harass our wildlife then sue when they get bitten. Yes, Disney turned Florida into what it is today, for better or worse. We Floridians accept that, but it is also nice to have individuals like Hiaasen to point out that the frosty eyed tourists need to wake up and realize that this is a COMPANY out to make MONEY. Enough about that, Hiaasen does a wonderful job of using typical Florida cynicism to point out what most people in Florida already know, Disney wants your money and they are willing to brainwash your children to get it. Your money WILL end up in their hands eventually. He brings to light the creepy business tactics, the cultish behavior, the third Reich mentality that those of us who have been close enough to smell the beast know is there. Did you know the Tower of Terror fell and killed a bunch of people in the late 90's? Nope? I only know because I knew people who worked there at the time... never even made the papers. Did you know that up until recently no on dies on Disney property? You can be in 7 different pieces but you will not be pronounced dead until off their property. Back to the book, this is extremely well written, extremely cynical, and certainly not worth $10. Get it from the library or a used bookstore mainly because of how short it is. But it is a great read, I highly recommend it.
This book starts out whining about how Disney brings in more tourists to the Florida Keys. "High on the list [of tourists there to visit Disney] is the southernmost chain of islands known as the Keys, where I live, and where only one road runs the length of the archipelago. Maybe you can appreciate the concern." p. 6Then, at the end, he says that, "Chamber-of-commerce types in Key West got ticked off recently when Disney World unveiled its own quaint version of America’s southernmost city, a half day’s drive from the real thing. Granted, Disney’s version of old Key West is cleaner, safer, and less margarita-sotted than the place after which it’s modeled. Yet there’s an element of insult – not to mention hard-hearted arrogance – in erecting a replica gingerbread town to compete with the original for tourists. I don’t mind, because it means fewer rental cars speeding past my house, but a business owner in Key West might feel differently." p. 79-80Personally, I find it hard to believe that anyone interested in visiting the Florida Keys is going to be dissuaded from visiting them by Disney's Old Key West, which is nothing more than a themed Timeshare resort. The fact is, Florida tourism was a growing industry all through the 1960's, long before Walt Disney World opened in 1971. Tourism in all the states along the Gulf grew rapidly through the second half of the 20th century. So did the population, both in numbers and as a percentage of the U.S. Population. When I was born, in 1960, more than half the population lived in the Midwest or Northeast. Now, only 39 percent live there; the population has shifted strongly to the south and west. Disney isn't to blame for the growth in Texas and Arizona; blame Willis Haviland Carrier, the inventor of the modern air conditioner.Hiaasen also condemns Disney for the ugliness of the areas surrounding it, while recognizing that the grounds Disney controls are "a verdant sanctuary." But outside of Disney, people have the option of changing local ordinances; any one who has come into WDW from a couple of different directions, or even just from the various roads crossing I-4, can tell that some of the surrounding communities don't allow much of any signage, while others are in full tourist trap mode. So why blame Disney for the ugly ones? The whole book is like that -- lots of whining about Disney, grounded in not much. Then again, although Hiaasen is preaching to the choir, he's a good enough writer to make it an entertaining sermon.
What do You think about Team Rodent (1998)?
The Walt Disney Company is unquestionably the largest entertainment empire in the world. From its film, music and television wing to its parks, resorts and cruiselines and its reach in numerous other industries, it has certainly grown a great deal from even the level its founder may have envisioned before his untimely death in 1966. While it is certainly not beyond criticism (and more than deserving in some respects), Hiaasen’s Team Rodent reads like a 75 page diatribe against Disney with no justification beyond the fact that they’re large and successful, so therefore they must deserve it. Oh, and because they dared expand their theme park empire into his native Florida. This reads like someone hating the jock in high school because he always wins, or the brainiac, because she always gets the correct answer – in short, Hiaasen comes off almost like someone that should be put on a terrorist watch list. The book was published in 1998, so it’s easy to look back on this and laugh at how misdirected much of the author’s venom is. Michael Eisner, for one, is long gone. And while his management style was questionable, what was not questionable was the company’s growth during his tenure. Hiaasen takes issue with the Disney Cruise Line, which was at the time in its infancy, but is now at the forefront of the industry. He devotes a good deal of ink to the pre-Disney history of Castaway Cay, as if it was somehow their fault. He even seems to find fault with the fact that they have helped clean the porn palaces and other dirt merchants out of New York’s Times Square. This is no rational writer. This is someone with a sad personal vendetta. Save your money for a more unbiased review of the company’s history.
—Shawn
This is a short read on Hiaasen's views on Disney. And his views are not favorable. I found the little factoids bout Disney to be highly fascinating, but didn't quite agree with his conclusions. There are some thought-provoking points he COULD make about what Disney is doing but he takes the less nuanced "I live in Florida, and let me tell you, my neighbor Disney is TERRIBLE!" type of route in this. I'm sure he could have made a legit argument for that, but he just...didn't. Again, there definitely is something ominous about Disney, he just didn't quite hit it on the head. I can't quite place my finger on it.
—Alyssa
A fun polemic, full of good-natured vitriol. Occasionally relies on some spurious notions, like the assumption that the Times Square Disney store was responsible for displacing all the infamous perversion vendors. Still, Hiaasen's essay compellingly argues that Disney's ever-growing, tentacular hold on America is deadening both our culture and our democracy.The company offers a bland but effective cocktail of commercial aspirations to children, angry teens, and striving adults alike--from princess movies to murder-themed punk record labels, to planned communities. And with express permission from the Florida government, Disney has established its own autonomous territory, a sovereign state with the power to levy taxes, mobilize a private police force, and hold elections--which are engineered by company executives, of course. Disney, Hiaasen says, is our friendly corporate overlord, filling our minds with spun sugar as it ushers us from cradle to grave, siphoning away our bank accounts all the while.
—Rebecca
