Interview: Aaron Wallace, Author of 'The Thinking Fan's Guide to Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom'

Aaron Wallace is something of a celebrity in the Disney fandom. He has been writing for UltimateDisney/DVDizzy.com- one of the Internet's leading sources of entertainment journalism since 2004, hosts the second-longest running (and often top ranked) Disney podcast, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Pod and is known for his movie and music reviews, commentaries, opinions, and of course, his end-of-year rankings of the best in music. Aaron has published over two hundred movie, television and music reviews to an audience of millions.

A lawyer based in Orlando, Florida, Aaron has written his first book, The Thinking Fan's Guide to Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom, a unique look at the attractions in the world's most-visited theme park. It's being published by The Intrepid Traveler, one of the leading publishers of travel books, and will be available in bookstores April 16, 2013.

I had the opportunity to chat with Aaron Wallace and discuss everything from his new book, his Disney faves, his tips for budding writers and much more.

I've always admired your work on the UltimateDisney/DVDizzy.com site, especially your movie reviews. Did you always want to be a writer?

Thank you! And yeah… I think I was writing from the time I could hold a pencil (haha). Early on in school, writing stood out as something that people told me I did well, and I was always fascinated by writers on TV — so I was drawn to it from an early age. At any given time of day, I'm usually either writing or wishing I was writing.

I'm guessing you've always been a big Disney fan since childhood. What is your all-time favorite Disney movie?

I interviewed for the Disney College Program back when I was a student. I was accepted but unfortunately decided not to enroll because I couldn't find a way for the program to make sense in terms of college credits with my particular university, but anyways, I remember during the interview, I told the recruiter that I was "raised on a diet of Disney." It's pretty corny, but it's totally true. I come from a family of Disney fans — they're not fans to the extent that I am, not by any means — but I have so many blissful memories of just watching all these classic, less common Disney films and musicals with my family as a kid. Movies no one talks about, like Candleshoe, which I actually write about in the book. So there's a lot of nostalgia with all that. Picking one favorite is hard, but my go-to answer is Pete's Dragon. It's underrated and people always kind of go "huh?" when I tell them that, but I have so much love for it.

I'm a big fan of your podcast too. I love how you integrate Disney music into the discussion. What is your favorite Disney song?

Oh man, picking a favorite song is even harder than picking a favorite movie. I used to say "Candle on the Water," but I don't think that's true anymore. Maybe "Anything Can Happen" from Mary Poppins on West End. Or "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast. I gravitate toward the big showstoppers, but inspirational lyrics go a long way for me too. "A Change in Me" is good for that. 

Speaking of my podcast, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Pod, I did a Top 100 countdown where I went through a hundred of the greatest Disney songs of all time and analyzed them over the course of four episodes… I can talk about Disney songs for hours, so I'll just stop now (haha).  

So about your book. What prompted you to write a book about Walt Disney World?

I think I've always wanted to do it. When I was younger, I kind of pictured myself doing a how-to guide book like Passporter or the Hassle-Free Guide or The Unofficial Guide, you know. Like, I'd take all my friends with me and we'd spend a week researching and making charts. But that ground's already pretty well covered by now, and as a writer, I wanted to actually write, you know — not just technical resource writing, but prose. So I knew I wanted to do something different, and I had all these thoughts swirling in my head about why these Disney attractions mean so much to me and millions of other people. One day, this thought popped in my head — "Space Mountain isn't about being in space, it's about traveling to space from Earth" — and I wrote that down on this white board I had in my apartment at the time. That sentence is actually in the final book, and I developed this whole analysis of Space Mountain out of that one simple sentence, and the book was really born right then.

Why the title "Thinking Fan's Guide"?

The first draft was called The Disney Attractions, and then I submitted a new title, The Thinking Man's Guide to Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom, to my publisher. It was really inspired by a letter I got from a podcast listener years ago. He called my show "a thinking man's podcast" and that one comment really helped to mold what my show would become. So when I was titling the book, I gave my mom a call and she said, "well you call your podcast a thinking man's show, so why not use that for your book too?" I didn't want to be exclusive in terms of gender, but her suggestion really kind of clicked with what I wanted the book to be — a thoughtful book. So my publisher, The Intrepid Traveler… they loved it. Kelly Monaghan and Sally Scanlon worked on this book with me as my editors, and they came back and said, "what do you think about Fan's instead of Man's?" and that was perfect. Not only is it more inclusive, it's just more fun, too. Fans are naturally thinkers, or at least Disney fans tend to be.

Does your book touch upon every attraction at Magic Kingdom?

Yeah, it does. There are a couple of caveats. Most attractions get their own, full-article-length discussion/analysis in the book, but there are a couple that don't. Two of the newest attractions, Enchanted Tales with Belle and Under the Sea, weren't open in time for us to expand the manuscript and include them, so those two are treated to a more general discussion within the Fantasyland chapter. And then there are some small, sideline diversions — things like Pete's Silly Sideshow and Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station — which really barely qualify as attractions, so we give those a more general treatment too, though the Splash 'N' Soak Station actually plays a pretty key role in my analysis of Dumbo the Flying Elephant and The Barnstormer Featuring Goofy as the Great Goofini. 

I was still able to analyze Fantasyland in depth as "New Fantasyland," which is one of the most intriguing things in the Magic Kingdom right now. And other than that, the book has everything, including things like the fireworks and parades that a lot  of books don't cover. I even have a full write-up on Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, which is this new, awesomely nerdy game they have in the park.

Do you have a favorite attraction at Magic Kingdom?

I'd have to say Splash Mountain. It's tough because there's a lot of great stuff there and I hate to neglect something like Space Mountain or The Haunted Mansion, but to me, nothing tells a story beginning to end with such total immersion and attention to detail like Splash Mountain. And there's so much to think about with that one, what with the Song of the South controversy and dear Uncle Remus — those are all things that I delve into in the book. 

A cool part of your book is the "Watch This" sections at the end of every segment. How did you manage to find such brilliant connections between the theme park attractions and these movies and TV shows?

Well thank you for saying they're brilliant. I didn't want to suggest obvious movies. "If you liked Peter Pan's Flight, you'll love Peter Pan!" That's boring. Instead, I wanted to challenge readers (and myself) to draw a deeper, thematic connection between these attractions and the films I recommend for them. Most of them are Disney movies; a few aren't. But I think that if readers go back and revisit these films, they'll have a lot of "a-ha!" moments where they realize that these unexpected movies have surprisingly rich and relevant connections with the attractions. In fact, I felt pretty validated this past week because Magic Kingdom just added a playful nod to The Apple Dumpling Gang inside the queue for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and that just happens to be the movie I picked for Big Thunder. The "Watch This" sections are maybe my favorite feature in the book, and that's something a lot of readers are already writing to me about because it's not the kind of thing you usually find in a guidebook.

A lot of people dream of someday visiting Walt Disney World. How do you think your book will help them?

I'm a firm believer that you should know something about a place before you shell out tons of time and money to go there. You wouldn't travel to Paris or Venice or Cairo without learning a little about the history and culture of the place before getting on the plane. As with anything in life, be it art, or a personal relationship, or a new experience, the more you understand it and the more you take in, the more you appreciate it. I think this book gives people a well-rounded, easily digestible understanding of the Disney theme park experience. The idea is to situate the attractions in their unique historical and cultural contexts, and to give the reader something new and worthwhile to chew on, whether it's their first time at Walt Disney World or their five thousandth. 

My hope is that each reader comes away with a deep, meaningful appreciation for the truly special experience that Walt Disney World can be. Your vacation will be such a greater life-long value to you with that kind of background. 

There are literally hundreds of Walt Disney World guide books out there. What makes your book stand out from the crowd?

I keep saying it's a "first-of-its-kind book," which is really why I wanted to write it. There are so many great books for trivia or how-to touring, and even some on Disney's architecture and landscaping, but there was really nothing out there that analyzes each Disney attraction as a work of art. I kept looking for a book like that and when I couldn't find one, I decided to write it myself. 

I wanted to contribute something new to the "Disneysphere," and I hope I've done that. I think what sets this book apart is that while it does have all the nuts-and-bolts info you need for basic touring, it also endeavors to offer a lighthearted yet scholarly analysis of the Magic Kingdom as a narrative text. After all, if we can think deeply about books and movies and plays, why can't we do the same for theme park rides and shows? They tell stories, too. Or, sometimes, they don't — like with Pirates of the Caribbean. That whole "Dead men tell no tales" thing is really interesting in its own right, which is another topic that's really explored in the book.

Walt Disney World now also includes New Fantasyland. What changes would you like to see over the next few years at the park?

New Fantasyland is exquisite. Maybe not literally perfect, but closer to perfect than it's ever been before. Once they finish everything there next year, I suspect they'll focus on their other theme parks, as well they should. Epcot could use some love, and I'm hoping for a Star Wars-heavy "Lucasland" in Hollywood Studios. But on the subject of Magic Kingdom, with Fantasyland in great shape, they really need to turn their attention to Tomorrowland and/or Adventureland next. Liberty Square's doing pretty well for its size and Main Street is pretty fantastic, but I write at length in the book about Tomorrowland's various problems. Some of those problems are inherent in the very nature of a land focused on "tomorrow," but it really needs an aesthetic update as much as it needs new attractions. Adventureland's doing pretty well in the attractions department, but it's by far the least crowded area at just about any given time of day, so I'd like to see Imagineering take a critical look at how they can rejuvenate guest investment in Adventureland. Tinker Bell meet-and-greets aren't the answer.

So, Walt Disney World has so much more than just Magic Kingdom. There's Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom as well. Are you planning to write more "Thinking Fan's Guides"?

I think that's the idea. We haven't announced anything yet, but we say in the book that Magic Kingdom is the first in a projected series of books about each of the theme parks, and I definitely have a lot to say about the others. As for where I'll focus next, let's just say I'll likely be eating my fair share of international pastries over the next few months.

There are so many young writers who are students and aspire to write. What advice do you have for them?

Just start. The words won't flow until your fingers have been resting on the keys for a little while. One of my writing professors in college, this ebullient little lady named Ruth Moose, gave all her students a tiny little stand-up frame that reads, "Ruth Moose Says Write On!" I've kept it on the bookshelf by my desk all these years. Think a lot, write a lot, then wait a few weeks and edit a lot. That's what usually works for me, anyway. 

Aaron, I want to thank you so much for your time, and I can't wait to read your book!

Thanks, Gary. It's been a pleasure.

You can find Aaron on his Twitter: @aaronspod, and his website www.aaronwallaceonline.com.
Find out more about him at The Intrepid Traveler

Buy The Thinking Fan's Guide to Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom from Amazon!

Download a free excerpt from The Thinking Fan's Guide right here!