The sad, precipitous decline of Walt Disney World

My mom and I were in Orlando this weekend, and, not wanting to pay a $50+ entry fee for Disney World, we decided we would instead go to Downtown Disney, which is Disney's shopping/eating/nightclub complex near the park.
I should interject here that I was practically raised on Disney. As a youngster, I had albums of songs from Disney movies like "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Jungle Book" and "Snow White." I adored, adored, adored Winnie the Pooh. Years later, in high school, I was thrilled by Disney's animation revival through films like "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin." (Read an astute review of "Beauty and the Beast" and its place in the Disney canon here.) I remember seeing "The Little Mermaid" in high school with one of my best buddies, Liz G. When the credits rolled to the song "Under the Sea," we ran down to the screen and danced like lunatics to the calypso-inflected tune. (Back then, I was prone to giddy outbursts when I wasn't listening to The Smiths and morosely contemplating the futility of life.) As an adult, I've come to appreciate even more the amazing soundtracks to movies like Mary Poppins, and the easygoing, intimate charm of a Walt Disney World ride like Peter Pan's Flight.
So it gives me no pleasure whatsoever to say that Disney has gone into utter and complete decline. Disney movies leave me cold, I can't remember the last one I saw in a theater. The parks are not being kept in good repair -- there were water spots clearly visible in the ceiling of "It's a Small World" the last two times I went to the park, for instance. The (relatively) new ride Alien Encounter is cool, but a lot of the other rides added in recent years are just dumb, like Mickey's Toon Town Fair and Space Ranger Spin.
So mom and I headed off to Downtown Disney this weekend, and really, I should have known better. First off, the music was blaring, even outside the shops. Then, there were so many people jammed into the shops that it was hard to stop and look at anything without being trampled. Then, when we did manage to stop and look, 9 times out of 10 the items were plastic crap -- the worst kind of gewgaws and trinkets. Mom thought the stuff was ugly, too.
I'm not saying that Disney shouldn't make money. They absolutely should, because the good Disney movies are nothing short of art, and artists should be compensated for their work. But I am left with the inescapable conclusion that Disney Inc. wants to wring every cent from its tourists, and the company is willing to whore out their characters -- pardon the expression, but that's what it is -- to make a lousy $3 off some wretched disposable tchotchke. Is that what Walt would have wanted? I can't imagine it.
Interestingly, Walt Disney's nephew, Roy Disney, has broken with the company and started an intriguing web site, www.savedisney.com, that seeks the ouster of Disney CEO Michael Eisner, among other goals. (Roy's resignation letter from the Disney board in 2003 is here.)
Which all leads me to the book I wanted to mention ...
For all these reasons and more, I am so excited about the impending publication of James B. Stewart's new book Disneywar: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom. (Amazon shows its release date as Nov. 15, 2004.) Stewart is one of my favorite writers and a superbly talented journalist. Meticulous reporting allows him to reconstruct events and write about them in an almost novelistic style. He used to work for The Wall Street Journal so he has an acute sense for the decision-making strategies of the rich and powerful. (His book Den of Thieves covered the insider trading scandals of the 1980s stock market, for instance. ) I haven't been able to find much written about Disneywar yet, but based on the title and Stewart's previous work, I expect it will be about Disney's recent travails in the business world, Roy Disney's split from the company, and the sad decline of the Disney parks.
I will definitely buy this book as soon as it comes out. I can't wait to read it.

UPDATE, 11/19/2004: Apparently publication of Disneywar has been delayed until March 2005. I will have to wait a little longer for it than I thought.