This best-selling book is now out-of-print. But a new edition, with new stories, is available: The REVISED Vault of Walt.

The Vault of Walt

Biographies & Memoirs

Korkis, Jim

Arts & Literature

Ayefour Publishing

I Love Lucy

Literature & Fiction

Malibu Graphics

HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY KNOW ABOUT MICKEY MOUSE? In his 85 years of animated existence, ever-youthful Mickey Mouse has lived a memorable life. Now Disney historian Jim Korkis chronicles that life in mesmerizing detail. From Mickey's humble beginnings on Walt's Disney sketch pad through his dozens of films to his embodiment of the Disney dream and his popular appearances in the Disney theme parks - it's all here, in The Book of Mouse. From Steamboats to Theme Parks Until now, Mickey Mouse's life story was scattered across decades of books, articles, oral histories, and crumbling documents found only in the Walt Disney Archives. In The Book of Mouse, Jim Korkis brings together all of these essential elements for the first time into a narrative that celebrates this very special Mouse. Starting with the real story of Mickey's creation, Korkis weaves well-researched facts with charming, insider stories and anecdotes. You'll learn about the hidden secrets of Steamboat Willie, Mickey's first film; the astonishing success of the first Mickey Mouse Club; the Mickey cartoons never made; the history of the Mickey costumed character in the theme parks (and the people inside them); the special relationships Mickey had with presidents, movie stars, playwrights, magicians, and even astronauts; and plenty more jam-packed in over 300 pages. In addition, the book features a complete list of Mickey's film and television appearances, with plot summaries, production notes, and trivia. The Many Manifestations of Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is a film star. He's a television star. He's the star of best-selling books, cartoon strips, and comic books. His image sells millions upon millions of dollars in merchandise. He's the leader of the band, the central figure in the Disney universe, and perhaps the most recognizable character in the world. Everyone knows Mickey. But there's so much you don't know about Mickey. This is just some of what you'll discover in Jim Korkis' The Book of Mouse: <ul>
<li>Debunking of the many myths still told about Mickey Mouse</li> <li>Complete, annotated Mickey Mouse filmography (1928-2013)</li> <li>The rise and rise of Mickey's merchandising empire</li> <li>History of Mickey Mouse at the Disney theme parks</li> <li>What Mickey meant to Walt Disney, in Walt's own words</li> <li>Dozens of bite-size "Mouse-ka-Tales"</li>
</ul> Plus answers to: How tall is Mickey? Where does he live? Why does he only have four fingers? Is he married to Minnie? And so much more! The Book of Mouse is a biography, ethnography, and filmography in one, the world's first comprehensive, single-volume resource about Mickey Mouse. With its hundreds of fun stories, Mouse-ka-Tales, and Mickey milestones, the book is sure to enlighten and delight Mickey fans of all ages. Become the Mickey Mouse expert in your family!

The Book of Mouse: A Celebration of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse

Travel

Williams, Don "Ducky"

Specialty Travel

Theme Park Press

Disney History at Its Best
No one knows Disney history, or tells it better, than Jim Korkis, who presents an inaugural set of 28 stories from his Vault of Walt. Whether it’s Disney films, Disney theme parks, or Walt himself, Jim’s stories will charm and delight Disney fans of all ages.
The best-selling Vault of Walt series has brought serious, but fun, Disney history to tens of thousands of readers. In this, its first volume, former Disney cast member and master storyteller Jim Korkis weaves his home-spun, entertaining tales, from the early years of Walt Disney to the present.
Step inside the vault with Jim to hear about:
<ul>
<li>Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones hated the four months he worked at the Disney Studio because the one job he wanted he couldn't get: Walt's</li>
<li>Renie Bardeau, Disneyland's chief photographer, who took shots of the famous and the powerful who visited the park</li>
<li>FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover's increasing distrust of Walt Disney—and Walt's growing FBI file</li>
<li>The unlikely collaboration between Walt and surrealist painter Salvador Dali</li>
<li>How Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev threw a tantrum when he wasn't allowed to visit Disneyland</li>
</ul>
Discover these and many other new tales of Disney history, as only Jim Korkis can tell them, in The Vault of Walt: Volume 1.
Then be sure to check ALL the volumes in The Vault of Walt!

The Revised Vault of Walt: Unofficial Disney Stories Never Told (The Vault of Walt)

Arts & Photography

Disney Miller, Diane

Graphic Design

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: <ul>
<li>Disney's cinematic attack on venereal disease</li> <li>Ward Kimball's obsession with UFOs</li> <li>Tim Burton's depressed stint at the Disney Studios</li> <li>Walt Disney's nightmares about his stomping an owl to death</li> <li>Wally Wood's Disneyland Memorial Orgy poster</li> <li>J. Edgar Hoover's hefty FBI file on Walt Disney</li> <li>Little Black Sunflower's animated extinction</li> </ul>
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.

Who's Afraid of the Song of the South? And Other Forbidden Disney Stories

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

Disney History at Its Best
No one knows Disney history, or tells it better, than Jim Korkis, and he’s back with a new set of 28 stories from his Vault of Walt. Whether it’s Disney films, Disney theme parks, or Walt himself, Jim’s stories will charm and delight Disney fans of all ages. The best-selling Vault of Walt series has brought serious, but fun, Disney history to tens of thousands of readers. Now in its second volume, the series features former Disney cast member and master storyteller Jim Korkis’ home-spun, entertaining tales, from the early years of Walt Disney to the present.
Step inside the vault with Jim to hear about:
<ul>
<li>A ride through Epcot's Spaceship Earth for a closer look at graffiti, bare breasts, and evil twins</li>
<li>The bare-knuckles battle between Walt Disney and P.L. Travers over Mary Poppins
</li>
<li>The real story of the Jungle Cruise, why Walt's plan for live animals was shot down, and how Walt once got cheated by an impatient skipper</li>
<li>The life-long hatred between Walt and Bugs Bunny creator Friz Freleng caused by a boil on Freleng's butt</li>
<li>How Roy O. Disney took over a demoralized company after his brother's death and built a fantasyland from swampland</li>
</ul>
Discover these and many other new tales of Disney history, as only Jim Korkis can tell them, in The Vault of Walt: Volume 2.
Then be sure to check ALL the volumes in The Vault of Walt!

The Vault of Walt: Volume 2: Unofficial, Unauthorized, Uncensored Disney Stories Never Told

Traces the history of popular cartoon characters, including Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, the Flintstones, Pink Panther, and Roger Rabbit

The Encyclopedia of Cartoon Superstars: From a to (Almost Z)

Cawley, John

Pioneer Books

How to Create Animation

Photography & Video

Animation Art: Buyer's Guide and Price Guide, 1992

Reference

Catalogs & Directories

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.
As Walt Disney once said: "it takes people to make the dream a reality". Korkis never loses sight of the many people who built Disneyland, from famous Imagineers to obscure ticket takers. From their stories he crafts the epic adventure of how Walt conjured magic from an orange grove, with all the politics and the pixie dust, and the thrill of doing what no one had ever done before.
Just a few of the highlights from Disneyland 1955:
<ul>
<li>The many little-known inspirations for Disneyland</li>
<li>First-person narratives from Disneyland cast members who were there on opening day</li>
<li>How politics and corporate wheeling and dealing were instrumental in getting Disneyland off the ground</li>
<li>The story of the short-lived (and little missed) Mickey Mouse Club Circus</li>
<li>Comprehensive almanacs of Main Street and the four "lands" in the park, as they existed in 1955</li>
</ul>
KORKIS IS YOUR "K-TICKET" TO DISNEYLAND...1955!

The Unofficial Disneyland 1955 Companion: The Anecdotal Story of the Birth of the Happiest Place on Earth

Gurr, Bob

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