Book Review: More Mouse Tales
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But Koenig saves his biggest expose for Disneyland's maintenance department. Here he delves into the hiring of a new manager, the move of most of maintenance to the third shift and the letting go of many long time employees. He takes the story right up to the fatal Christmas eve accident at the Columbia dock last year. However, he is careful not to assign blame for the accident to any one person or department. Koenig clearly feels Disneyland is no longer on the perfect course, but to his credit he does include an epilogue that offers suggestions for improvements to the park.

One of the fun aspects of More Mouse Tales, for regular visitors to the park, is stories about some of the people you may have seen time again. There are stories about the man with 500 Disney tattoos, "Spin Man" who liked to ride the tea cups, a disabled guest in an electric wheelchair who "would tear at full speed through the park, running over guests' toes", "Voodoo Lady" and the "Prairie Family". Koenig also comments on some of the other targets that have gotten plenty of attention in local papers and on the Internet including outdoor vending, the New Tomorrowland and Paul Pressler for whom he makes the editorial "his goal became turning Disneyland into a Disney Store".

But among the in-depth discussions Koenig continues the funny stories including a few tales of what it's like to be a character when you have to venture outside of the safety of the Magic Kingdom. Koenig also includes some of the funny exchanges between guests and Cast Members and spreads them throughout the book in short sidebars.

I did have some problems with the book, however. At times, the funny stories one after another get a little monotonous. The second issue isn't so much a problem as a warning. No one who loves Disneyland would come away from the first first Mouse Tales with any less love. The same cannot be said of More Mouse Tales, and I don't believe that's the author's intention. While reading some of the more saddening events, ie: the maintenance and security situations, keep in mind that despite what is happening internally, Disneyland is still a place of happiness for the majority of its guests. Like any large company it has its share of internal politics and disagreements. The last issue is certainly not the fault of Koenig, just a matter of timing. Over the past year, or so, Disneyland has had some noticeable improvements giving many guests optimism about its future. One wonders if the same optimism exists among the Cast Members as well. Hopefully there will be a third Mouse Tales to answer that question.

-- Doobie Moseley