Books
Magic Moments: Stories, Lessons & Memories From a Twenty-Year Career at Walt Disney World
One Disney Cast Member’s Magic Journeys!
You’re invited behind the castle walls for a first-person voyage as a Cast Member at the Walt Disney World Resort. Writer Michael Lyons is your guide through the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that were part of his 20-year career.
From his earliest days as a frontline Cast Member in the merchandise shops on Main Street, USA., to leading a team at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as that park opened Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and from leading a team of managers at Disney’s off-site locations at Orlando International Airport, to teaching Disney’s renowned Traditions training class, you’ll follow Michael from entry-level Cast Member, to Trainer, Facilitator, and several levels of Leadership.
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Traditionally, Disney has been known for its strong, one-of-a-kind culture. Michael shares the numerous life and work lessons he learned, including the importance of motivation, responsibility, partnership, values, first impressions, and respect, among many other lessons.
Through stories drawn from his own experiences working at the Walt Disney World Resort, Michael shares these and more in Magic Moments: Stories, Lessons & Memories From a Twenty-Year Career at Walt Disney World, including experiences that reveal:
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How Disney teaches and empowers Cast Members to make magic real every day.
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How there’s more than pixie dust behind Disney’s outstanding Guest service.
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How inspiration and mentorship are the magic behind Leadership.
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How you can “whistle while you work,” and run a successful business through collaboration.
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How “Ohana” truly does mean family to the Disney Cast Member community.
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How we can learn from the rich history and legacy of Walt Disney while creating our own.
Michael includes first-hand details of his work experiences at Disney, from positive stories to challenging moments, all of which have helped shape him personally and professionally.
Magic Moments: Stories, Lessons & Memories From a Twenty-Year Career at Walt Disney World offers something for everyone from ardent Disney fans to those looking for the magic around them every day.
Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance
Overcoming adversity, believing in yourself, and happy endings don’t just happen in Disney animated movies; they also happen at Disney. Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance tells the story of the studio's comeback with their hit animated films in the 1990s. It’s a story worthy of Disney’s most beloved fables and fairy tales…but this story happened in real life!
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Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance begins just after the passing of Walt Disney in 1966 and provides a chronological journey of how a group of Disney artists, trained by legends who had worked on the studio’s classic films, believed in the power of storytelling and the hallmarks of Disney and transformed animation at the studio in a re-birth the likes of which had never been seen.
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Each Disney animated film from 1988’s Oliver & Company through 2000’s The Emperor’s New Groove is detailed:
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How music was a watershed moment for The Little Mermaid.
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How irreverence released a Genie from the lamp in Aladdin.
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How The Nightmare Before Christmas went from a forgotten project to a scary success.
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How the blockbuster success of The Lion King was an actual “Circle of Life” moment for the studio.
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How a partnership with Pixar for Toy Story took animation “To infinity and beyond!”
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…and much more!
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Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance contains insight from producers, directors, animators, art directors, story artists, and executives conducted during the Renaissance and gathered together in this book for the first time.
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These include producer Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King), animators Glen Keane (Ariel, Aladdin & Tarzan), Eric Goldberg (the Genie), Andreas Deja (Jafar & Scar), directors Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Kevin Lima (A Goofy Movie & Tarzan) and Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney, who was instrumental in shepherding this unprecedented period at the studio.
Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance will enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of these beloved films. You may have watched them countless times, but after reading, you will want to watch them all over again! This is a book that will resonate with Disney enthusiasts, film fans, and those who have grown up with and been inspired by the groundbreaking films produced during Disney’s Animation Renaissance.
