Excavating the Magic

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, Disney historian Jim Korkis, who has written five previous books on WDW, takes a nostalgic look at the dozens and dozens of things that have disappeared at the vacation destination over the decades.

Recent years have seen a rapid and massive demolition of much of Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot to make room for new additions, from a mythological galaxy far, far away to an ambitious rat who became a renowned chef.

However some things even disappeared within the first year to be replaced by others that have also vanished. Jim was fortunate to personally experience many of the shows and attractions included in this book so that helped with providing an accurate perspective of these long-forgotten treasures.

The chapters are filled to overflowing with quotes from Imagineers and show producers, facts, anecdotes, and behind-the-scenes stories that have rarely if ever been told.

ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, Cranium Command, Skyleidoscope, Catastrophe Canyon, Diamond Horseshoe Revue, Pocahontas, Fort Wilderness Railroad, Walt Disney World Speedway, DisneyQuest, the Disney Inn Resort, and eighty more things that only still exist in the memories of past WDW guests are documented.

The book brings back fond memories for those who experienced these shows and attractions but is also designed to tantalize the curiosity of others who might have only briefly heard about them if they knew they had ever existed at all.