Four Decades of Magic | Ayefour Publishing | Trade Paperback | 978-0-615-43101-7 | $19.95 | Order online

INTRODUCTION

As someone who is nearing his 40th birthday, four decades sure seems like a long time. From growing up in the Detroit area to attending school in Nashville, and ultimately settling with my wife and children in Montgomery, Alabama, I’ve experienced a life full of adventures over the last forty years.

Little did I know upon being born in May 1972 that the life span of Disney World would so closely track mine. I wonder if that’s why I enjoy Disney World so much—it’s almost as if we’ve grown up together over these last four decades.

During those years, we’ve shared many good times and interesting experiences. Everything from elaborate press events to simple family gatherings. All in all, my Disney World past has enjoyed a whole range of experiences. I suspect many of you can say the same thing.

That’s what makes Disney World such an interesting place. From around the entire world, people who like to dream (myself included), are quickly comforted by the fact that in the middle of Central Florida there exists a place designed by a dreamer for the purpose of dreaming.

Having passed in 1966, Walter Elias Disney did not live to see the actual opening of Disney World. That’s not to say, though, that he never envisioned it in vivid, life-like Technicolor in his mind’s eye. While today’s version of Disney World is different in many ways from his original plan, it is clear that both share the same goal:Create a place where families can get away from the challenges of everyday life, enjoy time together, and experience those magical stories that had long been merely the province of books and movies.

Though he was never able to attend the completed Disney World, Walt did live long enough to spend nearly a year visiting the then-open fields and swamps that would amazingly become a worldwide destination. Out of the muck and mire rose a place whose mere mention brings a smile and memories to so many of us.

If there is such a thing as “good ghosts”, then the smiling spectre of Walt Disney benevolently haunts these many acres—taking care to notice the joy that something so complex in its creation, yet so simple in its goal, has provided.

We hope that this book triggers more of those smiles and memories for you. We hope that as you read through the stories that these great Disney-focused writers have shared, something will bring back an event or two during these last forty years that brought you happiness.

Maybe it was your first glimpse of the Castle. Or your best seat ever for the 3pm parade down Main Street. It could be a quiet afternoon you spent exploring Fort Wilderness or the mesmerizing music that greets guests entering Epcot.

Whichever memory it is, this is a book about those experiences—a compilation that seeks to share and revive those memorable moments within the reader.

Throughout these pages, we have sought to recreate something special through the voices and muses of a diverse set of Disney-related authors. These varied perspectives are sure to generate a spectrum of emotions. Most of all, we have worked hard to edit lightly in order to allow their own words to fully come through.

As you travel through this book, you may find yourself chuckling, remembering, wondering, tearing up, or just silently nodding as you recall your personal Disney World past. If you do, then we’ve done our job and, in many ways, honored the man behind the magic and the individual whose namesake theme park resort is now indelibly and fondly marked in our memories.

We hope that you enjoy this reflection on forty years of magic at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Chad Emerson
Ayefour Publishing