An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List

615. Disneyland: The Modern American Utopia

November 06, 2025

Description

Why is Disneyland one of the most influential architectural creations of the 21st century? How did the Second World War impact Disney? And, how is Disneyland inextricably intertwined with the...
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Books Referenced

Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination

Author: Neil Gabler

Context:

Referenced as 'the great biography by Neil Gabler' discussing Walt Disney's life, particularly his loss of interest in animated films in the 1940s and 1950s. This is Gabler's definitive biography of Walt Disney.

Khrushchev Remembers

Author: Nikita Khrushchev

Context:

Referenced as 'his memoir, Khrushchev remembers' when discussing Khrushchev's account of why his visit to Disneyland was cancelled in 1959.

Suburban Warriors

Author: Lisa McGurr

Context:

Explicitly mentioned as 'a whole book called Suburban Warriors by a historian called Lisa McGurr, all about Orange County' as the birthplace of modern American conservatism.

Vanity Fair

Author: William Makepeace Thackeray

Context:

Mentioned as 'Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair' in the context of discussing famous visitors to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

The Name of the Rose

Author: Umberto Eco

Context:

Referenced when introducing Umberto Eco as 'the author of The Name of the Rose' before discussing his postmodern analysis of Disneyland.

Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton

Context:

Mentioned as a book published in 1990 by Michael Crichton about a theme park gone wrong, in the context of discussing science fiction inspired by Disneyland.

Designing Disney's Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance

Author: Carol Ann Marling

Context:

Referenced as 'a collection of essays by somebody called Carol Ann Marling' discussing Disney parks and 'the architecture of reassurance.'