Jim Korkis - The Vault of Walt (Volume 2): More Unofficial Disney Stories Never Told

We are all cavemen.

Since the time when man was first able to communicate, stories have always brought people together. From gathering around the fire, to sharing tales in the written word, everyone loves to hear, tell, and share a good story.

Walt Disney was not simply a storyteller. He was THE storyteller. He knew not just the requisite elements that made up a good story, but how to tell it. Simple treatment of the tale, personalized antagonists, common moral ideals, and ones struggles to test valor were the basic ingredients in all of his storytelling recipes. He told not just stories that people would remember but ones they would want to share with others.

Great storytellers are rare. Jim Korkis is one of them. Much like Walt Disney, Jim knows how to captivate a listener or reader through his passionate sharing of unique narratives. He has always embraced the importance of capturing these stories directly from the people who experienced them. But more important, he understands and is impassioned about sharing them with others and he wants you, the Vault of Walt reader, to do the same.

The stories Jim has assembled in this book are ones that only Jim can weave and told in only the way he can tell them. They come alive off the page, drawing you into them. He introduces you to a Walt Disney that you probably never knew before, all the while making you understand, appreciate, and see Walt in a new, wonderful light..

Walt Disney founded his Studios based on the fundamentals of exceptional storytelling. Jim has done the same here in the Vault of Walt series. From details about Walts personal and private life, Jim paints a picture of Walts unique joys, struggles, and successes. Walt loved his family first and foremost, and Jim seamlessly takes you from Walts home during the holidays to his years spent in Chicago, to visiting his boyhood home with his brother Roy.

As we sit around this literary campfire listening to Jim, we learn more about the genesis of some famous films and theme park attractions. We are delighted and enlightened as we learn not only to understand and appreciate what we see and experience but to gain a greater fondness for the man who created them.

I distinctly and warmly remember the first time I met Jim, and how grateful I was for the mutual admiration, appreciation, and respect that we shared. More important, how that quickly grew into a friendship founded not simply on a love of Disney, but really more about a philosophy and set of idealsones that I believe were very much present in, and carried forward by, Walt Disney.

Walts work, wisdom, vision, and positivity have shaped many people, and his influence on Jim by virtue is apparent in the stories he shares in these pages. To that point, I also wonder if Walt knew If he ever realized how what he was doing was more than simply making animated films or conjuring up attractions with pirates and friendly ghosts. How his belief in the importance of family would carry forward and impact the lives of millions. Or how he was helping people he never met, or who werent even born during his lifetime, to get the best out of themselves, by inspiring them to always keep moving forward.

And through the years, Ive sat and listened to Jim tell stories around the fire in a variety of ways. From sitting across the table from him as we share a meal, to recording segments with him for my show, to reading his work online or in print, I have never stepped away feeling anything less than amazed. Jim has always enlightened me about some fact, detail, or personal anecdote that I had never heard before.

But its when he talks about Walt that his eyes (and mine and I think as read this book, yours as well) widen and ignite. He speaks of Walt with such reverence, respect, and admiration, its as though he believes Walt just might be listening in. He speaks not only as a Disney Historian but as that little boy who watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for the very first timemouth agape the young man who sought out the artists and Imagineers at their homes to ask them to share (and allow him to record) their stories with him in person and the adult who carries forward much of Walts spirit and philosophiesnot just about storytelling, but about life, family, and what is truly important.

And so it took me some time to understand what Jim was really saying when he tells these stories (still wide-eyed and smiling through every one). He wants you to understand not just the importance of the story itself, but from where it came and why. He entrusts YOU to take these stories and share them with others. And I think most of all, the Vault of Walt series (which I hope continues ad infinitum) is in some ways Jims thank-you letter to Walt Disney.

So as Jim continues to thank Walt, we can thank Jim for bringing to light and life stories that only he can tell in a way only he can share them. We are all cavemen but Jim is among the most sincere, talented, and fascinating raconteurs of them all.

Thank you, Jim, for sharing these stories around the fire. Your friend,

Lou Mongello
Disney Expert, WDW Trivia Book Author
Host, WDWRadio
July 2013

Once upon a time, I wrote a book filled with stories about Walt Disney.

Some of the stories were specifically about Walt himself. Some were about films produced during his lifetime. Some were about Disneyland and Walt Disney World. And some were about Walts out-of-the-ordinary projects and the people who interacted with him.

The original Vault of Walt was released in October 2010 (then re-released as a revised edition in 2012) and was warmly received by both reviewers and fans. I toured the United States doing presentations and book signings. I was happy to hear how much people enjoyed the stories, including Walts daughter, Diane Disney Miller.