Dreyer Jody Jean - Beyond the Castle A Guide to Discovering Your Happily Ever After

CONTENTS

I had a great time reading Jodys book on her time at Disney as I have been to many of the same places and events that she attended. She went well beyond recounting her experiences though, adding many layers of texture on the how and the why of Disney storytelling. Yet Jody knows the golden rule in this business: If you knew how the trick was done, it wouldnt be any fun anymore. At the end of the journey, she is simply in awe of the magic just as we all are, even today. Thank you, Jody, for taking us along on that journey.

ROY P. DISNEY, grandnephew of Walt Disney

Jody may be the most organized, focused person Ive ever met, and she has excelled in every job shes held at the company. No one better embodies the Disney spirit.

MICHAEL D. EISNER, former chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company

If Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse had a baby, it would be Jody Dreyer.

DICK COOK, former chairman, Walt Disney Studios

Im a huge believer in good storytelling. And as a fellow Disney fanatic Im really excited to see the impact of this great read!

KATE VOEGELE, singer/songwriter, One Tree Hill actress and recording artist on Disneymania 6

Jody Dreyer pulls the curtain back to reveal the inner workings of one of the most fascinating and successful companies on Earth. Beyond the Castle offers incredible insight for Disney fans and business professionals alike who will relish this peek inside the magic kingdom from Jodys unique perspective.

DON HAHN, producer, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King

ZONDERVAN

Beyond the Castle

Copyright 2017 by Jody J. Dreyer and Stacy Windahl

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Epub Edition July 2017 ISBN 9780310347255

ISBN 978-0-310-34705-7 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-310-35050-7 (audio)

ISBN 978-0-310-34725-5 (ebook)

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

All photos, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of the authors.

Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst

Cover illustration: Erwin Madrid

Interior design: Kait Lamphere

Interior imagery: Mutanov Daniyar/Shutterstock, PhotoDisc

First printing July 2017 / Printed in the United States of America

APPLAUSE

To my Disney friends:
You are the heart and soul of the company, the hardworking, magic-making, smile-giving Disney cast members of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Each day you make dreams come true. I am honored to have worked alongside you and grateful to call you family.

The conversations and events described in this book are retold from the authors best recollections and they are not written to represent word-for-word transcripts. Rather, the author has shared these personal stories in a way that evokes the feeling and meaning of what was said, and in all instances, the essence of the dialogue and attending circumstances is accurate. In addition, since The Walt Disney Company always has been and will continue to be a dynamic enterprise, the business practices described within this account were observed during the authors career but may have changed since.

Throughout this book, the authors Disney colleagues are mentioned by first names with last names in parentheses upon introduction in each chapter. Otherwise, its first names only. Disney is a first-name company. For years, the author worked alongside cast members knowing details about their family or even a recent vacation without knowing their last names. Walt himself established the first name tradition believing that first names invited informality and enabled the flow of ideas. But if you feel the first name reference is a little unusual, we understand. Consider this encouragement from a Disney University training pamphlet entitled Welcome to the Show: You may find our first name policy difficult at first: old habits are hard to break. But once you get the hang of it, we think youll like our friendly, family way of doing things. We hope so, too.

H appily Ever After. Can that really be true? Is there such a thing? It all seems so impossible. However, I must confess that having worked as a Disney animator on fairy tales for many years, I was particularly drawn to animating the characters who believe the impossible is indeed possible. Ariel, though a mermaid, falls in love with a prince who walks on two legs and breathes air! The Beast is determined to believe that Belle could somehow look past his ugly beastly exterior, tusks and all, and love him for who he is inside.

There is hope at work here... and faith... and love. Who doesnt want to believe in that?

Beyond the Castle: A Guide to Discovering Your Happily Ever After is a book about how the little things count in big ways. One might call them details, but they are what makes the difference.

Jodys formative years in the Midwest have left her with a homespun practicality that she expresses with her own Mark Twain wisdom. She sees the ups and downs of life from a Disneyland roller coaster perspective and says, Without a hill, theres no thrill! She divides the accumulation of a lifetime of stuff into Treasure, Trash, and Trail Mix. She shares Lessons learned from the opening of Euro Disneyland and how to avoid the effect of Queue Rage in waiting lines.

I first met Jody when she was working for Disney CEO Michael Eisner as the head of Corporate Synergy. I was an artist and not used to chumming around with Disney executives. But Jody, in her own natural way, made me feel at ease and relaxed. She exemplified that welcoming, Disney quality. There is a certain pixie dust magic to her.

As I read Jodys words I find that same magic of belief in what she says... she lived it, loved it, and believed in it. Now shes sharing that with others.

This is above all a book of hope. The castles of our life are not always shiny spires reflecting the sunshine. Sometimes they become quite dark and in need of transformation.

I will never forget seeing Beasts castle for the first time. It was the fall of 1989 and our animation team for Beauty and the Beast was in France on a research trip. We were driving down a long narrow road through the woods in the Loire Valley to visit the famous royal chateau, Chambord. Through the early morning fog a dark shadowy form emerged with its spires, walls, and towers, as if the Beast himself was personified by the stone edifice. As we approached I imagined Beast running through its rooms filled with ancient furniture and draperies. But once having stepped inside I found its hallways empty, all its interior decorations long gone. Yet, somehow I could still feel the energy and life that once animated its halls. My imagination came alive and I could envision a chateau transformed into the fairytale castle at the end of