Walt Disney once said that fantasy and reality often collide. And, if you look at the lengthy list of movies that have come out of the Disney studios, you will see that the sprinkling of pixie dust—fantasy—is present in so, so many of them.
It is with Hidden Mickey 3 Wolf!: The Legend of Tom Sawyer’s Island that I begin to add the wonderful element of fantasy to the novels. I introduced a special security guard named Wolf in Book 2 of the series, and hinted at some unique aspects of his abilities. I explore and explain those abilities in Book 3 and add the “what-if” factor. What if a character was able to travel through time? What if the places you are familiar with in Disneyland have another life somewhere else? And, as a twist to the usual time travel theme: What if the things that happen in Disneyland now affect the past?
One of my favorite places in Disneyland is the Frontierland River, or Rivers of America. Whether I was on a keel boat, a canoe, or the Mark Twain, or just sitting on the upper deck of the Hungry Bear Restaurant, the River has always captured my imagination and caused a wave of peace to wash over me. There is a quietness about the trip down the River where the sounds of the busy Park vanish as the rhythmic strokes of a canoe paddle or the swishing background noise of the Mark Twain’s wheel take over.
As a young girl I ran wild through Fort Wilderness, climbed into the lookout towers, and scurried through the Escape Tunnel. As I went by on one of the river vessels, I would stare at Cousin Jed as he bent backward over a fence post, an arrow sticking out of his chest and flames shooting into the sky as his cabin burned. I even have a picture of my brother standing in front of a huge stuffed buffalo that used to be in the Friendly Village.
For years Cousin Jed’s cabin was empty, the flames long extinguished. Always a fan of the Old West, I wondered what it would have been like to live in that log cabin and visit the Fort when it was up and running. When it was time to write book 3, I knew that was where I wanted to go. I wanted to go back in time and bring that cabin and Fort Wilderness back to life.
As Wolf, his friend Wals, the mysterious Rose, and an innocent Dr. Houser tread the dangerous waters of frontier life, Wolf begins to notice an alarming trend. He finds that the changes that are being made to Disneyland in the present day are changing the way of life back on the Island and Fort Wilderness. When he hears that the Island is going to be turned into “Pirate’s Lair,” he knows he has to get all his friends back to their proper time. There’s just one problem: Wals, Rose, and Dr. Houser don’t remember their previous life…
Walt and the beautiful red heart pendant are part of the story, too. When Wolf wants to visit his long-gone boss, Walt, he makes a miscalculation and lands too far back in the past. We get to meet a 9-year-old Walt and his sister Ruthie on the farm in Marceline when Ruthie suddenly spots a big, bad wolf. You will also find out what happened to the Dreaming Tree.
So, sit back, put yer feet up, ‘cause this here’s the wildest ride in the Wilderness!