Two years before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, four months after the release of the first Mickey Mouse short in color, The Band Concert, Walt Disney traveled to Europe and took conscience of the extent of his international fame. His wife, Lillian; his brother, Roy; and his sister-in-law, Edna went with him. They were feted by nobility, by political elites, and by the most prominent European artists, among whom H.G. Wells and Louis Lumiere. They came back with more than three hundred books, which would remain sources of inspiration at the Disney Studio for years to come. They came back with a broader view of the world. And Walt came back with ideas which would infuse his creations for decades. All in all, it was a seminal trip at the height of Disney s Golden Age. But did Walt really receive a medal from the League of Nations during his stay in Paris? Did he really meet Benito Mussolini while in Rome? Was the trip pure pleasure or did it involve much business? How were the Disney businesses structured in Europe at the time? Using as his sources Edna and Roy s diary of the trip, as well as hundreds of European newspaper and magazine articles released in 1935, Didier Ghez, for the first time, gives precise answers to those questions, analyses the roots of Disney s expansion in Europe, and lets us relive complete with dozens of never-released photographs the trip of a lifetime, Disney s Grand Tour.

Brer Rabbit. Uncle Remus. "Song of the South." Racist?

Disney thinks so. And that's why it has forbidden the theatrical re-release of its classic film "Song of the South" since 1986.

But is the film racist? Are its themes, its characters, even its music so abominable that Disney has done us a favor by burying the movie in its infamous Vault, where the Company claims it will remain for all time?

Disney historian Jim Korkis does "not" think so.

In his newest book, "Who's Afraid of the Song of the South?," Korkis examines the film from concept to controversy, and reveals the politics that nearly scuttled the project. Through interviews with many of the artists and animators who created "Song of the South," and through his own extensive research, Korkis delivers both the definitive behind-the-scenes history of the film and a balanced analysis of its cultural impact.

What else would Disney prefer you did not know? Plenty.

Korkis also pulls back the curtain on such dubious chapters in Disney history as: Disney's cinematic attack on venereal disease Ward Kimball's obsession with UFOs Tim Burton's depressed stint at the Disney Studios Walt Disney's nightmares about his stomping an owl to death Wally Wood's Disneyland Memorial Orgy poster J. Edgar Hoover's hefty FBI file on Walt Disney Little Black Sunflower's animated extinction

Plus 10 more forbidden tales that Disney wishes would go away.

Whether you're a film buff, an armchair academic, or a Disney fan eager to peek behind Disney's magical (and tightly controlled) curtain, you'll discover lots you never knew about Disney.

With a foreword by Disney Legend Floyd Norman, "Who's Afraid of the Song of the South?" is both authoritative and entertaining.

Jim Korkis is the best-selling author of "Vault of Walt," and has been researching and writing about Disney for over three decades. The Disney Company itself uses his expertise for special projects. Korkis resides in Orlando, Florida.