Universal Versus Disney

The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks' Greatest Rivalry

By: Sam Gennawey

Narrated by: Robert Feifar

Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Universal Studios never really wanted to get into the theme park business. They wanted to be the anti-Disney. But when forced to do so, they did it in a big way. Despite the fits and starts of multiple owners, the parks have finally gained the momentum to mount a serious challenge to the Walt Disney Company. How did this happen? Who made it happen? What does this mean for the theme park industry? In Universal Versus Disney, his newest work to investigate the histories of America's favorite theme parks, seasoned Disney-author Sam Gennawey has thoroughly researched how Universal Studios shook up the multi-billion dollar theme park industry, one so long dominated by Walt Disney and his legacy.

©2015 Sam Gennawey (P)2015 Audible Inc.

History of Universal(with some mentions of Disney)

This book was interesting and I learned a lot about Universal. However, the title is a bit misleading as there is really no rivalry discussed and 90% of the book is about Universal.
The audiobook production is rough. There are a few times where multiple takes of the same sentence are included as well as some questionable pronunciations.
Still, overall the audiobook was enjoyable and it is always nice to see more theme park books produced in audiobook form.

Please Remain Seated At All Times

While the tittle stresses the rivalry between Disney and Universal this book is more a history of the Universal Theme Parks. Don't get me wrong as there is plenty of stories during the Disney CEO Eisner Era of the two companies battling it out. However the history and how many times the company changed hands is fascinating. if you are a fan of theme parks and like to look behind the curtain then this book is for you!

Former universal tour guide gives us a thumbs up

As a former Universal Studios Hollywood tour guide, I was trained to know the history of universal. Everything that I knew about universal was in here and a lot more. Very well written, and read.

98%Universal, but still a good read

If your looking to learn about Disneyland, read Sam Gennawey's The Disneyland Story. This book is mostly about Universal and it touches on the rivalry between Disney. As it talks about the details of Universal and it's growth, it discusses what happened between Disney and Universal. The performance at times funny because of some poor pronunciation.

Wanted equal parts Universal and Disney and didn't get it

His pronunciation of certain words drove me crazy and the book started slow. Thankfully, it did get better towards the latter half. And I was a little disappointed that it really only focuses on Universal. It mentions Disney quite a bit, but its main focus is Universal for sure. Overall, an interesting look at the key differences between the two theme park giants.

Written from Universal’s point of view

The history alone is worth listening to. I liked it. It was slanted towards Universal, but still very good. Having experienced these parks in Florida it was fun to hear the backstory on rides and attractions I’ve visited. The narrator has an interesting accent and pronunciation. Takes a minute to get used to.

My goodness, this guy has a tough time with pronunciation.

Please, isn't there an editor that is supposed stop this slaughter of pronunciation??? Great book otherwise.

Clickbait title

A attraction by attraction history of Universal Studios parks. This book is not about a rivalry between Universal and Disney, it's a comprehensive history about Universal Studios parks and resorts. the farthest goes talking about the dynamic or rivalry between Disney imagineering and Universal is how some Universal projects used "beating Disney at their own game" as a motivator to design some attractions. Don't expect a back and forth look at both companies, don't expect and unbiased look at Universal Studios, don't expect drama or tension. plain and simple, this is a book about just Universal.

Great for the history of Universal

Would you listen to Universal Versus Disney again? Why?

Yes. It tells the history of my favorite studio, Universal. Except I will have to prep my ears for Robert's mispronunciations throughout the recording.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would not have misled the audience by having the title "Universal vs Disney" as the story skews heavily in Universal's favor.

Would you be willing to try another one of Robert Feifar’s performances?

No. He horribly mispronounces common words that everyone listening knows is pronounced a different way. It feels like he's from another country and learned English as a second language.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How Universal Studios took on the juggernaut of Walt Disney!

Any additional comments?

Have someone 'LISTEN' to this recording when it's done. No one from America could have possibly let certain words be pronounced the way Robert pronounced them. It makes you feel as if the producer of this recording could just care less. Here are some examples. The first is the actual word/name and the second is how you will hear Robert repeatedly say words. Trust me, it will drive you crazy.Industry (we say indusTREE) - Industry (He says in-DUS-tree) this is the most used and mispronounced word in the entire book, and he says it a lot! / Ivan Reitman - Ivan Reetman / Rosevelt - Roozavelt / Expletive - Expleetive / Hermione from Harry Potter (we all know it's Her-my-knee thanks to all the movies) - Robert says Her-MY-oh-knee (seriously...WHAT!)

Universal's Rivalry with Disney

While a facinating look at Universal history, it is almost exclusively about Universal's venture into theme parks. on the few occasions that Disney is brought up, its usually used to put context onto what Universal would do next, or to compare ride type and/or theming. The occasional mention of Eisner, Iger, or the imagineers is rare as Sam Gennawey mostly chronicles the corporate and partnership fluctuations of Universal.

While still a good read/listen, it would be much more appropriate to label this as a Universal parks history until 2012.