This just in from Christopher Merritt:[May I humbly suggest you add my book Knott's Preserved to your list of Disney books? There are several sections talking about the influence Walter Knott & Knott's Berry Farm had on Disneyland. There are reviews all over the place - but the latest Mousetalgia podcast explains some of these influences pretty well...]
Knott's Berry Farm may not have had sophisticated "magic", but it did have "heart and soul". Where Disneyland was about escaping to other worlds, Knott's was about coming home. In it's own way, Knott's complimented and inspired the Disney experience. You almost can't fully understand what the Disney experience is till you see it in contrast to Knott's. Chris and Eric's book shows us that. At heart, Walt Disney was a simple person and Knott's straight forward hospitality must have resonated with him.
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