Ryan March has been creating stories for 25 years as part of the writing and editing team at Walt Disney World. Now he's written a story about the famous mouse that's featured in a newly published book.
March wrote the lyrics and longtime friend Bret Iwan illustrated “Camp Mickey and Minnie: A Wild Summer,” which tells the story of Mickey and Minnie opening a summer camp and Goofy taking matters into his own hands when he notices there are too many frogs in the lake. In the end, Goofy learns that it’s best to learn to live in harmony with nature.
March has written for magazines and newspapers, chronicled exhibition trips, written blog posts and created video scripts – but this is his first experience writing a book.
The illustrator's images are reminiscent of his previous screen prints inspired by Mickey Mouse's national parks. Iwan has been the official voice of Mickey Mouse for 15 years.
FILLING A GAP
“This book took many years of work,” March said.
The two longtime friends began talking about the lack of storybooks featuring Mickey for the 5- to 11-year-old age group.
“There weren’t a lot of stories about Mickey,” he said. “That was the spark of inspiration. How do you do that?”
The idea was abandoned for a few years. Fast forward to 2020.
“It was the pandemic, and my wife and I couldn’t take our daughter to Disney for the day,” March said. “So what did we do? We had fun outside our house. We bought milkweed plants to raise monarch butterflies, we did bird watching, we tracked (animals) in the yard.”
“It was wonderful,” he said. “She was in touch with nature like my wife and I were when we were young. Playing outside was a big part of my upbringing.”
This would be the inspiration for the book.
Iwan, an outdoor enthusiast living in Pasadena, California, was the originator of the idea, and “Camp Mickey and Minnie: A Wild Summer” was born.
“It’s a dream to work with a true friend,” March said. “Bret is more than just the illustrator of the book. He’s the heart and soul of this book. I wouldn’t try to write a Mickey story without the person who knows Mickey.”
“Bret and I were talking about childhood stories and our favorite stories, both as kids and as adults,” March said. “What those stories had in common was that they were full of heart and humor, but they had a valuable message. … Every Disney story, from Walt on, had a message to share. … We wanted there to be someone valuable who could start a conversation between kids and parents.”
March had his own conversations with his daughter, Lorelei, who is 8 and right in the target audience's age range. He read her every part of the story and she gave him honest feedback, he said.
The writer and illustrator shared drafts to make sure they were on the same track with the book.
“I felt the weight of responsibility that came with this book as a huge Disney fan,” March said. “Mickey is known all over the world, so telling this story was a huge responsibility to stay true to who he is. (…) That’s where the collaboration with Bret came in. Being the voice of the actor is more than just reading lines; Bret knows the different facets of the personalities.”
March wrote most of the book while sitting in a rocking chair outside Pioneer Hall at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort.
“What better place to write a story about Mickey’s campsite than a Disney campsite?” he said.
March and Iwan hope to create a series of adventure books that include all four seasons.
SHARE THE STORY
March attended August’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California, which showcases the best of creative storytelling and innovation from across the worlds of Disney. It’s an event he usually attends in an official capacity through the Disney Vacation Club, but this time he was there as a Disney author, participating in book signings and media interviews.
As part of the book launch, March worked with a couple of nonprofits: First Book and the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline, Missouri.
First Book partnered with March, Disney and thousands of volunteers to assemble approximately 7,000 literacy kits, including Disney books and other essential school supplies, for low-resource schools across California.
“To me, that’s the kind of thing that makes it all worth it,” March said. “Connecting books to kids. … As someone who has dedicated his life to Disney, there’s nothing more important than sparking the imagination. … When you watch a TV show or a movie, the whole world is created for you. When you read, your imagination takes over.”
This week, March is in Marceline, where Walt Disney grew up and served as the inspiration for the Disney theme parks' Main Street. March is hosting a fundraising dinner for the museum.
“I’ll be reading the book to the kids at Walt Disney Elementary School in Marceline and then doing a book signing at the (museum) gift shop,” he said. “As a longer-time Disney fan than a Disney author, reading a book in Walt’s childhood home is a must-do on my bucket list.”
The book is available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart, as well as at Sunshine Books in Clermont.
