Mickey and Goofy at EPCOT

[Torsten Wesley Adair]

A friend of mine who works as a school librarian gave me a copy of Mickey
and Goofy Explore the Universe of Energy at EPCOT Center. 

First, the technical aspects.  There are no production codes on the cover
or on the first page.  There is no indicia, and the copyright is 1985 Walt
Disney Productions.  The publisher is Walt Disney Educational Media
Company.  It is in color, and sixteen pages long.  The inside front cover
has a crossword puzzle, the inside back cover is a one panel picture of
Exxon's Energy Exchange.  The back cover is an advertisement for Exxon (do
they still have a service station near the Magic Kingdom entrance?). 

Now for the content (SPOILERS AHOY FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE WAITING FOR
GLADSTONE TO PRINT THIS). 

Page One to Three	Mickey and Goofy enter the UoE, and go on the ride
 (no lines!!).  Page three uses a flashback balloon, but it is unclear how
it or why it is used.  It seems that M&G are walking through the exhibit,
and then leave Florida for other places.  Perhaps all this takes place in
the UoE?  (Could someone enlighten me?)

Page Six	M&G fly to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

Page Eight 	In panel one, Mickey shows how crude petroleum is shipped from
Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.  (This one panel will probably make this comic book
a sought-after collectible.) 

Page Eleven	In panel six, Mickey finally starts talking about other
forms of fuel.

Page Twelve	Electricity is discussed.

Page Thirteen	Coal produced electricity is discussed.

Page Fourteen	Nuclear energy.

Page Fifteen	Hyroelcetricity, synthetic fuels, oil shale.

Page Sixteen	Solar energy.

The information is presented clearly, in a logical manner, and I learned a
few things I didn't know.  Mickey was "on model" most of the time, and
Goofy had some bad jokes.  About two-thirds of this comic book is used to
discuss petroleum.  The only mention of wind energy is in the crossword
puzzle, and some of the more interesting sources of energy (geothermal,
mirror farms, electric cars) are omitted.  Of course, since this is
DisneyWorld, nothing bad or good is said about oil spills, pollution, or
nuclear waste. 

My friend picked up her copies while she was at EPCOT.  If she has any
copies left over after her students get them, she will let me know.  She
says there is also one about machines.

Torsten Adair	torsten at cwis.unomaha.edu	Omaha, NE, USA

"Yes!  And experts say that by the year 2000, one-fifth of our nation's
electricity may come from nuclear power!"	Mickey Mouse