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Recent Projects & Books

Contact:
DavidJohnOneal@gmail.com

The Drone Invasion Film

The Drone Invasion
Directed By David Oneal

Drones are generally thought of as killing machines used by the military to hunt down terrorists. The Drone Invasion is a documentary film that explores the myths, the promises, and the current reality of drones today. Dozens of experts in Drone technology come together on the screen to answer the simple question of "Are Drones Good?"

International Drone Day

International Drone Day
founded by Sarah and David Oneal, of “That Drone Show”.

They comment: “International Drone Day is hosted by the drone community for the public. It's an opportunity for people that have heard of drones to find out more about them. As a result of International Drone Day 2015, vast numbers of people now understand that drones are used in good ways – from being used to save lives in search and rescue, to providing more efficient ways to monitor crops, to producing beautiful photographs. International Drone Day also highlights the much needed economic boost provided by drones, and shows that drones are fun!"

Anaheim Vacationland Book

Anaheim Vacationland Book
Written by David Oneal
Link to book password: Yensid

Anaheim Vacationland tells the story of the area that surrounds Disneyland.

The motels, shops, places to eat, the crazy extinct attractions like the Japanese Deer Park, Wax Museums, and so forth.

The large full color 244 page book is a visit to a crazed time when everyone and his brother wanted to cash in on the success of Disneyland! When Walt Disney chose Anaheim as the city to build Disneyland in, everyone in the public and his own friends, thought he was crazy. All that was in Anaheim in 1955 was farm fields and dusty old roads. All that changed drastically in 1955 when the new theme park opened. Anaheim was now known as Vacationland.

In this second edition of the sold out book by David Oneal, you will be treated to a treasure trove of historical photos, and first hand accounts of the effect that Disneyland had on Anaheim. Disney legend Bob Gurr, Marty Skylar, Buzz Price (the man who decided on Anaheim as the place to build Disneyland) and other Disney historians like Don Ballard and David Oneal take the reader from the Anaheim boom town of the 1950's and 60's to the decay of the 70's and 80's and eventual rebirth as the resort district that is today. 244 full color pages with amazing images of the Space motels, Tiki Motels, western motels and googie buildings! Plus explore the history of the Movieland Wax Museum, Japanese Deer Park and other areas of Vacationland.

REVIEW BY SAM LAND:

David Oneal has produced a gem of a book. Artfully designed by Mateo, Oneal presents the world that surrounded Disneyland. For those who wonder why Walt wanted the Florida project, this is compelling evidence. If you have lived in Southern California more than 15 years then you are going to want this book and be prepared to say, "I remember that!" numerous times. If you want to gained and understanding of the geographical cultural context for the birth of Disneyland then you must add this book to your library.
 
Dave Oneal runs the outstanding Extinct Attractions Club, which is a vital source of historic Disney theme park videos. He has a unique perspective on Disneyland having lived in the surrounding motels with his mother and younger brother in 1986 for two years before being abandoned by his mother. For those two years, he and his brother would go to the safety of Disneyland virtually everyday. Today the Club, and its 45,000 members raise money for the families who still live in the nearby hotels, the only "affordable" housing in a very expensive housing market.
 
Over the years, David Oneal has meet many of the talented people who designed, built and operated Disneyland. Bob Gurr, the man who invented virtually everything that moves in Disneyland, provides some perspective on just how remote a site Anaheim was from Los Angeles. The trip would take two hours on local roads. I like his description of various bits of local architecture as "California Corny". Don Ballard, author of the definitive book for the Disneyland Hotel, provides a summary history in Anaheim Vacationland. Marty Sklar contributes to the discussion about Vacationland Magazine, which could be found everywhere in the region for many years as a way to advertise Disneyland, Anaheim, and other Southern California attractions.
 
Filled with photos, pamphlets, and advertisements, the book shows the rise and fall of the Disneyland Resort area prior to its recent facelift of 2001. The area went from orange groves to pleasant local motels to a crime ridden, seedy district. This book is David Oneal's journey to seek out the glory days.
 
You get a tour of the local motels, restaurants, and other local attractions. Many of the motels are group by the themes they adopted such as Tiki, space travel or "fantasy and frolic". Remember Sambos Restaurants? Then you will love this book. I especially enjoyed the look at Magic Mountain, Japanese Deer Park, Knotts Berry Farm, Lion Country Safari, Marineland, Busch Gardens, and many others.
 
My bias is simple. I was born and raised in Southern California. With that in mind, this is a wonderful book. It will bring back many memories. For those new to the Disneyland Resort or are students of WDW, for the first time you will clearly see why Walt wanted Walt Disney World and why the entrance to the Magic Kingdom was designed the way it was.