Disney started this subsidiary in 1952 and gave it the job to design and develop Disneyland. Despite his success as an animator, he was untested in running a theme park, and he was unable to get his company's board of directors to invest in what back then seemed an outlandish idea ("dreams offer too little collateral" Walt ruefully confessed at the time). "WDI" reprints the initial maps of the park, and with each repetition, we see Disney's dreams growing, from the 11-acre Riverside Drive property originally envisioned to the 50-acre park it eventually became.

To those who only see the finished product on film or in the stores, the amount of detail and effort that goes into creating the Disney universe is astonishing. Every element must be drawn or modeled, and the Disney creative process demands that each design go through several iterations, sometimes through substantial changes. The result is a gallery of ideas and images, worked in painting styles both impressionistic and realistic. Elaborate models are created, such as the gym-floor sized Epcot layout or the six-foot tall "Tree of Life" that towers 13 stories over Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando. Not surprisingly, the Imagineers have grasped computer modeling with the same enthusiasm they have put in everything else they do.

Some of the best pictures describe projects that never were. A ski resort in Northern California. An entertainment center in Burbank. A "House of Cheese" design for a proposed food pavilion at Epcot. But these are not complete wastes of time and money. Projects that were interrupted for one reason may be revived and continued for another. For Disneyland Paris, artist Tim Delaney reworked Sleeping Beauty's castle into a three-towered art nouveau structure modeled on Mont Saint-Michel that looks as stunning and startling as the Eiffel Tower must have looked to Parisians a century ago. Even a Ferris wheel designed in 1954 was revived 40 years later for Disneyland Paris.

"WDI" gives the impression of a corporate culture that demands creativity, and pays for it by encouraging exploration and curiosity. The book is exuberant and unabashed eye candy for Disney fans, a treasure trove of artistic styles and an inspiring guide that describes what it takes to take an idea and see it through to the finished product.


Wonderful for Disney Fans   August 28, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a great book for any Disney fan. The artwork is phenomenal and the insight is wonderful. I keep it in public view and get tons of comments on it. Everyone wants to say "I went to Adventure Land in such and such a year and we did (fill in the blank)." It never fails to get comments, and, as Disney fan, I'm glad.


A Well Structured Compendium   July 28, 2001
 9 out of 11 found this review helpful

The Imagineers, who have been put together by Walt Disney himself from his staff of animators, put their imagination and engineering expertise to work, making their movies in three-dimension. Anyone who visits Disney World, Florida will immediately note that not a detail gets by them where there is no cultural or graphic response to the scenery. All parts are integral, and the Imagineers recognize this. Some of the most wonderful aspects of their work is in the smallest detail, so as not to stand out, instead, it blends into the environment (like it should). The book is set up into parts of the varying departments of the Imagineers, in the stages in which they prepare a project. Like Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas' book 'The Illusion of Life' they do not fail to recognize good work from a particular artist. Even here, in the lesser known trait of architecture and engineering, the names are noted as any famous artist, which is refreshing and respectable for the artists in their own respective fields to be continually influenced by their peers. A wonderful book that is easy to read, does not burden the reader with too much technical jargon, and easy to appreciate the many pictures of their work. Certainly Disney enthusiasts will enjoy this book, as well as a prospective Imagineer.


A picture book? You bet...   July 23, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I hate to think, as being a teacher, that I would find a picture book, something that emphasizes the relaxed, casual glance at pages, so enticing, but I'm going to recommend it. As a Disney Theme Park fan, I still pick this one up when I'm blue and need a charge. I guess, in the back of my mind, I've always wanted to create the wonderments the park has, and, since I can't, these provides for all the gaps my dreams have. Good stuff, even for the none Disney fan, for it has a visual language that is easy to understand and enjoy.