The Disney Mountains: Imagineering At Its Peak

by Jason Surrell

How high? How fast? How’d they do that? The top favorites at any Disney Theme park always include the roller coasters. The Disney Imagineering at Its Peak will tell you that and more–not only about the current Disney mountain range and its show enhancements, but about mountains unclimbed and mountains yet to be. Attractions

Disneyland : Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain – old and new, Splash Mountain; Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Never built : Big Rock Candy Mountain and the Western River Expedition

Disney’s California Adventure : Grizzly Peak and Grizzly River Run

Tokyo Disneyland : Mysterious Island (Journey to the Center of the Earth)

Disneyland Paris : Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain

Walt Disney World : Space, Splash, and Big Thunder at Magic Kingdom Park; Mount Mayday and Mt. Gushmore, and the latest mountain–Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2007

Reviews

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The breadth of coverage here is admirable. Probably most people asked to list Disney mountains would stop after Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain. Disneyland fans would probably include the Matterhorn, and Disney World fans like myself would probably add Expedition Everest. And they are included, of course, with some very nice images from development. But Surrell also includes California Adventure's Grizzly Peak, Tokyo Disneysea's Jules Verne-themed Mysterious Island, Disneyland's never build Candy Mountain, and the mountains that form the centerpieces of both of Disney World's water parks. Obviously, there's far less information about these lesser mountains, but it was nice to see them included at all. Also nice to see were the adjustments that were made to the various rides to include them in different parks. The Tokyo Disneyland version of Splash Mountain has less splash, for example, and Disneyland Paris's Space Mountain has a cool-looking Jules Verne overlay. Now, for hardcore Disney fans, there will be little that's new here. That's a lot of attractions to cover in under 130 pages, after all. But it is fun to see them all together, and the images used are very nice. I would have liked to see more images of the completed attractions, but I can find those anywhere.

I did notice one small oddity, which leads me to think that the expanded scope was a later addition to the book. At the end of chapters about the major attractions, there would usually be a reference to the next major mountain to be built. So the end of the Splash Mountain chapter would refer to Expedition Everest. Except that the Splash Mountain chapter was followed by Grizzly Peak, and that was followed by Mysterious Island, before finally getting to Everest. Not a big deal, but it does indicate that some more in depth editing was needed.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book not as in-depth as his previous works (The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies and Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies), Surrell is dealing with a much larger scope to start with and IMHO does a very pretty good job with his topic.

Presented in rough chronological order, each "mountain" in the Disney parks (domestic and overseas) has several pages devoted to it, with a description of its development, concept art, as well as a few behind the scenes & in-progress photos. He also discusses some "failed" concepts - such as Candy Mountain, originally slated for Disneyland's Fantasyland.

The artwork selections are skewed a bit towards concept art vs actual attraction photos, but still well done. I don't recall offhand if photo/art credits are included beyond the basic captioning, or how specific they are.

In terms of the text, Surrell has done his homework, including quotes and comments from some of Imagineering's top talent: Harriet Burns, Joe Rhode & Tony Baxter among them. Hardcore Disney fans may be left wanting more, but I think a more general audience will be happy with the articles.

To be honest, I didn't find too much info I didn't already know (being quite a Disney geek), but the way Surrell brought the material together was quite effective & the hardest part of a project like this.

Recommended to those interested in an overview of Imagineering & Disney history as it relates to the Disney Mountain Range.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you a Disney fan who loves the "mountains" of Disney? I'm referring to Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain...The Matterhorn, Expedition Everest..they're all in here and then some. This book is a must read for Disney fans, it gives you the history behind the attractions and has lots of beautiful pictures!

[John]

Not a lot of new information here--most of what Surrell has to say will be familiar to Disney aficionados. The scope of the book means that there's not much coverage of each individual "mountain." The color plates are nice. Overall, worth reading, but not worth the eighty or ninety bucks you'll have to pay for a copy (it's out of print).

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put your surprise face on! A Disney booked that I loved! So interesting to read the behind the mountain stories about these E ticket attrations in the Disney parks. Know that I will look a little closer at the details next time I visit! Loved it!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice look at the mountains of Disney... but wish there were more "finished" pictures to go with all the concept sketches & paintings.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun reading. Lots of great pictures and concept art. Interesting to hear how the rides might have been, had the imagineers stuck to their original designs.

[Bayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun and a must read for Disney buffs.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book with loads of information on the earliest mountains. A but lacking in information of the international mountain ranges.

[Josh McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very specific in the nature of its topic, but still a great read nonetheless.

[Gab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on the history and stories of the Disney "mountains". It was fun to see the concept art and pictures as each mountain was built

[Amanda Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally got a copy of this in my hands (THANKS CAST LIBRARY)after having it on a to-read shelf for years. Didn't disappoint. Great info on the mountains. If only the Yeti still worked.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you ever wanted to know about all the mountains in all the Disney parks. I want to go on the Mount Everest one now!

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike Surrell's previous books, this one seemed disorganized.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and will make riding the mountains more fun.