Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real

by The Imagineers

The Imagineers are responsible for the creation and expansion of all the elements at the Disney theme parks. Every day, Imagineers bring art and science together to turn fantasy into reality, sketches into castles, dreams into magic. At Imagineering, even the smallest idea gets taken seriously. Walt Disney Imagineering takes you through the creative process of cultivating, shaping, molding ideas and following their growth and development all the way through to the finished product, which may be years after the original spark of an idea. This unique group of artists, architects, engineers, writers, machinists, landscape designers, financiers, model makers, sound technicians, carpenters, producers, accountants, filmmakers, custodians, schedulers, estimators, and support staff members all participate in the Imagineering process to bring to life the wonderful magic of the Disney theme parks around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, History, Design, Business, Travel, Architecture

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a wealth of amazing concept art and photography of the design process. Beyond that, it falls short. The writing reeks of corporate propaganda. The biggest problem is that it lacks any real substance. The book spends two hundred pages painting Imagineering as a wonderland for creative people, but anyone with a brain in their head knows that's a fantasy. I believe that the folks at Imagineering have the opportunity to do some wonderful things, but at the end of the day I know they still have the same struggles anyone in a creative profession have (deadlines, clients, management, etc). As such, I would have much preferred a more honest look at how Imagineering performs its "magic" within those constraints. I think John Hench did a much better job of that in Designing Disney. Or even further to that extreme is Steve Alcorn's Building a Better Mouse. Even Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture, which was also a book published by Disney corporate, did an infinitely better job of actually looking at its topic objectively.

This book is worth flipping through for the pictures alone, but beyond that, it's really better suited for teenager dreaming about what they want to do when they grow up. For an adult looking for additional insight into the creative process, stick with one of the books mentioned above.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a ton of fantastic images in here, mostly early concept art for the various Disney parks and attractions. It's a must look at for fans of the Disney parks. The written content is, sadly, a little on the shallow side. It's a very light, very brief look at the creative process of WDI. But there's little to no depth, and few specifics. It doesn't give a sense of what it's really like to work at WDI. It's also, large format aside, a very quick read. But very much worth looking at, if only for the art.

[Claire Fudge · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an art book WDI is stunning. It contains pages and pages of truly gorgeous concept art that I could stare at forever. As a look at the inner workings of Imagineering? Not so much. Sadly, this is every bit as corporate as others have said. A superficial glance at the process with lashings of assurance that Imagineers are the luckiest people who have fun every day and never face any struggle. I also found the sheer amount of corny jokes and puns grating. Overall, I'd say this is a great book for a younger audience (late teens?) with a new interest in what goes in to building a theme park but for a fan looking for all the gritty details, look elsewhere.

[Rick Ludwig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content is a little thin on detail, but it is always interesting to go even slightly behind the scenes. I sense the heavy hand of corporate on this. Walt had it right that you only need to fear copycats if you stop innovating. Oh well.

[Brendan MacDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look At Making Magic Real by The Imagineers, is a book about what goes into creating the Walt Disney parks in Orlando and Anaheim. The book goes into the design process of creating new attractions or new resorts at their two flagship parks. This includes mostly early drawings and pictures of popular rides as well as the blue prints for entire parks like Epcot in Disney World and Animal Kingdom in Disney World. There really isn't any plot for this book and even lacks a ton of dialogue but that is not the purpose of the book. The book is really for Disney Enthusists that want to know more about how these places were created and what kind of things you don't see when you visit the parks.

I gave this book a two out of 5 stars because it simply wasn't what I thought it was going to be. That isn't entirely the book's fault though. The lack of detail going along with these interesting pictures and early drawings is the book's negative quality. The reason why I read this book was to get more educated on the planning and engineering side of the Disney Parks. As a kid, I was able to go to Disney World a few times and it was always so great because of how interesting and fun the parks where. Now that I'm older, I wanted to know how that was all possible. The drawings and pictures were great but there just wasn't enough content for me to get anything out of it. Also, when this book was published, the Animal Kingdom was just opening at Disney World and it had been the first main park made in almost a decade and it must have been cool at the time to see all the blueprints and drawings of attractions that today are mainstays and iconic at Disney. There has been a ton of new building and improvements to the Disney Parks in the last 20 years, so it would be cool to see an update to this book with more detail about the engineering and designing process that goes into making a new attraction or an entire park. The main audience for this book would be Disney Fans and aspiring designers and upcoming engineers. I would recommend this book to anybody who is artistic and enjoys looking at drawings and pictures and the process of creating something from drawings.

[Jocelyn Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book, and I’m not saying it just because I am a Disney fan. I love reading about Disney history (especially park history), and this book is so beautifully put together and organized. With the number of photos and drawings included and the short paragraph descriptions about the images, they packed so much information in without it being overwhelming. I loved every moment of poring through this book.

One thing I love about it is how it’s not organized chronologically. This is not just a history recap of Walt Disney Imagineering. The table of contents has the book laid out, going from the spark of an idea to its completion, with each chapter and section covering a different part of the process. Another reason that I mention this is that the examples (attractions, landscaping, interior design, etc.) were also not shown in chronological order. Every image or drawing shown aligned perfectly with the chapter or section topic they were paired with, regardless of the time frame.

I should note that while the other parks and resorts were still very present throughout the book, Disneyland Paris seemed to be the most featured, and I think there was a specific reason for that. This book was released in 1996, and Disneyland Paris (then known as Euro Disneyland Park) was the most recent park. So I imagine that that played a lot into what was being included. Not that I am complaining, because I haven’t been to Disneyland Paris yet, so it was cool to see all the attractions and details included. I highly recommend this book for Disney fans and Disney Parks fans, especially.

[H.G. Howell · Rating 3 out of 5]

By this point in my historic Disney reading, much of the information in this book I have already learnt. Saying that, however, this book is not overtly text heavy and showcases tons of brilliant behind the scenes sketches and concepts. Wish there was a touch more information to garnered but still enjoyable overall.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book that is obviously dated because it was published in 1996. The book features many many beautiful plans for attractions including concept art. The book doesn't have a ton of text but it is still wonderfully done. I wish the book had been just a bit more detailed in terms of the actualization of some of the attractions.

[Jordan Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of absolutely inspiring full color photos depicting every angle of the imagineering process, but most of the writing leaves a lot to be desired. I'd have loved more technical details and less "magic."

[Mathew Duman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book as soon as it was released. If I previously had a passing interest in Imagineering, I was hooked after reading this. It is filled with insights, history & of course amazing artwork!

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been much better as just a coffee table book of captioned pictures, the fluff filling in the chapters is just corporate propaganda with no sense of personality or realism. That being said, it really would be an amazing coffee table book, the art and photos are magnificent.

[Pekka Luokkala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pictures and concept art around the Disney parks in the world, but is lacking creativity and a story element.

Imagineering Story documentary series (Disney+) made much better work on imagineering than this picture book of big corporation.

[Jenn G · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me so long to read this book! It was good but I didn't learned a lot from it and I was expecting more from it! The pictures are definitely the best thing about it!

[Daniel Folk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting propaganda

[Helen Pugsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just looked at the pictures. If you are interested in the building of Disneyland, there you go.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4

[Kent Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful pictures and explanations of the development process used at Disney

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of the most unique Disney books I've read and it was such a great look behind the magic.

Not only were there lots of details and drawings here (is it weird that I want a framed copy of the Cinderella castle blueprint?), but there's an encompassing exploration of the different facets of the creative process. We all might expect the drawings and models of attractions, but how often do you consider the lighting or vegetation that brings everything to life? It's impressive and entertaining.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very tall book which for my tastes does pretty well covering the Imagineer domain. A lot of info about the other parks too, which is ok but what I really looked forward to was a big coffee book about Disneyland. Regardless this is a great coffee table book and an awesome conversation piece, as well as having tons of pictures about concepts and early models for a lot of attractions. Just a fun "curl up and let your lap fall asleep because it's so heavy" book.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic! It was probably my favorite Disney book that I have ever read. There were many new pictures and behind the scenes looks that my multiple other books have never shared. There was a lot of interesting insight on how the Imagineering process works and what goes on behind the scenes. I loved all the sketches and renderings and I long for some of the things that never came to be.

If you are a big Disney fan, I highly recommend this book!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book! Great stories and illustrations. If you love Disney or art or ideas than this book is worth a read! I love the history that is told about the projects and places that came to be and even the things that didn't come to be! :) A student recommended it to me and let me borrow it. It was a textbook for one of her sister's classes at UCLA.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read! The pictures are gorgeous pieces of art in their own right and breathtaking insights into Disneyland attractions of the past, present and even those that never made it off the drawing board. The story is easy to follow from cover to cover as you walk through the creative process of all Imagineers. Beautiful book and engaging read. Certainly a favorite.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. I had the pleasure of working with one of the authors, a member of the Imagineering "Book Team", Bruce Gordon. We lost Bruce a few years ago and his friendship and support as well as his kind spirit meant a lot to me and those he worked with at WDI. I highly recommend this books for the collector of Disney books.

[Shelby Rush · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't actually read this book - it's mainly pictorial, for one thing. However, most of the pictures are not large enough to truly appreciate their craftsmanship. The text, what I did read, is bland. I was hoping for something much more technical and secret-revealing. This book skims the history and construction of the parks in a superficial and unsatisfying manner.

[Josep · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Disney book about Disney it narrates an stylized history of what means to be an Imagineering. Beautiful drawings, and a big collection of historic pictures makes this book appealing for any Disney fan.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

It give the history of how Walt Disney Company became what it is today. Also goes into detail about how the artist/designers came up with rides, movies etc. Wonderful coffee table book.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have dreamed of being an Imagineer since I was 5 years old.

[Richard Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly beautiful picture replete with gorgeous background art that is a wonderful resource for Disney park aficionados.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to read this and learn a little bit more about the park I basically "live" in. lol.

[Lakin · Rating 5 out of 5]

who better to write a book about Imagineering than the Imagineers, themselves? This was such a great book.