Maps of the Disney Parks: Charting 60 Years from California to Shanghai

by Vanessa Hunt

The maps of the Disney Parks are more than just atlases used by guests to find their way to Big Thunder Mountain. They are snapshots of a place and time, relics treasured by collectors, and gorgeous pieces of artwork. In fact, it was a map-drawn by Herb Ryman and imagined by Walt-that was used to sell the idea for Disneyland to investors. This book will include maps of the domestic parks from 1955 to today, as well as highlights from the international parks. Alongside the maps there will be photographs depicting how the parks have changed over time, explanations of why the landscape was altered, and details on attractions that were added or taken away.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, History, Maps, Travel, Reference

144 pages, Hardcover

Published October 18, 2016

Reviews

[Megan Fitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book but it was not what I was expecting. When I first heard that there would be a book about Disney Park maps, I was thinking it was going to showcase the guide maps and all of the different "editions" of them that were used throughout the years from all of the parks.

What's actually in the book is mostly concept art and fun/souvenir maps, which I didn't know was even a thing at the parks (shame on me?). And some of the maps that they do show you are really small. For some of these maps they will have one page that shows the full map where it can be hard to see the details. On another page it shows the same map but zoomed in; you see the details more but it's cropped, so you're not seeing the whole map.

Another personal gripe with I have with the book is that there there's were hardly maps for Walt Disney World, it's mostly Disneyland and the parks in Europe and Asia. WDW is "my" Disney Park and I feel like there was hardly anything for it. -_-

The text in the book just describes the creation process of the maps while the parks were being created or going through changes.

I guess it was a decent book to look through and read. I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. I just expected a bit more than what was there.

[Dana Cordelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a Christmas gift, and I was really excited to read it. I was not disappointed. It's a gorgeous collection of maps and memorabilia of the Disney Parks (three of which I've visited). I recognized the Fun Maps of Disneyland - I had one hanging on my bedroom wall as a little kid. For fans of the Disney Parks (and fans of gorgeous hand-drawn maps), I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and informative read for Disney fans, this book takes readers on a journey through six decades of maps created for the Disney parks. From the early concept map before Disneyland was built to various promotional maps used in parks around the world, the authors provide some great history and commentary alongside some beautiful artwork created by talented Disney artists!

[Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text in this book is essentially just there to make it a “book book” and not a “picture book,” so I’ll skip talking about it and just focus on the maps, which are the reason people buy this book. Overall, I thought there was a little too much focus on bird’s-eye-view concept art, which while nice to look at doesn’t really have the “mappiness” that people who like staring at maps might want to see.
Look, here’s the deal. Since its opening there have been about 30 distinct poster-sized “Souvenir Maps” made of Disneyland, spread across 4 main styles. Most of them have never been scanned in high resolution anywhere on the Internet. A book like this could have presented every souvenir map in ultra-high detail, each split across four pages, and automatically become an essential purchase for any theme park map enthusiast. Instead, I think it reproduces three of them, and then only at a size that will fit on one page (or really 80% of one page because there’s a border). That’s far smaller than the original! Then each time, the next page shows you a high-res close-up of one sector of the map, as if to tease you with what could have been, and then moves on to the next map. Why couldn’t they have just done three or four more pages each time to get you the entire map in high-res? I guarantee you no readers would have complained even if it meant leaving out all of the text or some of the concept art.
Finally, the weird front cover design, hinged on both sides with an opening down the middle, is just annoying. I guess it’s supposed to evoke a map (although… folded maps don’t have covers that split in half), but it just makes it really annoying to hold the book on your lap, because the outer halves of the pages in your left hand will be unsupported and flop down.
I hope that in the future a better version of this book is released.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd wanted this book since spotting it in MouseGears early this year, so I was quite happy to open it up on Christmas morning. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. The early sections, full of nearly year-by-year updates to Disneyland maps, were thorough, but as the years progressed the content became scattered and thin for no apparent reason. For instance there was exactly ONE Epcot map and ONE MGM/DHS map, despite significant changes to both parks over the years, and only a piece of concept art for Animal Kingdom! While there were obviously more parks around the world to cover in the later years of the progression, the book could have covered them either by being longer, or by omitting any of the extraneous "prop maps" that filled many pages. There were several instances of the same or similar maps repeated a page or so apart, and a frequent pattern of a full (but hard to read) map on one page and a somewhat random "blow up" section on the same map on the facing page. Why not print the whole map across both pages instead so the whole thing could be readable and not just a chunk of it? Perhaps most puzzling, there were nearly no actual park guide maps included, instead mostly focusing on promotional or "fun" maps.
While I did enjoy learning a little more about the earlier days of the Disneyland park and getting some glimpses at details in Tokyo and Paris, the inconsistent content and hefty price tag added up to a poor value for me.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what you would think it would be, but not so transcendental as to earn 5 stars. Lovely large reproductions of maps over the years, plus map-like drawn aerial views, plus prop maps used in attractions. For me, the balance of verbiage to image was too slight--I'd love to have commentary pointing out the idiosyncrasies of the maps, or noticing changes over the years, etc., but instead it was an overview of the decade on one page, followed by a series of pictures without commentary.

[Blythe Penland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was a wonderful commemoration to maps of the Disney Parks throughout the world. Filled to the brim with detailed illustrations, I found myself enthralled to turn the pages. I was awed by some of the maps, and seeing the concept art for places that were a huge part of my childhood. Learning about each decade of Disney was truly fascinating. This book is a must-have for Disney fans, and I definitely recommend it.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little different than I expected and at times the narrative is a bit heavy handed.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed seeing the layouts and maps of different parks around the world. I just wished there was more variety of maps. For instance, there are multiple parks and hotels at Disney World and it would have been great to explore those more instead of multiple pages of the same part of one park.

[Timothy Burbage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book all about Disney and all about maps. Two of my favourite things.

The text here is interesting and doesnt overstay its welcome. Its great to see all of the different maps, especially of Disneyland throughout the years.

I probably wanted more of Tokyo Shanghai and Hong Kong, well in fact I just wanted more of everything because it was just so good.

The book itself is gorgeous and all of the pictures are great quality and even the paper has a really nice feel to it

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork in this coffee table book is beautiful and leaves you longing to travel to one of the destinations on one of the many park maps! Opening this book is a completely enjoyable experience. The artwork is magical just like the Disney parks! This is the perfect book for any fan of the Disney parks!

[Jaydeblue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books appealed to me immensely. I love seeing all the maps of the different parks throughout the years. I also love the inclusion of the more fun maps (e.g. the pirate adventure maps from magic kingdom). Would not recommend this to everyone, but I think if you are interested in the concept, you’ll like this.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wide variety of maps here illustrates the detail and thought that create Disney parks-from Disneyland to Tokyo DisneySea (which was one of my favorite sections). A wonderful addition to any fan's collection.

[Glenn Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was expecting it to be better than it is. It's good, but it's not as good as "Poster Art of the Disney Parks." I thought the book would showcase more of the changes that happened in the parks by showing the differences in the guidemaps. This focuses more on the concept art maps, as well as the souvenir maps. These are beautiful, of course. It just doesn't tell a story I was expecting it to tell.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for Disney fans. I love pictures, and this book compiled all of the maps of my favorite things into one place. It was awesome. I absolutely love it and I never get tired of looking at it.

[Adrienne Organa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun, charming little read! A great coffee table book for the Disney Parks obsessed! The collection of maps is beautiful and it's so much fun to see the development of the parks world wide. 10/10 recommend.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nicely presented book that doesn’t have a lot of information. The book shows various maps of Disney parks over the years. The book has some odd focuses such as several pages of Tom Sawyer island artwork yet little to no Animal Kingdom.

[William Jeanes Memorial Library]

It was very interesting to see the maps of Disney parks through out the years. I loved reading about how the parks and attractions were developed, as well as seeing the visuals compare to the ideas.
-Patron O.T.

[Brittany Daufen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obsessed with Disney and this was a book to add to my collection. It is not really a read but a lion through. And see the history and maps of different areas/rides/lands planned. As a super fan I look looking through the history of how Disney was created and that someone drew them all.

[Diego · Rating 4 out of 5]

So great to see that not only did we have the final maps, but also te concept maps!!!!! I would’ve liked some more information on how the maps were made, but I still really enojoyed the book!!!!!

[Logan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The maps were incredible! The writing felt like an afterthought, though, and I’d have preferred for the formatting to have organized by park rather than chronological across all of the parks.

[Lea Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it and it had a ton of interesting information plus tons of maps. So cool and definitely a fun book for Disney lovers!!

[William Dury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful browsing, souvenir type book. Maps of the imagination, if you will.

[Amanda McFall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured this book! It’s a beautiful comprehensive guide to Disney parks around the world. Can’t recommend enough!

[Fairylight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the love of my life for this wonderful gift ❤️❤️❤️

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of maps of the various Disney parks show their development and growth over time.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as title said. I have always enjoyed exploring illustrated maps.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun and beautiful book on the various Disney company maps over the years. The art work is beautiful and the tidbits of information about each decade at Disney were interesting. This is a must have for any Disney fan, and would make a great coffee table book as you can flip to any page and see beautiful Disney map artwork!

[Grace Mal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is really interesting to see how the parks have grown and changed. I was shocked to see how little Hollywood Studios had when it first opened.

[George Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing short of wonderful. Could have had more maps, but the artwork was gorgeous.

[Lady Brainsample · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall solid coffee table book for any Disney parks enthusiast, but there was too much of Tokyo Disney and not enough of Walt Disney World.