Yesterday's Tomorrow: Disney's Magical Mid-Century

by Don Hahn

Yesterday's Tomorrow is a valentine to an era of optimism, relaxed lifestyle, and innovative design; a large-format, general audience book, illustrated with rarely seen art and photography of the mid-20th century reflecting the unique style that Walt Disney and his artists contributed to the era. If you've seen Sleeping Beauty, read Dwell Magazine, shopped at Design Within Reach, or watched Mad Men, this book is for you and all those who love this extraordinary era of Disney.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Design

176 pages, Hardcover

Published November 14, 2017

Reviews

[Mid Century Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just an entertainer, Walt Disney was an entrepreneur, and he was true to his times. The look of the 1950s and 60s was ever-apparent in the stylistic choices he made. His imaginative visual style, plus a hard-driving business sense and carnival-barker enthusiasm, helped shape expectations of a future lifestyle for all Americans. For full review, see MidCenturyBooks.Net, Disney

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This coffee table book takes a look at the world of Walt Disney in the years following WWII until his death. The book is filled with Disney animation sketches, plans for rides and lots of photographs. After the war, Disney branched out into ventures including Disneyland, television, advertising, science films, CalArts and world’s fairs. A man often ahead of his time, Disney’s plans for the east coast included E.P.C.O.T or his “City of Tomorrow.” This is a fun book to browse through or read in depth to learn more about Disney and his ideas.

[Johnny Jackhammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a coffee table book, this is an immersive documentary about the influence of Walt Disney in the 1960s on American Pop Culture.

Even the most immersed Disney fan will learn something new from this book. I was impressed by the depth of the bibliography, citing several sources that might not have been used anywhere else before.

The design and layout are gorgeous. You could certainly flip through the book without reading a word and enjoy it thoroughly. But you'll miss out on a lot of history, including setbacks along the way for Walt and his team. Several road bumps were overcome, but it's unique to see that there were many that stopped a project cold.

The epilogue shares the main point of the book - in the last half of the 20th century, the creations and activity of the Walt Disney Company faded from interest. But with hindsight, it's remarkable how much Walt Disney the man influenced our culture and the best of urban design so many years later.

[Jillian Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing text about the optimistic mid-century of Walt Disney and his team, regarding the idealistic "future" and all the technology and innovation it would bring - whether it be an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, space travel, or new art and entertainment styles. I learned a lot of new facts about Disneyland Hotel, the shut down Disney ski and bowling resort projects, an in depth look at the Worlds Fair, as well as Walt's series on Tomorrowland with Dr. Werner van Braun. The text however is more than just fun facts, but a true portrait of how Disney and his company influenced and was influenced by pop culture. An easy read with incredibly short chapters.

[Dan Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would always face the tension between being a scholarly look at Disney's mid-century style and a coffee table book to present artwork in an accessible style. sine it leaned more toward the latter, I wish there had been more actual art.n

[I A · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't much of a connecting theme between the book's content other than the fact that it all takes place within a particular period of Walt Disney's life. Besides that, there are a lot of fun things to learn about including Disney history that isn't very well-known.

[Adrienne Organa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun read with glorious pictures and illustrations from Disney history. Loved it!