FAMILYFANS Books & Comics

WALT DISNEY'S IMAGINEERING LEGENDS: And the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park

by Jeff Kurtti

(Disney Editions)

Reader Appeal: All Ages

Genre: Coffee Table Book

Anyone who has ever been to Disneyland or Disney World has, at some point during the adventure, asked the question: "How do they do that?" Well, take heart Disney fans, the House of Mouse is ready to satisfy your curiosity with a beautiful, information-packed tribute to theme park history in the book, Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends: And the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park.

The first thing you take away from this full-color coffee table book is exactly how much work it took to create the many details that eventually come together in a ride like Pirates of the Caribbean or the Jungle Cruise. But what makes this tome a winner is not so much the parks, but the people - the fabled imagineers - that you get to meet. It also makes you feel as though you are reading about old friends or family members, reminiscing about golden days gone by.

For instance, we all know that Walt Disney himself would be considered the first imagineer, but how many of us know of Harper Goff, the "second imagineer"? The good Mr. Goff came to Disney in 1951 to work on Walt's fledgling live action films. From there he created a national touring exhibit called Disneylandia - the project that many call the precursor to Disneyland itself. When the time came to break ground in southern California, It was Harper Goff who became the heart and soul behind the now-classic Adventureland section of the Disneyland, including the unforgettably campy Jungle Cruise.

Glimpses of other legendary imagineers like Ub Iwerks (the first artist to draw Mickey Mouse), Ward Kimball (who created iconic characters like Jiminy Cricket and the Mad Hatter - and whom Walt himself called the "one man who works for me I am willing to call a genius") and gadget/effects master Yale Gracey, are fascinating reading for anyone who has ever seen a child's delighted smile while visiting a Disney theme park.

"I am in no sense of the word a great artist," Walt once said, "not even a great animator; I have always had men working for me whose skills were greater than my own."

Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends: And the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park is testimony to all those people whose work, over time, has transcended simple commerce and become a part of the fabric of America itself. While not necessarily must-reading for non-Disney fans, this book is still easily recommended for the history and imagination that Jeff Kurtti chronicles throughout its pages.

FAMILYFANS RATING: A-

--MN

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