Hello, Echoears, it's time again for another installment of our
continuing series of reviews of Disney Reference Books. Today's title
is:
        Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the
        Magic Real.
        by "The Imagineers".
        Hyperion: 1996, 192 pp.
        ISBN: 0-7868-6246-7, $58.
This is the oversize picture book we have all been waiting for! A
history of WED Enterprises, MAPO, and Walt Disney Imagineering, with
pictures, scale drawings, model sheets, maybe some hints of upcomming
attractions, all in the words of the imagineers themselves. I couldn't
wait to turn the first page.
Well, it is and it isn't the book I expected. Glorious color
photographs, sketches, news of abandoned approaches, news of abandoned
approaches that were resurrected when technology advanced, and some
really pithy quotes that will make great taglines once I get them boiled
down to 58 characters.
The concept artwork, some of it done decades before the attractions
debuted, gives a fascinating view of the process of imagineering: the
images and ideas are set very early on and most of the work is in
implementing that early vision. Kinda like Edison's quote about, "Five
percent inspiration and ninty-five percent perspiration."
It's also interesting to see some of the models and prototypes, and to
note how they evolved between those early visions and the final result.
The difficulties of working with outside contractors is highlighted by
the example of trying to get carpenters to build Toontown slightly out
of square. Another important point is the need for rugged reliability
under the most severe conditions imaginable, and for absolute safety
first and foremost, especially with the newest attractions.
After a reveiw of the birth of Disneyland, much of the book's text
follows a logical progression from the Spark of Imagination, through
concept development, engineering, and construction, with side trips
through color design, sound effects, signage, and architecture. The
final chapter is a photographic tour of the major parks and a few other
imagineered sites.
What's missing? What I miss most is any biographical information about
the imagineers. A few names--some with then-current titles--are given in
photo captions, some of which the careful student might recognize. The
many quotes in the book are completely unattributed. The result is a
book that could as easily have been written by the public relations
department as "the imagineers".
Should you expect to learn about the imagineers themselves? Nope. Should
you expect to get the inside story about how things *really* work,
including the occasional failures? Never, this book is strictly good
news only. Should you get this book for the great photos and stories?
You betcha! It's the most exciting Disney read since John Grant's
"Encyclopedia".
Just don't expect instructions on how to build your own theme
park--despite what Michael Eisner says in the foreword, they did keep a
few secrets to themselves.
()_()
 (_)  Bruce (Disney ReviewEar) Metcalf
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