The Story of Disney 100 Years of Wonder is a coffee table book that shares a broad look at the history of the Walt Disney Company.   It is a daunting task to identify and then condense 100 years of history into under 300 pages in a single book.  Choosing the milestones to highlight, people to feature and imagery to include is a substantial challenge.    John Baxter, Bruce Steele and the Walt Disney Archives team has put together a solid read giving you the highlights and at times a little depth about the company’s history.

Release date: 2023-03-07

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The Official Walt Disney Quote Book has been compiled by the Walt Disney Archives team and released as part of the Disney 100 celebration. The book features hundreds of quotes from Walt on various subjects organized into 21 chapters spanning over 300 pages.

Release date: 2023-03-07

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Art of Coloring: Disney 100 Years of Wonder: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity was released on March 7, 2023 and is part of the popular Art of Coloring series of adult coloring books. This 128 page paperback book contains over 100 pages of line art to enjoy.

Release date: 2023-03-07

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The Cost of the Kingdom by Carl L. Jablonski is a memoir by the chief estimator (show and ride) for EPCOT and Disneyland Paris. In this book Carl shares his recollections of his time at Disney as well as describes what an estimator does. He also shares stories of the path he took and some of the choices he made in his professional and personal life. Over his 40 years in the business Carl’s volume of work exceeded $5 billion for a number of companies and on a wide range of projects, including Walt Disney Imagineering, LucasArts and NBC.

Release date: 2021-03-21

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The Imagineering Story – The Official Biography of Walt Disney Imagineering by Leslie Iwerks is a deep dive into the history of this storied organization. The book mirrors the six part Disney+ docu-series that shares the same name. In this 700+ page hard cover book you will find the same information as the series plus additional stories and details that were not able to make it into the final program.

Release date: 2022-11-08

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The Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio by Mary E. Lescher is a detailed look at the history of the Feature Animation Studio at Walt Disney World, chronicling and examining the projects that were worked on by the Orlando team and the theme park attraction that coexisted with their facility.  The book also discusses the transformation of the animation process from traditional cell animation to computer-assisted to full computer  3D.   Mary takes a well researched look at the evolution of the attraction and animation studio over the years, examining the intersection and friction of the objectives of each and how they adapted to each other.  She details the changes to the tour content, layout and purpose as the Animation Studio grew and changed over the years.

Release date: 2022-11-22

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Walt’s Apprentice Keeping the Disney Dream Alive by Dick Nunis is the personal memoir of a Disney Legend.  Dick Nunis had a 44 year career with Disney that started on May 26, 1955 being hired by Van France at Disneyland to help with the training program of cast members as the opening of Disneyland approached.  He choose to retire on May 26, 1999, at which time he was Chairman of Walt Disney Attractions.  During those four decades he rose from an hourly cast member through the ranks working the operations side of the parks.  He had the good fortune to walk the park with Walt and absorb his philosophies and respond to his requests for a number of years.  He was an early member of the Orlando team as Walt Disney World was constructed.  He was part of the EPCOT, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris teams.  He was involved in Disney projects beyond the parks too including the Winter Olympics, New York World’s Fair and movie premieres such as Mary Poppins.  Before Disney Dick was a college football player for my alma mater, the University of Southern California.

Release date: 2022-10-11

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Poster Art of the Disney Parks second edition is an excellent follow-up to the original that was released a decade ago.   This book adds 85 posters on nearly 100 additional pages encompassing the attractions, lands and parks that opened since 2012 including Shanghai Disneyland, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and the new series of EPCOT posters that were initially unveiled at the 2019 D23 Expo.

Release date: 2022-10-11

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The twelve women in this book represent a number of different disciplines and teams within Imagineering and each carved out a unique career path with the company.  The format is each woman has their own chapter (or sometimes two) to share their background & stories, there is a photo section in the middle and some introductions and thank yous as well.

Release date: 2022-03-15

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Not Just a Walk in the Park: My Worldwide Disney Resorts Career is the memoir of Disney Legend Jim Cora. In this book Jim shares stories, insights, and personal reflections on his more than forty year career with the Walt Disney Company spanning early Disneyland through the opening of Tokyo DisneySea. He also imparts stories and thoughts on his management style and the Disney Culture/Way.

Release date: 2021-12-28

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Disney Legend Claude Coats (1913-1992) career with the Walt Disney Company spanned over 50 years, starting at the studio in 1935, becoming an Imagineer in 1955 and retiring from Imagineering in 1989. He was named a Disney Legend in 1991. His had an artist background and education earning a fine arts degree from the University of Southern California in 1934.

Release date: 2021-11-16

View the Full Entry for Claude Coats Walt Disney’s Imagineer – The Making of Disneyland From Toad Hall to the Haunted Mansion and Beyond

Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth by Pam Brandon & Marcy Carriker Smothers delivers a culinary look at 50 years of Walt Disney World.   The book’s 300 pages features over sixty recipes of guest favorites from around the parks, resorts and Disney Springs including appetizers, main courses, sides, dessert and cocktails.    In addition to these recipes there is a narrative sharing the history of many of the locations and the dishes themselves.

Release date: 2021-09-28

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Walt’s Disneyland: A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney by Marcy Carriker Smothers takes you on a tour of Disneyland during Walt’s time. The narrative shares stories and information as you move around the park from land to land. Marcy starts off with a very brief history of how the park came to be and then launches into a grand circle tour of the park during the 50s and 60s. Adding to the experience are a large number of photos and quotes from Walt as well as those that worked with him.

Release date: 2021-11-16

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Birnbaum’s 2022 Walt Disney World: The Official Vacation Guide is now available. I was sent a review copy of the guide as well as the For Kids edition. This annually updated resource dates back to 1981 and has the goal of providing a comprehensive reference to help you plan your vacation to Walt Disney World. Over the years the book has continued to expand along with WDW. This year’s paperback checks in at 350 pages divided into eleven chapters. These include general vacation planning information such as: Getting Ready to Go, Transportation & Accommodations. A chapter devoted to each of the four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom). Each park chapter includes sections on getting oriented, attractions, shopping, entertainment and tips. There are also chapters on Sports & Recreation, Dining, and everything else in the world. The final chapters feature the Disney Cruise Line and a look at the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Release date: 2021-09-21

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Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2022: The Official Guide for Kids is now available. This book shares an overview and some planning tips geared towards children ages 7 to 14. The book features descriptions of the theme parks, attractions, and other vacation options at WDW. It includes ratings, tips, and insight from kids for kids as well. The book is substantially less than the regular guide, half the number of pages, larger fonts, and a smaller size but it still packs in all the essential information.

Release date: 2021-09-21

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A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place on Earth is a coffee table book that celebrates the first 5 decades of the Walt Disney World Resort.  It takes a look at past, present and offers some glimpses of the future of the resort.   The book was released to coincide with the kick off of the 50th anniversary.  The trio of authors (Kevin Kern, Tim O'Day  & Steven Vagnini ), share the history of the parks, resorts, attractions and entertainment but in a nonlinear and somewhat nontraditional approach.  The chapters are organized around themes instead of the expected route of chronologically or by park.   Within in each chapter you will find an assortment of pictures, facts, figures, stories and other nuggets of information not only on current attractions but also some that have been gone for decades.   The authors add to their narration with an assortment of quotes from Imagineers, park leadership and some well known fans.   In addition to the traditional narrative are three guest pieces sharing some personal stories from Dick Nunis, Debby Dane Browne and Roy Patrick Disney.

Release date: 2021-09-28

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To commemorate Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary the Orlando Sentinel published this book containing reprints of a number of articles and images from its archives. The book includes over 100 historical photos and reprints of dozens of articles in its 176 pages organized into 13 chapters that chronicle the history of Walt Disney World. Spanning from the speculation of who was purchasing the land in the 1960s through the announcement of the 50th anniversary celebration this year this book delivers a look at the origins, creation and growth of Walt Disney World from the hometown newspaper’s coverage.

Release date: 2021-10-12

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For Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary a new adult coloring book is available as part of the Art of Coloring series. This book features 100 images that span the history of the resort. Inside you will find reprints of historical coloring books dating back to the resort opening in 1971. There are also fun maps, attraction posters, and assortment of other images taken from various sources including previous anniversary logos.

Release date: 2021-09-28

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Disney’s Land – Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park that Changed the World by Richard Snow. Published in 2019 this book takes you on a journey through the creation of Disneyland. Much of what is discussed in the book I had read in other books over the years but the author combines the stories into a narrative history of the creation of the park.

Release date: 2019-12-03

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Theme Park Design & The Art of Themed Entertainment by David Younger takes a look at what goes into creating a theme park. The book defines and explores the key terms and concepts that are used to create the parks. These range from overall park design to land and attraction types. Broad concepts and small details are covered. The book explores the thought process to designing the parks, it is not a behind the scenes look at how your favorite attraction is made. It references specific attractions as examples of key concepts and there is a look behind the curtain at the business and design side but not revelations of how effects or attractions are made. Disney Parks around the world are used as the primary illustrations but other parks including Universal and Efteling.

Release date: 2016-03-28

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The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge by Amy Ratcliffe gives you a look behind the curtain at the development process as Imagineers created the Star Wars worlds for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.   The book contains over 300 pieces of art on 256 pages from throughout the creative process to illustrate the evolution and detail of Black Spire Outpost.

Release date: 2021-04-27

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It All Started With a Blog – Detangling the wide web of Disney Bloggers by Paul Lane explores the world of Disney Content Creators on the web. The book profiles fifteen content creators and interweaves the evolution of Disney content on the web with these profiles. The author includes a mix of content types including podcasts, traditional sites, blog sites, and news sites.

Release date: 2020-11-06

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Boundless Realm: Deep Explorations Inside Disney’s Haunted Mansion by Foxx Nolte takes a detailed look at the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion.   The author takes you on a tour of the Mansion and shares some of the references and possible inspirations for various elements.   Along the way you learn more about the history of the mansion and its creators.   He compares/contrasts the Walt Disney World version to the original at Disneyland and provides some thoughts on Disneyland Paris Phantom Manor too.

Release date: 2020-10-01

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3D Disneyland: Like You’ve Never Seen it Before takes you on a grand circle tour of Disneyland.  The book features almost one hundred 3D images from the collection of Ted Kierscey covering the years 1955 through 1958  and the 1980s during the parks 25th anniversary.  They are supplemented with some contemporary photos by Patrick Swinnea to fill in some gaps.      David Bossert is the primary author and there is a forward by Tom K. Morris.

Release date: 2020-11-15

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Polishing the Dragons: Making EPCOT's Wonders of China by Jeff Blyth is a first-hand account of the creation of the original film that premiered in China at World Showcase in Epcot at Walt Disney World.  The film ran from October 1, 1982 through March 25. 2003 when it was replaced with "Reflections of China".  "Wonders of China" also ran at Disneyland  from 1984 through 1996 .  The book is based on a personal journal that Jeff kept throughout the film making process spanning 1980 through the film's premiere in 1982.  He chronicles his survey excursions, filming trips and post production.  He also has a chapter on the updated "Reflections of China" film that replaced it which he also worked on.

Release date: 2020-09-15

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