Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park - Hardcover

Kurtti, Jeff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786855592 ISBN 13: 9780786855599

Publisher: Disney Editions, 2007

Synopsis

Fifty years ago, Walt Disney utterly transformed the concept of outdoor entertainment venues from tawdry carnivals and seedy amusement piers called “amusement parks,” to an entirely new destination that would come into common vernacular as the “theme park.”

Although Disneyland was the inspiration of one man, Walt did not achieve this history-altering concept on his own. Using his innate talent for combining disparate skills and personalities, he assembled a creative team that blended imagination with engineering. Walt called this group his “Imagineers.”

Walt Disney’s Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park introduces a core group of the originators of Disneyland and the other Disney parks. It explores their individual relationships with Walt and each other, their creative breakthroughs and failures, and their rivalries and professional politics. This candid narrative of their lives and contributions to a very special form of entertainment illustrates why, half a century later, their work continues to be vital and important to millions of people every day, and all over the world.

Lavishly illustrated throughout with rare and never-before-seen artwork and photographs, Walt Disney’s Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park will further enrich the reader’s appreciation of the exceptional talent behind Disneyland’s creation and ongoing evolution.

About this title

About the Author:

Film historian Jeff Kurtti is considered one of the leading authorities on The Walt Disney Company and its history. He is the author of several books and magazine articles, a writer-director of documentaries, and a respected public speaker, host, and panel moderator. For the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, he wrote the park exclusive publication The Art of Disneyland. Kurtti was executive producer of the DVD collector's editions of Around the World in 80 Days, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Sixth Sense, A Bug's Llife, Tarzan, Toy Story, Fantasia, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Monsters, Inc., and Beauty and the Beast. He has written, directed, and commentated in documentaries on the making of several of these movies, and his video productions have been seen on The Academy Awards, The Wonderful World of Disney, and Turner Classic Movies. Kurtti also produced the Walt Disney Treasures DVD edition series with Leonard Maltin. He has been a guest speaker and moderator at the Official Disneyana Convention, and an artist-in-residence at The Disney Institute. His articles have appeared in Widescreen Review, Disney Magazine, Disney Adventures, Collector's Showcase and Sketches. Kurtti is a member of the Writers Guild of America West (WGAw).

Bruce Gordon is a twenty-five year veteran of Walt Disney Imagineering, where he was a vital force in the creation of dozens of the most popular and beloved Disney attractions around the world, and is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts on the history and legacy of Disney parks and attractions. A respected author and designer, Mr. Gordon's other titles include The Imagineering Way, The Imagineering Workout, The Art of Disneyland, The Disney Insider Yearbook, and Designing Disney, as well as the most popular souvenir book ever sold at the theme parks, Disneyland Then, Now, and Forever.

About this edition

• Publisher: Disney Editions
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0786855592
• ISBN 13: 9780786855599
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160
• Illustrator: Gordon Bruce