3. Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show

Author: John Hench
Foreword: Marty Sklar

Author John Hench is a true Disney Legend. His impact on the Disney Parks we know today simply can’t be overstated. Imagineer, philosopher, animator, designer, storyteller, teacher, and voracious reader (52 magazines a month!), Hench was truly one of the founders of WED Enterprises (today called Imagineering) and was instrumental in the iconic mid-century design of Walt’s New Tomorrowland, and of the 1964 – 65 attractions that became Modern Marvels: Carousel of Progress, the Peoplemover, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and “it’s a small world.”

Designing Disney – written in his 94th year – is his creative tell-all, packed with unimaginable insider stories, phenomenal and never-before-seen concept art, and a career’s worth of wisdom from Walt’s right-hand man. The book is sub-divided into the Art of Show, the Art of Visual Storytelling, the Art of Character, and the Art of Color, with each section packed with spectacular examples and surprising detail.

Today, John Hench is remembered as a legendary figure that worked on every Disney Park from California to Hong Kong, but Designing Disney emphasizes his role as a true artist with a keen eye toward the role of shape, architecture, color, structure, setting, and light as unifying pieces of the storytelling Disneyland was built to bring to life. 

Also read: Dream It! Do It! My Half-Century of Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms and One Little Spark! by Marty Sklar

4. Theme Park Design and the Art of Themed Entertainment

Author: David Younger
Foreword: Tony Baxter
Afterword: Joe Rohde

At nearly 600 pages, Theme Park Design would be the textbook complement to a Master’s level college course in Imagineering. The vast manual is a go-to resource for those seriously considering a career in the still-relatively-new field of themed entertainment design, delving into the history of the medium, the business, concept design and development, theme park design, “land” design, attraction design…

Fusing the art and science of this whacky field that so many of us care so deeply about, this literal textbook is loaded with quotes and examples that peel back the layers of subconscious and subliminal design choices to reveal the importance of what’s unseen by even the most observant of fans.

5. Poster Art of the Disney Parks

Author: Daniel Handke and Vanessa Hunt

Sailing with pirates, soaring over London, exploring remote jungle rivers, and launching into space… it was Walt’s belief that the wonders within Disneyland were so exceptional, guests wouldn’t understand exactly what they had in store. Just as a movie poster attempts to capture the beauty, romance, intrigue, adventure, and excitement of a film in a single image, the attraction posters Walt commissioned for Disneyland did the same for the park’s unprecedented attractions.

Poster Art of the Disney Parks is one of the most spectacular coffee-table books available for fans of Disney Parks and is an absolute must-have. Inside, posters are arranged by land for the castle parks (and then by park for Disney California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea – the only non-castle gates to have poster collections). Vibrant, electric, and vivid, the printings are spectacular, and fans can spend hours pouring over the details. Most interesting of all, you can physically see changes in pop culture, style, and Disney’s direction through these iconic pieces of art, exploring the interwoven evolution of the entertainment industry.

Here at Theme Park Tourist, we were so inspired by the book that we created our own Poster Art of the Disney Parks gallery - one of our favorite features on the site!