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lambchops814's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Written by a daughter/granddaughter of Imagineering legends, this biographical look at the innovative team that has built Disney parks is comprehensive, engaging, and very thorough. Commissioned by Disney and given the author's bias, it definitely focused on the positive and offered minimal criticism but the rich history of a company that has revolutionized theme parks made up for that. I loved it.
danscoada's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
As a longtime Disney fan and former Cast Member, this book was endlessly entertaining. I struggled between wanting to take it slowly to really immerse myself in it and absolutely devouring it. My only real issue was that some chapters were more of a cursory glance than a true deep-dive exploration. On the same note, though, I can imagine Iwerks decided to cut some information short to keep the book shorter, but also because there is already so much information about, for example, the creation of The Haunted Mansion. There are countless books, interviews, and tv specials that cover all of that, so I can see how they maybe decided to go more in-depth on more recent and lesser talked about projects. Regardless, everything was still interesting.
My biggest critique I have is that this book probably should’ve seen an editor once or twice more. I noticed a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes (at one point Christina Aguilera is renamed Christine). Despite this, I absolutely loved my time reading this and would highly recommend it to any other Disney or theme park fan.
My biggest critique I have is that this book probably should’ve seen an editor once or twice more. I noticed a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes (at one point Christina Aguilera is renamed Christine). Despite this, I absolutely loved my time reading this and would highly recommend it to any other Disney or theme park fan.
melodyriggs's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Five stars from me because I've always been interested in the whole idea of Imagineering. If you're not a big Disney fan or don't want to know the stories behind some of the parks and rides, this might not be for you. Iwerks, as the daughter and granddaughter of Imagineers had access to a lot of people and material to write this definitive book on the profession created by Disney. This took me nearly six weeks to read because I kept going down rabbit holes looking for ride POVs or pictures from the overseas parks. There is so much detail and backstory to everything Disney does-- from the parks to the hotels to the restaurants and even to the shops. It's amazing the way all of that has come together and how Imagineers invented the technology to make "Disney magic" when it really didn't exist. This book also drives home the idea that Walt Disney never wanted to just build a park and be done-- he always wanted there to be room for change and growth, which is exactly what has happened in the last several decades and continues to happen now. You can also see in this book how Disney has really set the standard for theme parks (many former Imagineers worked on Universal's Islands of Adventure and it's clear because that park stands out in comparison to the original Studios park). I also like how Iwerks emphasizes that when the parks went overseas, they worked to really incorporate the cultures of the countries in which they were building the new parks. It wasn't just about taking Mickey to Tokyo, but how to blend Japanese culture with Mickey and friends. On the whole, this is a must-read for Disney fans and the Imagineering curious.
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