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Imagineering Field Guides
The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort: An Imagineer's-Eye Tour
The sixth in a series of pocket-size paperbacks answers the question “What would it be like to walk through Disney California Adventure with an Imagineer by your side?” The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney California Adventure provides that experience: pointing out details and telling stories, backstories, and Imagineering insights never before heard, condensed into a portable, easily referenced park guide. You’ll never spend time at DCA the same way again.
Each spread contains fascinating textual information and related images (drawings, photos, graphics) such as:
• Layouts, backgrounds, and origins of each park/land/miniland
• Concept art to compare to the finished show
• Timeline information (opening dates, previous shows in the same venue, alterations, and updates)
• Photography of the details and pictures being discussed
• Special props, design sources, artistic inspirations, nomenclature gags
Each spread contains fascinating textual information and related images (drawings, photos, graphics) such as:
• Layouts, backgrounds, and origins of each park/land/miniland
• Concept art to compare to the finished show
• Timeline information (opening dates, previous shows in the same venue, alterations, and updates)
• Photography of the details and pictures being discussed
• Special props, design sources, artistic inspirations, nomenclature gags
128 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2014
1 person is currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Alex Wright
11 books6 followersAlex Wright is a show designer for Walt Disney Imagineering in Orlando, Florida. His credits include concept and set-design work for Disney's Animal Kingdom and Journey Into Imagination with Figment, as well as various enhancement projects all over the Walt Disney World Resort. Alex received a BA in design theory from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1992 and an MFA in scenic design from the California Institute of the Arts, in Los Angeles in 1994.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 24, 2014
Like all the books in this series, this would be best read while actually in the park. There's some interesting behind the scenes information and images, as always. I was actually really looking forward to this one, even though I've never actually been to DCA. Between the addition of Cars Land and the almost complete retheming of the entire park, there's surely a lot of interesting behind the scenes stuff here. Naturally, an official book is going to put the brightest possible face on it, but I was surprised at how willing the authors were to write, in essence, "This wasn't working, so we changed it." Something that gets said an awful lot about DCA.
April 29, 2014
Another great entry in the Imagineering Field Guide series that book should be in the library of any fan of Disney theme parks or any student of Imagineering.
Imagineering Field Guides provide a look at the Disney theme parks through the eyes of the Imagineers who design and build them. They focus on the details and stories that many Guests often miss as they explore the Disney parks. This entry in the Imagineering Field Guide series looks at Disney California Adventure (at Disneyland Resort), the "newest" Disney park in North America.
Like all of the other Imagineering Field Guides, this book is written and designed by Alex Wright, a Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), and follows the same basic format of all the previous entries in the series: an Overview of Imagineering (Imagineering 101) followed by an overview of the park, followed by chapters for each "land" within the park, including:
* Buena Vista Street
* Condor Flats
* Grizzly Peak
* Paradise Pier
* Pacific Wharf
* Cars Land
* "A Bug's Land"
* Hollywoodland
For many years Disney's California Adventure (its original name) was one of the more controversial or "infamous" of all of the Disney parks. The park was originally designed to celebrate the state of California and capture "the energy and excitement of the Golden State...", but for several years after its opening in 2001 the park had its share of critics (among them some Imagineers) who felt the park didn't embody the same charm, theming, attention to detail, and storytelling found in other Disney parks. To address this, starting in 2007 the park was subject to one of the largest scale updates/re-imaginings of any Disney park in the company's history. To quote the author: "They (the Imagineers) worked with our partners in the Parks and Resorts division to fundamentally remake the Park to a degree that had never before been attempted in the history of Disney Parks."
When I first learned about this book, I wondered if and how it would address this issue, and I liked that this book noted that there were issues with the original version of the park, and that the Imagineers, working with other divisions in the Walt Disney Company, took on the massive effort needed to update the park and bring it more in line with the other Disney parks around the world. I think if Walt Disney were to see the changes made to the park as part of this update, he would be smile, as this change truly embodies the concept of "Plussing" (Walt's term for constantly trying to improve things). The changes brought about in the recent makeover of Disney California Adventure represent Plussing in its purest form.
One of the things I like most about the Imagineering Field Guides is that they provide great examples of many of the design principles that are at the heart of Imagineering and theme park design, and the author's choice of examples in each field guide is based largely in part on the specific character of the park in question. In this case, a couple of the design principles explored tie directly to some of the "lands" within the park. In particular, "Cars Land" provides an opportunity to explore the use of "atmospheric perspective" (the idea that "as objects get farther and farther away from us, they tend to become less saturated in color and have less contrast between the highlights and shadows"), while the design of "A Bug's Land" employs an architectural idea known as "kit-of-parts" (where "a defined set of elements - which can be configured in multiple ways to achieve the intent - is available to the designer"). Other examples of Imagineering design principles and techniques highlighted in this book include the use of "night visions" and storyboards.
In addition, this book also addresses a subject near and dear to many fans of Disney parks and Imagineering, that of "storytelling" and what it means to the Imagineers. While WDI has been using story as its "essential organizing principle" since its earliest days, the emphasis on story was made popular during Michael Eisner's tenure as CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company. Eisner frequently commented on the importance of stories in the Disney theme parks, to the point where it has become almost a cliché. As a result, the terms "story" and "storytelling" and the strong emphasis on story employed by WDI is somewhat controversial on some blogs and discussion boards on the Internet. Many online commentators believe that to say that all Disney attractions tell a story is to overly simplify what WDI does. Further, some critics even go as far as to suggest that WDI relies too heavily on telling stories with their attractions.
In an essay entitled "A Story By Any Other Name", author Alex Wright explores this idea and explains how WDI employs a broad definition of "story" that is intended to encompass all manner of experiences that Guests encounter in Disney parks. In his words, "It's often said that everything we do at Imagineering is about story - and it is. But that phrase in and of itself is really just shorthand for a much more nuanced idea of what "story" mean in our medium of Disney Parks. It doesn't mean the same thing that it would mean if we were writing a book, making a movie, drawing a comic strip, or even standing on a stage telling a story to an audience. None of those media are approached in exactly the same way by the creators in those fields, so why would we expect that this one wouldn't follow its own path?" Following this introduction, the author examines how "story" can have different meanings depending on the type of attraction or venue, and how Guests in fact serve as collaborators in the "storytelling" that takes place in the parks.
It's because of essays like this that the Imagineering Field Guides are among my favorite books in my Disney/Imagineering library. They not only spotlight interesting details about the parks, but also are great guides to the design principles and practices employed by WDI in the design and construction of the Disney parks, and provide excellent insight into the art and craft of Imagineering. I've read, and re-read, all of the Imagineering Field Guides many times, and each time I come away with a new insight or distinction.
As you can probably tell from this review, I strongly recommend this book to any fan of Disney theme parks in general and Disney California Adventure in particular.
Imagineering Field Guides provide a look at the Disney theme parks through the eyes of the Imagineers who design and build them. They focus on the details and stories that many Guests often miss as they explore the Disney parks. This entry in the Imagineering Field Guide series looks at Disney California Adventure (at Disneyland Resort), the "newest" Disney park in North America.
Like all of the other Imagineering Field Guides, this book is written and designed by Alex Wright, a Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), and follows the same basic format of all the previous entries in the series: an Overview of Imagineering (Imagineering 101) followed by an overview of the park, followed by chapters for each "land" within the park, including:
* Buena Vista Street
* Condor Flats
* Grizzly Peak
* Paradise Pier
* Pacific Wharf
* Cars Land
* "A Bug's Land"
* Hollywoodland
For many years Disney's California Adventure (its original name) was one of the more controversial or "infamous" of all of the Disney parks. The park was originally designed to celebrate the state of California and capture "the energy and excitement of the Golden State...", but for several years after its opening in 2001 the park had its share of critics (among them some Imagineers) who felt the park didn't embody the same charm, theming, attention to detail, and storytelling found in other Disney parks. To address this, starting in 2007 the park was subject to one of the largest scale updates/re-imaginings of any Disney park in the company's history. To quote the author: "They (the Imagineers) worked with our partners in the Parks and Resorts division to fundamentally remake the Park to a degree that had never before been attempted in the history of Disney Parks."
When I first learned about this book, I wondered if and how it would address this issue, and I liked that this book noted that there were issues with the original version of the park, and that the Imagineers, working with other divisions in the Walt Disney Company, took on the massive effort needed to update the park and bring it more in line with the other Disney parks around the world. I think if Walt Disney were to see the changes made to the park as part of this update, he would be smile, as this change truly embodies the concept of "Plussing" (Walt's term for constantly trying to improve things). The changes brought about in the recent makeover of Disney California Adventure represent Plussing in its purest form.
One of the things I like most about the Imagineering Field Guides is that they provide great examples of many of the design principles that are at the heart of Imagineering and theme park design, and the author's choice of examples in each field guide is based largely in part on the specific character of the park in question. In this case, a couple of the design principles explored tie directly to some of the "lands" within the park. In particular, "Cars Land" provides an opportunity to explore the use of "atmospheric perspective" (the idea that "as objects get farther and farther away from us, they tend to become less saturated in color and have less contrast between the highlights and shadows"), while the design of "A Bug's Land" employs an architectural idea known as "kit-of-parts" (where "a defined set of elements - which can be configured in multiple ways to achieve the intent - is available to the designer"). Other examples of Imagineering design principles and techniques highlighted in this book include the use of "night visions" and storyboards.
In addition, this book also addresses a subject near and dear to many fans of Disney parks and Imagineering, that of "storytelling" and what it means to the Imagineers. While WDI has been using story as its "essential organizing principle" since its earliest days, the emphasis on story was made popular during Michael Eisner's tenure as CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company. Eisner frequently commented on the importance of stories in the Disney theme parks, to the point where it has become almost a cliché. As a result, the terms "story" and "storytelling" and the strong emphasis on story employed by WDI is somewhat controversial on some blogs and discussion boards on the Internet. Many online commentators believe that to say that all Disney attractions tell a story is to overly simplify what WDI does. Further, some critics even go as far as to suggest that WDI relies too heavily on telling stories with their attractions.
In an essay entitled "A Story By Any Other Name", author Alex Wright explores this idea and explains how WDI employs a broad definition of "story" that is intended to encompass all manner of experiences that Guests encounter in Disney parks. In his words, "It's often said that everything we do at Imagineering is about story - and it is. But that phrase in and of itself is really just shorthand for a much more nuanced idea of what "story" mean in our medium of Disney Parks. It doesn't mean the same thing that it would mean if we were writing a book, making a movie, drawing a comic strip, or even standing on a stage telling a story to an audience. None of those media are approached in exactly the same way by the creators in those fields, so why would we expect that this one wouldn't follow its own path?" Following this introduction, the author examines how "story" can have different meanings depending on the type of attraction or venue, and how Guests in fact serve as collaborators in the "storytelling" that takes place in the parks.
It's because of essays like this that the Imagineering Field Guides are among my favorite books in my Disney/Imagineering library. They not only spotlight interesting details about the parks, but also are great guides to the design principles and practices employed by WDI in the design and construction of the Disney parks, and provide excellent insight into the art and craft of Imagineering. I've read, and re-read, all of the Imagineering Field Guides many times, and each time I come away with a new insight or distinction.
As you can probably tell from this review, I strongly recommend this book to any fan of Disney theme parks in general and Disney California Adventure in particular.
May 22, 2017
I really enjoy these books: they provide such a thorough insight to the Parks. I'm working on reading all of them (they only have the ones for the American Parks.) As a Disneyphile and Disney History Buff, I really like learning more about the Parks - even if it is just California Adventure.
I recommend this book for people interested in Disney History and maybe learning some fun facts about the Park. I DON'T recommend this book for people trying to plan their vacations - it provides no help for that sort of thing.
I recommend this book for people interested in Disney History and maybe learning some fun facts about the Park. I DON'T recommend this book for people trying to plan their vacations - it provides no help for that sort of thing.
July 31, 2018
I love DCA, and I really enjoyed learning a lot of "behind the scenes" perspective from the Imagineers who are responsible for creating, and updating, this park.
May 16, 2015
If you love park trivia and you love reading about the minute details about what goes into building a Disney theme park, then hopefully you already own The Imagineering Field Guide series. This terrific series of books is written by the Imagineers themselves and takes you on a tour land-by-land of the different US theme parks. The most recent edition is The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort. Like all the others, it is chalk full of interesting tidbits of information sure to whet the palate of any Disney Nerd! If you want to read my full review, go to the Disney Nerds blog.
https://disneynerd.wordpress.com/2015...
https://disneynerd.wordpress.com/2015...
April 15, 2016
This isn't a book of tips or a map of the park tour book. If that's what you're looking for, this is not your book. This is like a behind-the-scenes tour, pointing out details you might otherwise miss and telling you the history, the creation, and the backstories of the attractions, "lands" of the park, and the park itself. This whole series is a must-read for a Disney park enthusiast, and this latest installment is no exception. A truly enjoyable little read. I am hoping, now that all the domestic parks have been covered, that we might get some from the international parks at some point!
June 18, 2014
Love this field guide! I'm getting ready to go to Disneyland soon and found this at Barnes and Nobles and thought it might be helpful. I haven't been to Disneyland in like what seems like forever and know nothing about the marvelous place but just reading one sentence from this book told me tons of information in just like a couple seconds. This is totally recommend for anyone going to Disneyland and hope everyone will enjoy it if they read it!
January 25, 2016
This was the last book in the Imagineering Field Guide series that I had yet to read and so far it was my least favorite. This series covers the history and some inside information on various attractions in different Disney parks. The worst part of the book had nothing to do with the writing; the park has a lot of "copycat" attractions from other Disney parks which leads to some duplication from previous volumes. Of all the Disney parks in the U.S, this one interests me the least.
April 6, 2014
Highly recommend these guides for anyone traveling to a Disney park. I would have rated this one 5 stars, but it lacked some detail that I wanted to see. However, I understand they cannot fit *everything* into a book this size. They did a fantastic job covering each of the lands in California Advdnture- now I'm ready to go back!
October 15, 2014
Another great guide to the amazing Disney Parks. I've been waiting to own this one for ages. Now if only I could visit Disneyland resort again..... Next time I go I might just take this guide with me to remind me about the reasons each of the themed sections represents California. I learnt quite a lot from it - and enjoyed reading about why particular designs and eras were chosen.
May 1, 2015
Awesome fun, full of interesting insights. It would be fun to pack around on a visit.
June 2, 2016
I'm excited to read all the Imagineer's Guides now. The concept illustrations are beautifully done (although small), and I have a sudden desire to become a Disney Architect.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews