Walt Disney World: A Portrait of the First Half Century

Walt Disney World honors its fiftieth anniversary with ＂The World’s Most Magical Celebration,＂ an incredible 18-month event that begins October 1, 2021. As part of the festivities, this must-have coffee table book paints a robust portrait of the Florida resort, through vibrant voices and rare Disney theme park concept art, photographs, and ephemera.

Walt Disney’s vision for the ＂Florida Project＂ begins with Disneyland and the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. After an imaginative and expansive design, a unique land acquisition process, and an innovative construction period, Walt Disney World celebrated its opening in 1971. It featured a theme park dubbed the Magic Kingdom and three exquisitely themed resorts: Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.

As Walt Disney World consistently grew and evolved through the five decades that have followed, certain themes keep reverberating: there’s an appreciation for nostalgia, a joy in fantasy, a hunger for discovery, and an unending hope for a better tomorrow. Inspirational and memorable theme parks, water parks, sports arenas, recreational water sports options, world-class golf courses, vast shopping villages, and a transportation network unlike any other in the world resulted in fun and familiar characters, traditions, spectacles, merchandise, and so much more. The resort has come to represent the pulse of American leisure and has served as a backdrop for life’s milestones both big and small, public and private.

A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place on Earth serves as a treasure trove for pop culture enthusiasts, students of hospitality, artists, art collectors, and Disney fans.

Searching for ways to celebrate the Walt Disney World Resort? Explore more books from Disney Editions:

• Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World
• Birnbaum’s 2022 Walt Disney World: The Official Vacation Guide
• Birnbaum’s 2022 Walt Disney World for Kids: The Official Guide
• Art of Coloring: Walt Disney World
• The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky
• Maps of the Disney Parks: Charting 60 Years from California to Shanghai
• The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic
• Poster Art of the Disney Parks
  

Kevin M. Kern first began working with the Walt Disney Archives in 2011, and was hired by the department full-time in 2013. As the group’s manager of research, he currently works with historical documents and artwork, and helps to facilitate company legacy and outreach projects, including oral histories and the development and installation of museum exhibitions. He’s hosted special event programming for many business units across The Walt Disney Company, and has had his writing featured in numerous publications.
Tim O’Day is a successful writer, PR executive, ideation consultant, and event producer. His creative spark was behind creating a Olympic-size lap pool on Main Street, U.S.A. for US Olympian Michael Phelps, procuring a Disneyland Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, placing Dumbo in the Smithsonian, securing Dame Julie Andrews as the Disneyland 50th anniversary honorary ambassador, and having the pardoned White House Thanksgiving turkeys retire to the Disney Parks. He has worked with almost all the Disney Legends and helped secure the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush for the legendary songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman in a White House ceremony.
Steven Vagnini joined the staff of the Walt Disney Archives as an archivist full time in 2010, after several years as a Walt Disney World Cast Member and an Archives intern. He has produced programs for D23 events, spoken to Disney groups, and written articles for various Disney publications (including working closely with Dave Smith on the latest version of Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia). In 2018, he transferred to the Florida-based branch of Walt Disney Imagineering.

Cover artist Fabiola Garza is a Character Artist at Disney Creative group in Orlando, Florida. During her career she has had the pleasure of working on The Little Golden Book for Pixar’s Coco and designing the beloved turtle, Olu Mei for Disney’s Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. She is the also author and illustrator of the award-winning children’s book, A Boy Who Became Pope: The Story of Saint John Paul II. During her free time she enjoys ballroom dancing, the work of G. K. Chesterton, and contributing to Catholic publications and podcasts. Her favorite Walt Disney World attraction is The Haunted Mansion. Find her at www.fabiolagarza.com.