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by Kevin M. Kern (Author)
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
Author Biography
Kevin M. Kern began his career with the Walt Disney Archives in 2011. As the group's manager of research, he works predominantly 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, public relations executive, ideation consultant, and events producer. His creative spark was behind creating an Olympic-size lap pool at Disneyland for U.S. Olympian swimmers, 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. He most recently contributed to the Behind the Attractiondocuseries, which will be releasing on Disney+.
