In October, Walt Disney World will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Not only is the ‘World’s Most Magical Celebration’ celebrated with updates across the resort, but also to further commemorate this milestone, Walt Disney World: A Portrait of the First Half Century, a special Disney Editions Deluxe hardcover book, will be released just before the festivities begin in Florida Park.
Written by Kevin M. Kern, Tim O’Day and Steven Vagnin, this book has been described as a ‘must-have’ because it paints’ a robust portrait of the Walt Disney World Resort over half a century through various and lively voices and largely unseen concept art and photos of Disney theme parks. ”
While there is no book cover preview online yet, there is a thorough description of what the book is all about:
Walt Disney’s vision for “the Florida Project” begins with Disneyland and the New York World Fair in 1964-1965. After imaginative and elaborate design, a unique land acquisition process and an innovative construction period, the Walt Disney World Resort celebrated its Grand Opening on October 1, 1971. It featured a theme park called the Magic Kingdom and three recreational resorts: Disney. s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
As Walt Disney World grew and evolved constantly over the five decades that followed, certain themes resounded: an appreciation for nostalgia, a joy for fantasy, a thirst for discovery, and an endless hope for a better future. Inspirational and memorable theme parks, water parks, sports arenas, recreational water sports, world-class golf courses, sprawling shopping villages and a transportation network like no other in the world resulted in fun, festive and familiar characters, traditions, spectacles, merchandise, and much more. The resort has come to represent the pulse of American leisure, serving as a backdrop to life’s milestones, large and small, public and private.
As Disney World gears up to celebrate its fifth anniversary with an unprecedented celebration kicking off in Fall 2021, Walt Disney World: A Portrait of the First Half Century serves as a treasure trove for vacationers, hospitality students, artists and all Disney collectors.
Walt Disney World: A Portrait of the First Half Century available for pre-order now on Amazon and will be released on September 28, 2021.
Check out our latest information on Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebrations: