Between Books - Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career

Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career by Kevin P. Rafferty details a Disney story of a young man who turned his back on a life in ministry and a possible animation career to become a key story writer for Walt Disney Imagineering for decades.  Rafferty's story begins with a young man who planned to become a priest.  However, his theological studies were diverted by his love of art.  Planning to become an animator, Rafferty went to art school and started a job at Disneyland.  Thoughts of Disney magic were quickly destroyed as he started his job in the dish room.  However, he persisted, showed himself to be a hard worker and was offered promotions in Food and Beverage that eventually saw him on the floor of Club 33.  With the development of Epcot, WED the future Walt Disney Imagineering began to aggressively recruit new employees which opened the door to Rafferty's entry level, and we mean entry, job at WED.  Again, Rafferty's hard work and a brief stint in marketing allowed him to move past the open door to a long-term and prolific Imagineering career.  Rafferty's numerous projects ranged from the Pan Galactic Pizza Port at Tokoyo Disneyland, the Hollywood Tower of Terror, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Test Track, Carsland, and many many more.

Overall, I really liked Magic Journey.  Rafferty has a calm and easy to approach tone where you feel like you hear his voice and his personality.  And of Imagineers of the second generation, Rafferty comes off as the most approachable.  Additionally as someone who worked on countless projects, there is something for everyone's different Disney niches.  Rafferty also gives his readers a view of some of the non-exciting non-artistic jobs within Imagineering, ones that may not have the spotlight but are important to Imagineering's operations.  Readers also got to see Marty Sklar in a new light, as the humorous boss who often joked back and forth with Rafferty though notes and pictures.  The book is dense with every page packed with words... but Rafferty also provides numerous pictures and images to help support the reader's imagination.

Kevin Rafferty came into Imagineering at the lowest level possible.  Decades later he left as an important story writer and second generation Imagineer.  His memoir Magic Journey provides readers a detailed record of his Walt Disney Imagineering career and the projects that he worked on.  The text is sure to delight Disney parks fans as he details his work internationally with his own inside look at dining, attractions and even entire lands.

Between Books - The Art of Cars

The Art of Cars by Michael Wallis with Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis explores the artistic development of Disney/Pixar's 2006 Cars.  The Wallises put into the readers hands readers the production images, paintings and sculptures used to develop the rich world of Cars.  The authors explore both the background of American highways and Pixar's, especially John Lasseter's, love of the American automobile.  They discuss the extensive research completed by the Pixar staff including visits to NASCAR races, shutter Detroit automobile plants and down the real Route 66.  The books discusses how these influences came to influence Radiator Springs and the Cars' characters.

The Art of Cars is a very handsome book.  And as disappointed as I was by The Art of Meet the Robinsons, my expectations were met with this volume.  The text provides interesting background, but not so much to overwhelm the reader.  And as it should be the images are the star of the book, and there are numerous images of various types and styles to help satisfy the Cars fan.  Additionally they are arranged in a very pleasing way.

Michael Wallis has a special connection to the Cars universe.  He wrote Route 66: The Mother Road used by Pixar as a research tool.  Additionally, he lead Pixar's two Route 66 research trips.  Pixar was so impressed by Mr. Wallis that they designed Sheriff after his distinctive features, and he voices the character in both Cars and Cars 2.  It gives a very pleasing feeling knowing the author has such a special connection to the film.

Author and Voice Actor Michael Wallis

What I liked most about The Art of Cars is seeing how these designs have Disney connections.  As one flips through the pages and sees the planned details around the map of Radiator Springs, the proposed early origins and the town's buildings,  one who has visited Carsland cannot but help but feel like they are reading about a place that they have been.  Then seeing the design of the flowers and other landscaping used both in the movie and the land further impresses the feeling that the theme park land was far from thrown together.  A highlight for me was a presentation of cone gags, all puns that I felt like Marc Davis would have enjoyed.

For fans of both Disney animated films and the Disney parks The Art of Cars is sure to be delight.  The images and designs found throughout the book are sure to give both a familiar feeling!  And for me it has helped to redeem the Art of style books.     

Dreaming Disney - Imagination

Throughout my days in Betweenland I have found plenty of high tech ways to connect back to my Disney experiences.  There are apps, video games, DVDs, websites, podcasts, music clips, audio books, and etc., etc. etc. etc.  

The Castle Front

But it took the Between Kids to remind me of one of the best ways to connect to Disney, imagination.  I was doing errands in the house when I heard, “Daddy, come here castle.” The youngest Between Kid had built a castle with blocks; multicolored, cardboard, square blocks.  There were no buttons, no Wi-Fi connections, no plug ins.  It was just a simple block castle and the whole family could clearly see Sleeping Beauty Castle on the playroom floor.  Of course the oldest Between Kid could not be satisfied with a smaller castle, so the two added blocks and soon Cinderella Castle was dominating the playroom.  Of course, a castle has to have residents so they then gathered up every Disney action figure they could find; with Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbarossa dwarfing three stories of the castle and making Sully look short.  They spent hours with this low tech play set, not manufactured and sold in any stories, powered purely by imagination.  A few hours later they built a Carsland expansion!

Jack Sparrow Takes Charge!

We can’t forget the power of imagination.  The Disney parks were built on imagination.  Walt Disney said of his first park, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”  Without imagination we would not have the magic Disney experiences give us.  And Disney noted that imagination sparked his creative endeavors, “I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination."  Imagination triggers inspiration. You don't get Imagineering without imagination!

Regardless of the toys we have, we have to remember that imagination is the best fuel for dreams Between Disney. To quote Figment, “Imagination, imagination. A dream can be a dream come true, With just that spark in me and you (One Little Spark)."  Go imagine my friends.