Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality

While the American-based theme park enthusiast knows that there are Disney resorts beyond the borders of the United States, he or she would be hard pressed to find a book about Tokyo Disneyland or Disneyland Paris for sale in local bookstores.

Shortly after Disney opened its first theme park in Europe, I sought out publications about it with little avail. Aside from the rare article in a periodical such as the Disney News, the only book that I could find was a miniature Berlitz Pocket Guide about the "Euro Disney Resort." Though it was something, it left a lot to be desired. Good for a guest to use while on a trip to the continent but not really the visual or informational feast a Disneyphile like myself was looking for.

Released on the 10th anniversary of the opening of the park, Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality, a 320-page coffee table-style book, has found its way to America and is available to add to your Disney library. Through DisneyStore.com, the collector's version of the book is available for order. At $100 (plus tax and shipping & handling), it is not the most affordable tome but is well worth the investment for anyone looking to learn more about this beautiful park across the Atlantic.

The book's graphics are filled with artists' sketches ...

What makes this book great is that it is not simply an authorized and commissioned publication but rather a labor of love put together by fans of the park. Alain Littaye, who conceived of the project, provided art direction and additional photographs, and writer Didier Ghez have created a book that nearly rivals the best book on a Disney theme park, Disneyland: Inside Story by Randy Bright. In so doing, they have allowed readers to catch a peek into the creation of the park through descriptive text peppered with anecdotal stories and more than 750 illustrations -- 500 photos and 250 concept drawings from Walt Disney Imagineering.

The best parts of the book are the little surprises that await the uninitiated. For someone who hasn't been to Disneyland Paris, the photographs of the park dressed up for Halloween or covered in a winter snow are truly a sight. The stories of cacti on Big Thunder Mountain, the growing of the hedge for Alice's Curious Labrinth and the weathering of one side of Phantom Manor in relation to another show the intense detailing that Imagineers thought of in creating the park. And it is interesting to see how some of the touches first added to Disneyland Paris would later find their way to the stateside parks.

... and photographs of the final attractions brought to reality.

If any nitpicks can be made about the book, it is that there isn't enough historical information about how the park has changed in the past 10 years. Little is mentioned about the park's financial troubles and subsequent changes from Euro Disneyland into Disneyland Paris. Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality does a great job of presenting the park at one moment in time but doesn't present more of a timeline of its evolution.

The book is available in two editions -- a regular and a collector version -- and each is available in either English or French. In addition to being limited to 2,000 copies per language, hand numbered and printed on high-quality paper, the collector's edition includes five lithographs of four concept illustrations of the recently opened Walt Disney Studios.

Overall, this is a great book about Disney in general and about Disneyland Paris specifically. With a chapter dedicated to each of the themed lands and one to the hotels & Disney Village, it presents a fantastic overview of the resort through both pictures and words. It is a visual treat from cover to cover and was worth the nearly two-month wait for the book to be delivered from back order through DisneyStore.com.

For more information about Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality, including ordering instructions, visit the publication's website dlpbook.com.

- Story by Matthew Walker
Photos ©Nouveau Millénaire Editions; Used with permission
Posted

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