Editor's Important Note: I was at the park last week and i was wondering if they still had copies of the english edition of my Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality book and at my big surprise they don't have any more copies of the english edition!! I asked them to have a look in their computer and DLP's computer keep saying that it's out of stock. This mean that i'm the last person with DLP's book english edition available and i don't have a lot of them, may be 10 copies, not more... As the publisher don't plan to re-print the book it means it's really the last copies and it's a bad news, but those of you who don't have yet this great book still can order it to me, have a look to the article below.

Looking for a great Disney book ? Then, the Disneyland Paris book is the perfect gift for any Disney fan !

Editor's Important Note: I was at the park last week and i was wondering if they still had copies of the english edition of my Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality book and at my big surprise they don't have any more copies of the english edition! I asked them to have a look in their computer and DLP's computer keep saying that it's out of stock. This mean that i'm the last person with DLP's book english edition available and i don't have a lot of them, may be 10 copies, not more... As the publisher don't plan to re-print the book it means it's really the last copies and it's a bad news, but those of you who don't have yet this great book still can order it to me, have a look to the special offer below.

If you're looking for a great gift to offer to anyone you love - including you! - my "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality" book with its 320 pages and 750 pictures - including 250 renderings from Walt Disney Imagineering - would be a GREAT gift for any Disney fan!

I still have copies of the book, and, as i am one of the two authors of the book, each copy will be sign specially for you or anyone you wish. Of course, don't forget to tell me the name to whom you wish i dedicate the book.

An important note before i go further: If you're not in a rush to get the book, choose the flat shipping option (also indicated below) which usually takes between 3 to 6 weeks delivery (depending if you're living in Europe or in the U.S) and is also much less expensive.

And now, here is a description of the book and everything you need to know to order one of the last signed copy of this beautiful book. Please note that NO re-printing of the book is scheduled, and these last available copies may be the REAL last one!


IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE ENGLISH EDITION OF THE BOOK WITH THE TEXT IN ENGLISH:

Price for one copy of the english updated edition is 87 Euros and Shipping: is 15 euros.

If you have a Paypal account you can proceed to the payment by paypal - paypal payment including your choice of shipping must be sent to the email adress: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr

Important: Note that the price is in Euros, not in U.S $, so you have to choose the "euro" currency when you do the paypal payment.

If you don't have a Paypal account, a bank wire transfert is possible, just let me know.

And, of course, thanks to confirm me your order and payment AND the shipping adress by email at the email adress: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr


PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR NOW I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE COPIES OF THE FRENCH EDITION, SORRY. IF YOU STILL WISH A FRENCH COPY? PLEASE LET ME KNOW? I'LL TRY TO FIND A COPY FOR YOU.

As i am the one who designed the book, i'm not really at the good place to send compliments about it, but if you are a reader who already own the book, please leave a comment at the end of the article to let other readers know what you think about it.
Previous comments can be read at the bottom of this page where the article below was previously posted.

So, here is a little description of the book, now - See below some pictures of the book pages - click on each of them to see the photo-montage pictures in big size.



The book is a gorgeous "coffee table book" with 320 pages and 750 pictures - of which 500 are park and attractions photos and 250 are Walt Disney Imagineering renderings!

The size is 9 x 12 inches, all pages are in color and it's hardbound with a glossy dust jacket. The text (by Disney historian Didier Ghez), was written after more than 75 interviews he conducted with all the Imagineers who created the park. He goes into just about everything you wanted to know about this unique place that many describe as the best "Magic Kingdom" ever created by WDI.

It took five years to create the book, but it was worth all the time we spent on it, and the book looks just as good as we had hoped for at the beginning - in fact Imagineer Bruce Gordon told us that it was "probably the best book ever done on a Disney theme park". Coming from Bruce who did with David Mumford the great "Disneyland, The Nickel Tour" book, it was more than a compliment.

The first chapter about Main Street has 52 pages and introduces the reader to the "legend" of Main Street, USA. You'll learn all about the Disneyland Paris Railroad, the unique "Discovery" and "Liberty" Arcades; find out about the architecture, the restaurants (like "Walt's," a tribute to Walt Disney, but also inspired by Club 33 in Anaheim) and the shops; with dozens of photos, renderings, models, and reproduced for the first time here, all the "cities of the future" posters located in "Discovery Arcade."



The second chapter on Frontierland discusses the park's western side with extensive sections about its major attractions, "Big Thunder Mountain" and "Phantom Manor." In fact the book has the longest sections ever put together in a book on all the major attractions. The Pirates of Caribbean section in the Adventureland chapter is 26 pages, Phantom Manor has 16 pages devoted to it, as does Space Mountain, it's a small world, etc. The photo material was so great that we kept adding more pages to the book, which was supposed to have only 240 pages when we started... we ended up with 320 upon completion!



The Frontierland chapter also covers the Mark Twain, the River Rogue Keelboats, Fort Comstock, all the restaurants, the shops and Cottonwood Creek Ranch.and featuring stunning photos of Disneyland Paris from the air by Yann Arthus Bertrand, author of The Earth from Above that make spectacular "double-pages," and allow the reader to discover the park from a whole different angle.



The Adventureland chapter is even more interesting, as many elements of the land exist only in Paris - such as the Bazaar and Aladdin to Africa and the ex-"Explorer's Club." Plus there's a long section about "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril," "Adventure Isle" and "The Swiss Robinson Treehouse" and, of course, "Pirates of Caribbean" the land's major attraction and featuring its amazing Audio-Animatronics! All in all there are 56 full pages about Adventureland, and as in the previous chapters, there are dozens of photos, lots of concept art, and many shots of Imagineers at work. There's even a great bonus here, with the Marc Davis artwork for "Pirates" also included.



56 full pages are also dedicated to Fantasyland. There's an extensive look at Sleeping Beauty Castle, sections on all the dark rides (Snow White, Peter Pan and Pinocchio), as well as a look at "Alice's Curious Labyrinth," the "Mad Hatter's Tea Cups," "Storybookland," and "Casey Jr." There are even 14 pages about "it's a small world" with stunning photos of nearly all the scenes in it. Here the reader can discover a new attraction that exists only at Disneyland Paris, with a great view from above of Alice's Labyrinth.

Discoveryland also gets 52 pages of special treatment, with sections on the Visionarium, the Nautilus, Star Tours, Space Mountain, and everything you wanted to know about the other attractions in this land – Autopia and Orbitron. In fact the Nautilus chapter takes you on a visit with photos of every room of this detailed walk-through and two double page photo spreads, one which makes you feel you're inside Captain Nemo's grand salon, and the other showing you a unique view of Discoveyland featuring the Nautilus and Space Mountain in a kind of "CinemaScope" view.



When the book was released in early 2002, the Walt Disney Studios didn't exist, so you won't see them in the book. But there's still one last chapter about the hotels of the park, and Disney Village too, with the great Buffalo Bill Wild West show that entertains hundreds each evening.

And because every day in a Magic Kingdom should end with a parade and fireworks, we have the Main Street Electrical Parade that close the book, with an Herb Ryman gorgeous painting!



Pictures: copyright Disney

World of Color Premiere and Full Show HD Video

That's it, the World of Color Premiere happened last night at Disney's California Adventure with lot of VIPs and speeches by Bob Iger and Tom Staggs and D&M have the video of this great evening for you! Reviews of the show are generally very good, some thinking that it's a fantastic show but not as awesome as they hoped, and others - like Honor Hunter of Blue Sky Disney - saying that it's incredibly beautiful and "a game changer for the resort and the theme park".

As i am in Paris and not in L.A i can't say anything about it except that i'm sure it's a very impressive show. Anyway, here is below the video of last night premiere with Bob Iger and Tom Staggs speeches. After the speeches in the first two-part video jump to the third one to watch the full show filmed also on the Premiere evening which is very well filmed.





And here is the best video so far of the full World of Color show. Watch it in full screen mode, and enjoy the show!

World Premiere of 'World of Color' from WDWNTube on Vimeo.

Picture: copyright Disney

Youtube videos: copyright Disney, skoolboiedd, WDWN Tube

20000 Leagues under the Sea , Disneyland Haunted Mansion, amazingly recreated in miniature

You know how i like to introduce to you other great web sites, the kind of web sites which i think really deserves to be known by everyone. And today i'd like to introduce to you a fantastic model maker named Sam Towler. Sam is obviously a huge fan of Disneyland AND 20000 Leagues under the Sea and he is such a big fan that he recreated at his home in animated miniatures many Disneyland attractions and the best scenes of 20000 Leagues under the Sea. Here is a picture of one of the scenes...



...and one of the 20K walk-through he created and installed under the huge table of his miniature train (!)



Nothing is better than a good video and the good news is that Sam is also doing great videos of his creations. The one below will show you his complete 20K re-creation.



But, as Sam is a real fan he also knows that fans like to know the "behind the scenes", how it's done. On the video below, Sam explains how he did the shark attack scene. And if you go on his website HERE or on his Youtube channel HERE you'll see two other making-of videos explaining how he did the water effects.



As i told you, Sam also recreated in miniatures Disneyland attractions. For instance he did the whole Haunted Mansion! Here is the video and if you want to know the secrets of its making , then go after HERE.



If you've watched the above video you may have noticed that the scene with Madame Leota is not include. But Sam did it separately as you will see in the next video in which he also explain how he did the effect and the whole scene...in a shoebox. And how he did the Leota effect is amazingly simple, although it's probably harder to do it as well as he did.



Sam did in miniature many others Disneyland attractions like the Casey Jr train - he sculpted himself the whole train! - video HERE and even the extinct Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland ride or Disneyland Submarine Voyage!

Frankly it's an absolute delight to watch all his videos on Sam's Youtube channel because not only he is a fantastic miniature model maker but you can also feel that it was done with heart and passion which are the two most important qualities for any creation. So, jump on Sam's 20k site or his Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland site as i'm sure you will be really impressed by his work!

All pictures and videos: copyright Sam Towler - SMT Productions

World of Color and Silly Symphony Swings Videos

That's it, the first soft opening of the highly awaited World of Color show happened and you can read a good review of the show by Sue Kruse on Mice Age. But i also supposed that you're dying to see good videos of the whole show, right? I looked for you on Youtube and it's still hard to find perfect or at least very good videos of the full show. However Inside the Magic put on line an editing of the different scenes, filmed by Disney, and here it is below. As soon as i will find a video of the full show that satisfy me be sure that i will post it on D&M.




As the wait before World of color begin can be quite long for the guests they're doing at DCA a small preshow with giant puppets, here is a video.




The other new attraction that opened recently at DCA is Silly Symphony Swings. MintCrocodile who always do very good videos filmed it recently, and the first one is at day time.



And MintCrocodile had also the good idea to film it at night, with the beautiful lighting.



Videos: Inside the Magic, JerrodDRagonPodcast, MintCrocodile

Editor's Note: I strongly suggest you to read Kevin Yee's review of the new Wizarding world of Harry Potter at IOA.

Kevin is a pretty objective guy and when he says that "The Potter land and its exciting new ride Forbidden Journey is a revelation....it’s not an exaggeration to point out how astonishingly innovative this ride is, how amazingly immersive the entire experience aspires to be, and how complete the illusion is when you’re in the Wizarding World. Frankly, it’s ridiculous how good this new land and this new ride are. I’m going to go out on a limb here—not everyone will agree with me—and suggest that this is presently the best ride/theme/experience combination available in Orlando. You heard me. There’s nothing better in Orlando..." well, you know that WWOHP must be really something as Kevin is not saying this kind of thing very often...

Don't miss it, it's HERE

Disney's Animal Kingdom Original Artwork - Part One

Here is an article that i've promised to you a loooong time ago. It took me some time but this two parts Animal Kingdom original artwork article will show you more WDI renderings you've ever seen about this beautiful park, one of my favorite.

Let's begin with a bird eye view of the whole park. Released at the opening, it's an interesting rendering as we can see the Asia land - not yet build at that time - and most of all, the never built Beastly Kingdom.



let's have a look at the entrance with this first concept-art - a never realised concept.



Here is another early and never realised concept for the entrance by Joe Rhode.



Artist Gerry Dune did also a proposal for the entrance with this rendering.



Here is a Bryan Jowers rendering for the Genesis Gardens.



Joe Rhode did also this Oasis carousel concept, never realised.



Let's move now to the Tree of Life. You have a beautiful rendering at the top and below, a Dan Goozee concept-art.



Another Tree of Life concept by Dave Minichiello.



Here is an early concept for the whole island by Gerry Dunn and Joe Rhode.



Artist Ben Tripp did also this view toward the Tree of Life.



I've also added one or two pictures of models or imagineers at work, and here is one with a WDI imagineer working on the model of the Tree of Life.



Here is a picture of the Discovery Island model.



You may not know it but different concepts were envisioned for the show under the Tree of Life. As we know, the one which was realised is the "It's tough to be a bug" show. Here is a rendering for it.



Artist Bryan Jowers did a concept for a "Wonders of Nature" show...



...And Dave Minichiello did another one for a Lion King character show.



Here is a rendering showing the Creature Comfort shop interior by Karen Conolly Armitage.



On the east of Discovery Island is Camp Mickey, here is two Joe Warren artwork for it.




A Jim Heffron plan for the Pocahontas show theater...



...And a scenic design concept by Joe Warren.



Artist Jim Heffron did this design and elevation for a new bridge.



Let's move to Africa with this view of Harambe by Tom Gilleon.



A great rendering of the Kilimandjaro Safaris savannah by Ben Tripp.



Another view of the savannah and animals by Ned Mueller.



The famous sequence of the suspended bridge.



This Tom Gilleon artwork below is supposed to show Kilimandjaro Safaris, but if you look closer, it shows a raft ride and the temples on the left looks more Asian than African...except if the imagineers did envisioned another raft ride for Africa...



Some artwork for the research station by Mark Shumate.



A great concept-art for the Harambe train station by Zofia Kostyrko.



A rendering of the Wildlife Express train by George McGinnis.



And another one for the Wildlife Express locomotive.



As we know, the train bring the guests to Conservation Station, and here are three renderings showing it.



Always about Conservation Station, another concept-art by Zofia Kostyrko.



Some years after its opening, the Asia land opened at Animal Kingdom. Here is an Asian market concept by Joe Rhode.



A beautiful rendering by Ned Mueller for the tiger overlook.



Also by Ned Mueller, this concept for the grand ballroom.



Kali River Rapids is Animal Kingdom's raft ride, and here is a concept-art by Ned Mueller.



Always by Ned Mueller, this concept-art shows the burning forest sequence of the ride.



Before the Kali River Rapids concept was chosen, other "Asian raft ride" concepts were envisioned. Here are two renderings of these early concepts.




We will end this first part with this Alex Wright artwork for the Kali River Rapids FastPass structure.



Be sure to don't miss the part two of this Animal Kingdom original artwork article next week!

All artwork: copyright Disney - WED Enterprises.

Many thanks to Mark Taft for some of the renderings. I strongly suggest you to have a look on Mark's site Insights and Sounds, it's always interesting with rare pictures or renderings and Mark is posting new articles almost every day!

Some of the renderings you saw in this article are coming from the great "Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom" where you will learn all the WDI secrets in the making of the park. You can find it on Amazon.com from only $3.87!