Disney Parks Maps History and Concept Art

Maps of the Disney Parks – A 143-page hardcover book from Disney Editions that traces the history of Disney Parks through maps, but not your standard park map. The book features concept art, maps for things that never happened, attraction maps providing a real history lesson of Disney Parks. From the pre-opening day, original concepts of Disneyland and the latest concept maps, “Maps of the Disney Parks” is a Disney historian’s must-have reference. From maps of Tom Sawyer Island, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World, to preview maps of Nature’s Wonderland, EPCOT Center, and Typhoon Lagoon, I can spend the better part of the day just looking at the details.

My recent purchase reminded me of the D23 Expo 2017 Breakout Session of the same title, a session I circled early on as a must-do at the conference. Little did I know that this session would be Marty Sklar’s second to last public appearance; excusing himself toward the end of the session so he could prepare for the Legends of Imagineering ceremony (Full content in SamsDisneyDiary #94), his final public appearance.

The Breakout Session opened with a clip of Walt presenting the original 1953 Herb Ryman Disneyland Map, the map famously drawn over a weekend after Walt described the details of Disneyland to Herb. As the story goes, Herb was naturally excited to see the details, and he asked Walt to see the plans; that’s when Walt broke the news to Herb that he was going to be drawing the details, in the first map of Disneyland. The rest as they say is history, and that map – the latest in a series of concept art, would be the map presented to investors the following weekend by Roy Disney.

The session was hosted by Jeff Kurti, Disney Author, and Historian. Jeff introduces the session as “stuff about the book, that isn’t in the book”. Maps are more than ways to find where you are and where you are going, they can be used as art, as storytelling, as centerpieces, and more.

The panel included Vanessa Hunt, Imagineer, and the Curator of the Disney Archives Art Library, including about 130,000 pieces of original art. She is also the curator credited with all of the artwork in the book, and Co-Author of the Disney

Attractions Poster book. Marty Sklar, Imagineering Ambassador, Disney Legend, and an attendee with first-hand knowledge of the opening of every Disney Park. The panel also included some details on Sam McKim who was credited with many original Disney maps, his son Matt McKim, who is currently a Disney Imagineer, who joined the panel.

From souvenir maps, fun maps, land maps, parks maps in the US and abroad in Paris, Tokyo, and Shanghai, the panel covered the history of the maps adding additional information on the fly.   The session included maps that did not make the book and some on the fly explanations from Marty as to why some original maps are gone. That’s really what makes these D23 Breakout Sessions so special, and why I love the D23 Expo.

SamsDisneyDiary The Podcast

The Photo Gallery

Check out these other videos from the D23 Expo Archives Stage:  60 Years of the Jungle Cruise,  Great Moments with Walt Disney,  Digging Deeper Disney History,  Making Walls Talk, A conversation with Bill Farmer, Kevin Rafferty, Star Wars Music, Disneyland 1959, Haunted Mansion at 50, Disney and Pixar did That?, Legacy of Disney Products, Disney Park Maps, Marc Davis goes to WED, Legends of Imagineering, Voices of the Parks or 50 Years of Pirates! and a Kiss Goodnight with Richard Sherman