Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks: Celebrations Around the World from Fall to Winter is a new book by Graham Allan, Rebecca Cline, and Charlie Price that takes a comprehensive look at the holidays that happen in the autumn and winter at Disney parks around the globe. It includes nearly 1,900 photographs from the parks with two-thirds of them being shot just for this book. These pictures are combined with storytelling that gives Disney fans an in-depth look at what goes into adding Disney magic to the holidays during the fall and winter, and then what the completed projects look like. Along the way, the history of the celebrations in the parks through the years is also explored.
To say this book is in-depth would be a gross understatement. Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks: Celebrations Around the World from Fall to Winter is quite substantial both in terms of size and also in terms of content. It is a fairly large coffee-table sized book that has nearly 400 pages packed with photos and stories. The photos are incredible and hours upon hours could be spent (and I did) just enjoying the history, the beauty, and the magic that goes into these decorations and celebrations. The accompanying stories about the celebrations are equally engaging and fascinating. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on Disney history but I definitely picked up some things as I read this book.
Part of the reason this book is so enjoyable is that it was clearly a passion project for those who put it together. Between researchers, writers, and photographers, there were more than 180,000 miles logged as they visited EVERY Disney park and resort around the globe. At each of these destinations, they documented all of the holiday installations as they took eighty-thousand photographs. The team also met with the people who were behind the celebrations at all of these locations when they could. This means that they visited all twelve Disney theme parks, dozens of Disney resort hotels, cruise ships, dining locations, and shopping districts as they worked to pull together this magical book. All of this work and passion was then packed into the pages so that readers could bring the Disney magic of these seasons home.
Another reason that I thoroughly enjoyed this book is it is beautiful. The pictures are beautiful. The storytelling brings history to life. The magic it shares exemplifies just how good Disney is at celebrating these different holidays that occur in the fall and winter. Sometimes books like this can end up feeling hollow and sterile. However, this book instead takes the reader right into the parks and they seem to pop right off the pages as you you look at the photos and read about the different focal points.
Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks: Celebrations Around the World from Fall to Winter is one of the more enjoyable books I have read in the last few months. To say it is a good read is really an understatement. It is one I look forward to revisiting throughout the fall and winter as there is just so much to absorb. It is very easy for me to give a solid hat tip to this book. It is one that every Disney fan will want and would make a great Christmas present!
