People Behind the Disney Parks: Stories of Those Honored with a Window on Main Street, U.S.A. - Hardcover

by Chuck Snyder (Author)

Meet the people who created Disney theme parks around the world!

Through rare Disney theme park concept art and photographs, this must-have collector's book showcases more than 280 biographies and features more than 50 pages on the evolution and behind-the-scenes of the Main Street, U.S.A. areas across the globe, up to and including the fairytale castles at the end of each street.

Keen observers will notice intricate details throughout the Disney parks, including names featured on building windows. In particular, the windows of structures lining Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom are designed as calling cards for fictionalized shopkeepers, business owners, and academy heads. These names belong to the real life "all-stars" who helped make Disney's theme parks a reality around the world. The people cited on these windows are skilled artists, business leaders, Imagineers, songwriters, and more. With their imagination and sharp skills, each person has made an important contribution to The Walt Disney Company.

People behind the Disney Parks is a gift that Disney collectors, theme park fans, and anyone curious about creative career paths through the arts and sciences will appreciate for decades to come.

Author Biography

Chuck Snyder took his first trip to Walt Disney World in October 1974, when he was five years old, and immediately fell in love with the place. Nearly fourteen years later, he began his Disney career as an EPCOT street sweeper, through the Disney College Program in February 1988. That spring he transferred to the Magic Kingdom for the opening of Mickey's Birthdayland, where he joined the entertainment department and later met his wife, Tracy. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Chuck wrote for several sitcoms before becoming a Disney Channel writer/producer in marketing for nine years. He wrote the initial book, Windows on Main Street: Discover the Real Stories of the Talented People Featured on the Windows of Main Street, U.S.A. (2009), which was sold exclusively at the Disney parks. He has been delighted to extend his research on this new and much-expanded project.

Josey Tsao is an illustrator and designer based in Los Angeles, creating work for animation, books, and theme parks. She has had the pleasure of working with Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney's WonderGround Gallery, Bento Box Entertainment, and Cartoon Network Studios. While she thrives collaborating with studios and clients, she also continues to develop her own illustration work to tell her own stories. She often finds inspiration exploring new places and looking for buildings with stories to tell. One of her fondest memories is walking down a quiet Disneyland Main Street before park hours at sunrise.