Mouse Extra

When Mouse Extra’s contributing writer Mike told us back in March about the upcoming release of a DVD documentary dealing entirely with Imagineering Disneyland I was very excited.  Disneyland Resort – Imagineering the Magic arrived at my doorstep yesterday and it is a very good, if not overwhelmingly great, look at the people and the processes that helped create Walt Disney’s playground.

It is a two disc set and it is sold at Disneyland as something of a video keepsake.  The first disc is the main program which is about an hour long and features many great Imagineers, including Tony Baxter and Marty Sklar, talking about the conceptualization, history, and details of just about every attraction found in the original Disney theme park.  My only complaint is that this feature could have been three times as long and it still would not cover all that it could.  Instead, you get the feeling that it rushes through some of the most popular stuff.  But even with the overly fast pace, it is filled with terrific visuals and trivia and is worth every penny.

The second disc is nothing more than a few fun extras.  There are four programs, none more than ten minutes long, dealing with other aspects of Imagineering and Disneyland.  One of them, again not more than ten minutes in duration, deals with the development of Disney’s California Adventure.  Most will probably be happy to not devote any more than a few short minutes to such a subject.

This DVD is a concept I have been hoping Disney would release at all of its theme parks for years.  I know a similar DVD focusing on Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is in the works and I hope they continue with these and add the rest of Florida’s parks as well.  Disneyland Resort – Imagineering the Magic may not be perfect, but it is by far the best official theme park DVD souvenir I have ever owned.