Designing Disney

John Hench (1908-2004) was an employee of The Walt Disney Company for over 65 years during which he actively participated in the creation of beloved Disney animated classics, theme parks and rides. On a side note, he was also the official Mickey Mouse portrait artist for many years ºoº

Commencing as a story artist in 1939, John Hench weaved his way through Walt Disney’s animation team working in areas including background design, layout, art direction, effects animation and special effects. Hench (one of the original Imagineers) was respected by Walt Disney as one of the studio’s most gifted artists, and has come to be known as “the guru of Disney design”.

Show, story, character, and colour are all key elements in a successful design, whether the medium is architecture, animation, live-action film, theme parks, stage plays, costumes, restaurants, or shops.

In Designing Disney (which includes over 200 sketches, paintings, and photographs) John Hench illustrates and explains what makes a design successful, revealing key lessons that he learnt working alongside Walt Disney himself and other legendary Imagineers that changed the concept of familiy entertainment.

This inspiring Disney book includes a plethora of stories, anecdotes and insights that will both entertain and inform the discerning Disney fan. Designing Disney examines the values and logic that went into the original plans and concepts for the Disney theme parks, reveals the magic behind some Hench’s great discoveries, and essentially explains what makes the parks work.

As master planner and concept designer for Disney, John Hench decided on the look and feel of the original Tomorrowland in Disneyland and designed many iconic buildings for Disney’s theme parks across the globe, including Cinderella Castle (at the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland) and Space Mountain.

• Series: A Walt Disney Imagineering Book
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Disney Editions (January 6, 2009)
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9 x 0.4 inches 
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars