This was such a beautiful representation of the genius team behind Walt. Not only does this movie give you a sense of the amount of work it took to create a place like Disneyland but it gives you footage and never before seen footage of not only Disneyland but of Walt himself. This movie is educational, inspirational and proved even more that art and the technology of the future go hand and hand. This movie brought tears to my eyes and smile to my face. I cannot recommend this movie enough.
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magicallylena13 November 2019
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maddoxacox12 November 2019This documentary is fun and educational, i never knew Jungle Cruise was dug out by car and people relocated their tree's to Walt's land. Personally, the best thing about this documentary is that it made Walt, well, Walt. They didn't make him up the standards to the more PC standards, and showed the more politically incorrect standards of Walt Disney's Pirates of the Carribean, a must watch for all Walt fans.
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gwestervelt13 December 2019This documentary is incredible. From the cinematography to the stories to the emotional moments, I've never willingly watched six hours of informational videos. Until now. It was fascinating to watch the story of the Disney theme parks from the making of Disneyland to Star Wars Land. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys anything Disney.
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Lubber1234611 December 2019I have learned so much from this show and it always amazes me how these things happen. A recommendation for anyone who has Disney plus!
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rukstar6913 December 2019This 6 part documentary on the evolution of the Disney parks. It's starts with Walt Dreaming up this magical place called Disney Land, Maybe you've heard of it. When Walt Sadly passes away before the completion of Disney World, The unsung Hero, his Older brother Roy is now in charge....Then the passing of the torch to The New CEO's and all the Imagineers working together to make the most amazing place on the planet that I am fortunate enough to bring my own family to today.
This is a must watch for any Disney Nut like myself. Enjoy! -
jvandrunen-9096616 December 2019One of the reasons, together with the mandalorian, I have a disney+ description. What a great look in the kitchen of one of the biggest company's in the entertainment industry in the world. I've watched all episodes multiple times.
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This is a very well-executed and informational documentary series on Disney+. It is 6 episodes that are anywhere from 45 minutes to a little over an hour long each, and each episode covers a different era or aspect of Disney's theme park division. It covers topics such as its initial creation and execution by Walt Disney himself, the creative process of making new attractions and growing the park(s), the successes and failures of Michael Eisner's handling on the franchise, the growth into foreign markets, and more. If you have even a passing interest in theme parks, def give this series a chance and at least watch the first 2 episodes. If you still dont really care about it after that point then go ahead and drop it.
While a lot of information about the Disney parks and franchise have been available to the public for years, we theme park enthusiasts have usually had to gather on websites & forums or watch YouTube channels like "Theme Park History" and "Yesterworld" (both of which I highly recommend checking out) to learn more. The fact that this show now exists on a platform such as D+ is a very good thing imo, because now we get more information from the source. Even the most knowledgeable of theme park fans are likely to learn a new thing or two since a lot of the information presented here (especially by some of the people who are interviewed) was not previously public knowledge. This show is also a good way for Disney to directly feed their audience more info about the parks and keep them updated & excited. I sincerely hope this series gets a 2nd season so that they can cover things they didn't have time to cover in this first season. I also hope other theme park companies take notice and release similar series. I would love to see a Universal do their version of this and cover topics such as their Halloween Horror Nights events, their history, their creative process, and specifically their wildly different park in Japan.
As for the more technical aspects (cinematography, editing, etc.), it's very much above average and well done. Not much else to say in that regard.
Contrary to what another user put in their review here, this documentary is actually open & honest on at least a number of things. While at the end of the day of course this is a Disney+ series so it's going to paint Disney in a positive light, I was pleasantly surprised when they didn't shy away from covering the company's missteps and blunders in good detail, and I really respect that. There are def still a few things they glossed over, particularly regarding Walt Disney, Bob Iger, the theme park's recent business practices, some of the other scrapped theme park projects (tho they did cover a couple like Disney America) and a few other things, but those can be saved for future episodes. I feel this series did the best it could with the time it had.
As a theme park enthusiast myself, my final rating for the first season of The Imagineering Story is a solid 8 out of 10. Above average technical quality, the content is very informative and honest (even to those of us who already knew a lot), sets a precedent for competitors to follow, and leaves the door open for future seasons to have lots of potential. If you're gonna get or already have Disney+, be sure to watch this show. -
nickfish-1745826 October 2020This is the best documentary series I have ever watched and it will never get old if I keep rewatching it. This documentary talks about the entire Disney story of the Disney theme parks and how they were built and how Walt impacted them and the workers for them to be built. This is a great series and I was so sad when I finished it because I just couldn't stop watching it! A great documentary about Disney reality and the truth and work behind Disney theme parks around the world.
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MK_Movie_Reviews23 August 2021I appreciate all workers and artists of the Walt Disney company. Disney is the best entertainment company and represents American culture.
I love Disneyland so much, I have unforgettable memories with family. And after watching this documentaries movie,I thank you to all Disney workers.
I remember the attraction of "Pirates of Caliban". I've experienced with my brother and parents when I was in elementary school. It reminds me back to these days... -
Khaleesi2922 December 2020I really enjoyed this series and couldn't recommend it enough to my friends and family. I have always been a fan of Disney, but this series has allowed me to gain a whole new level of appreciation for Walt Disney, and the countless individuals who have poured their hearts and souls into their work to captivate, educate and inspire people! We love you Disney! Thank you!
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muamba_eats_toast29 April 2020Brought back so many childhood memories from Florida and Paris! Extremely interesting look behind the scenes of the park showing just how the magics made. Much like the parks just about gets the mix of nostalgia and looking at the new right although the last episode felt a bit like watching an advert albeit a very good one to me. If you're s fan of Disney then you'll love this behind the scenes look at the parks.
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enriquesinghjr26 May 2020There are many interesting things in this documentary, but I have also researched a lot about the company during Walt's lifetime and after his death and not everything was as nice as depicted on The Imagineering Story.
Do not forget that this was entirely produced by the Disney company instead of a neutral third party production company and a lot of things (turmoil) have been omitted.
I recommend reading Disney War and perhaps also watching the Walt Disney documentary produced by PBS from 2015, "American Experience Walt Disney".
Even though The Imagineering Story is roughly 6 hours long a lot was omitted and overall we are being served a sugar-coated version.
A lot of the archival footage and stories being told by people who were actually there was extremely interesting and worth the watch.
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Even if you don't care about Disney anymore due to there questionable decisions they've made from 2016-present, you will still be able enjoy this documentary serious, just avoid episode 6 (more on that later).
If you love the parks in general, you will absolutely love this. I've never seen such an insightful documentary about the history of the Disney theme parks. First few episodes are the best, you'll learn about everything that lead up to the inception and construction of Disneyland. How all the rides were created and about the amazingly talented artist that worked on all the classic rides. It's not just about the American parks. It also covers the theme parks in Europe and Asia. If you grew up watching all the Disney park specials that aired on the Travel Channel, you will recognize a lot of faces.
My only issue with this documentary is the Disneyland Shanghai episode (ep 6). It's a gorgeous park, and it's very fascinating seeing all the thought and effort that went into constructing the park, but it's also a double edged sword if you're politically aware of the human rights violations the CCP is guilty of.
I found it unsettling that they removed everything American (Main Street USA, Frontier Land) from the park. One can't help but wonder and assume that it was a deliberate decision from the CCP to erase any western history that's part of every Disney park's DNA. Honestly, if the tensions between China and the USA weren't so complicated this would be a non issue. But given the political climate we all find ourselves in, it's disturbing. They didn't even want to included the staple ride in every park, It's A Small World.. I personally found it extremely questionable that the Chinese govt wasn't ok with a harmless ride that showcases world peace and unity with a celebration of children singing in unison on how we are all different with our unique cultures but still the same while sharing a planet.
And seeing Bob Iger throughout the series was extremely cringe worthy. He just comes off extremely pompous and narcissistic. He gloats too much, and seeing him bend over to the Chinese government was pathetic. There was this one part when he was announcing the opening of Shanghai Disneyland by ripping off Walt Disney's opening of Disneyland speech, they paired clips of him and Walt Disney saying the same things back to back and I found it extremely offensive and inappropriate.
Also I personally didn't care for the segment that went into the failed Galaxy's Edge. I can't imagine why they chose to go with the newer movies (VII-IX) instead if the original trilogy.. they didn't even include anything recognizable from the latest movies, instead they made an extremely generic planet that isn't in any movie.. then I saw Kathleen Kennedy and it made perfect sense why they chose that route.
Overall, minus the 6th episode, I would highly recommend this. It was very entertaining, it was produced well, and it leaves one feeling very inspired. -
pederhastrup26 November 2019It is a Disney doc made by Disney.. Its has no credibility. How can you trust anything in it if all if filtered by Disney them self.
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bknorton-7167229 June 2020This really was a beautiful representation of Walt Disney. Fun and educational.
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eskimosound6 April 2020It's incredible to see what Walt Disney achieved in his lifetime. It would not have been possible if it were not for these guys... The amount of talent these people have is beyond words and the amount of people involved is unimaginable. This is an incredible behind the scenes look at Disney's theme parks and all the hard work that goes into creating them from concept to completion. From the very beginning up to modern day. Absolutely fascinating.
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royhfz27 November 2020This is an absolute gem for the most curious fans of Disney parks. This is the greatest timeline docuseries of how magic is made
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MovieBuff1173227 December 2019The Imagineering Story is about how the Disney Parks came into play and what they did to keep them there.
The Imagineering Story is one of the best things on Disney Plus. It is a really fascinating TV Show for anybody who has been to the parks. Every time I turned this show on I would imminently be enthralled and would want to learn more about what they were talking about. I am a person who knows a lot about the parks so I might have just found it interesting just because of that but from what I have heard many people who have just visited the parks have loved this show too. I am glad to hear that. I thought it was cool to see how they made these things that seemed impossible some to life. It was also really cool to see when they made these rides that only seemed like they could be made today. This show was just so fascinating. The only thing I didn't like was the segment of Japan Disney. It didn't feel as exciting as the other ones on the parks. Besides that, the show was flawless in my eyes.
Overall, The Imagineering Story was a great show on Disney Plus I would definitely recommend for a person who has been to the parks. -
vikas-prashar964 April 2020The first episode its self just makes you fall in love with Disney all over again no matter how old you are. Its unreal what had gone into disney and you see it all in the series. This is truly a behind the scenes look at all things Disney and I have enjoyed every moment of it so far.
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smith-718982 January 2020It was amazing seeing the background behind the Disney parks! I this was such a great documentary that made me cry once during each episode!
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This has been one of these Disney Plus series that have been on my watch list for a while and even just seeing these amazing parks brings back so many memories! To hear from all the Imagineers all the way up to Walt and the CEOs through the years is awesome. This shows everything not just the spectacular but all the ideas that also haven't worked.
I like to think each of the episodes is a decade from the opening of the first park all the way through to the latest Star Wars Lands in California and Florida! Each of the episodes feels like a journey backwards and forwards in time to see where the ideas start from to their final unveiling.
Disneyland In California is amazing to see the original design and how he started with a dream! Working with the idea of 'An Imagineers work is never done whilst there is imagination in the world' is a powerful message that still rings through to today from the stories that many of them talk about. California Adventure was one of these smaller parks that through the years wasn't great to start off and truly I never knew it even existed. From that redesign in the late 00s the Route 66 Cars world is awesome and will be on the list to see. Magic Kingdom enough said! Just magical in Florida either crossing the lake or the monorail there just isn't much more to be said about this that everyone should visit at least once! EPCOT main thing i took away from this is that the original concept for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and the park now has taken this as an expression of community around the world! Disney's Hollywood Studios is one of the best parks now with Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and from the original park opening to keep the new films being created on such a scale for not the crowd jewel but this is a great place to be. Disney's Animal Kingdom from their live animals to the major expansion of Pandora the design concerns from animal welfare when this park as first put forward I never knew existed as these days this place is at the forefront of conservation and welfare.
Along with all of the other parks around the world; Disneyland Paris with hyperspace mountain redesign, Walt Disney Studios Park the ratatouille ride where this turned the tide of the fortunes of this park, Hong Kong Disneyland, the latest park Shanghai Disneyland with some of the most innovative rides like Tron, Tokyo Disneyland with their own spin on the haunted mansion and Disney's Tokyo Disney Sea which was a totally new design structure for a park.
Just love this series and could very quickly be revisited to bring back some magic and memories when any one fells down! -
damian-elliott-patton28 March 2020A great watch and a must see. Perfect to watch in the enening and learn about Disney history.
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When my daughter suggested we watch a show about the Disney Imagineers, I was skeptical. After all, Disney has a long history of playing fast and loose with their history (such as in "Saving Mr. Banks"). I was totally shocked when I saw that the documentary series was a warts and all sort of affair...celebrating the successes of the Disney workers but also criticizing the poor corporate decisions that occasionally came along the way. This shocked me and made the film much more enjoyable and much more like a true documentary. How don't get me wrong...the show's overall theme is very positive and self-congratulatory...but not at the expense of the facts. So, the show does talk about the failings of EuroDisney, Disney California Adventure and Hong Kong Disney...but also discusses how Disney tried to make many of these mistakes right...especially in the case of Disney California Adventure. Overall, a rare insight into the folks who build and design the Disney parks and, to a much smaller extent, the Disney cruise ships. Well worth seeing and fascinating.
UPDATE: I wrote this episode before I saw the final episode. This final episode I disliked strongly, as it seemed very much unlike the others and was essentially like a long TV commercial for Disney's newest attractions....or at least a couple of them. As a result, I dropped my overall score to 7. -
allanmichael3012 February 2021Reminded me of a high preshure sales, advertising advert, lots of greatstuff if you are obsessed with Disney.
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kittybuttons29 August 2020This is just a really well put together, interesting and immersive series. Starting way back when Walt Disney had an idea to open a theme park, it celebrates the men and women behind the scenes that are instrumental in delivering the most magical places on Earth. I like the fact that it doesn't shy away from discussing the issues, pointing out where they went wrong along the way, how they got it badly wrong with the parks in other countries so isn't just a glossy Disney story. Seeing these fantastic people coming up with their ideas is so interesting. My heart ached often during watching, being able to see the sites that I was in just 12 months ago for my honeymoon. I was always going to look on the programme favourably being such a lover of Disney but, looking objectively, it is just a great series. Watch it