Review of "Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World" by David Koenig

Noted Disney author David Koenig brings his wealth of knowledge to this celebration of the 25th anniversary of EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World. The EPCOT Center we know today grew out of Walt Disney's original dream of building a prototype for future cities - hence the acronym Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. Some 15 years after Walt's passing, Disney Imagineers built a park to let people see many different worlds - rides and exhibits that hold views of the promise of the future, and the World Showcase where visitors can sample the cultures of over a dozen different countries. It was the first Disney theme park to be completely different than the original Magic Kingdom of Disneyland, and so it was a risky venture for the company in many ways.

In this book, we're shown how Walt's original vision was conceived and refined, as he started out working on "The Florida Project". With all of the land that Walt would have there - a luxury he sorely wished for Disneyland - he could truly let his imagination soar. From there we learn how those concepts were transformed into a theme park that pays homage to Walt's ideas but tempers them with the practicalities of the real world. Koenig interviewed dozens of Disney employees, many of whom worked on building EPCOT, and its the spirit of those talented artists that made EPCOT a worthy addition to Walt Disney World.