The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney's Disneyland (2025)

 

If you love going to Disneyland as much as I do, this book is simply a must have. Written by Disney legend Don Hahn and imagineer Christopher Merritt, this is a very absorbing history of Disneyland. Focusing on the period where Walt Disney was alive and overseeing production of this park, this book not only gives you a clear and concise history behind various attractions but also gives you a fascinating look into how Walt envisioned the park. This book is full of quotes from Walt and people who worked with him. Because of this as you read you begin to understand how in many ways Disneyland (especially the parts that still exist from the era Walt was alive) is a reflection of who the man is and how he saw the world. Yet this book makes sure to credit the many others who made the park happen. Not only does it tell us who helped create what in the park, but it also gives us some background information into their personal lives and their work elsewhere. This helps us understand why each of them was perfect for the job they were given in the park. 

This book is also brilliantly structured, with an opening that discusses the origins of the park and then chapters focusing on each individual land. The story of Disneyland is not only told through text but also through visuals. The book is full of various original sketches for various attractions and for the park itself. Also seen here is plenty of sketches for parts of the park that never came to be. There are also plenty of behind-the-scenes photos that are priceless and also give us who are not old enough to remember the original Disneyland, a great peak into a bygone era. Both the sketches and the photos will be new to both causal readers and hard-core Disney-philes.

The book also delves into the Disneyland TV series that help promote the park. While this information may not be new to long time Disney fans, putting within the context of the park's creation makes it still a great read. The book also highlight how the culture of the mid-1950's to the late-1960's helped shape much of the park, even parts that are still with us today.

A must own for Disney fans.