Disney and the Theming of the Contemporary Zoo
Kingdoms of Artifice
Benjamin H George author Dave Gottwald author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:1st Oct '26
£95.00
Supplier delay - available to order, but may take longer than usual.
Equal parts design history, thematic taxonomy, site survey, and practitioner insight, this book places the contemporary zoo in the context of Disney’s astounding influence on today’s built environment and those who create it.
Equal parts design history, thematic taxonomy, site survey, and practitioner insight, this book places the contemporary zoo in the context of Disney’s sizable influence on today’s built environment and those who create it.
The 1998 opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World introduced theme park design principles to wildlife display. In this book, Benjamin H. George and Dave Gottwald draw on extensive interviews with over three dozen zoo designers and professionals, landscape architects, and former Disney Imagineers to explore how, in the decades since, zoo designers have adopted and adapted Disney’s approach to theming both guest and animal experiences.
Beginning with Tierpark Hagenbeck, the book also serves as a site study covering Animal Kingdom and some fifty zoos around the world which evince its influence as George and Gottwald chart the evolution of naturalist habitat design through immersive theming. Ultimately, this book critically examines how post-Disney zoo environments combine entertainment with education, thus complexifying authenticity with theatricality.
Engaging and highly accessible in tone, this book is essential reading for anyone serious about understanding the evolution of the modern zoo and Disney’s transformative contribution to it, enriched throughout with insights and reflections from many of the leading figures in zoo and attractions design. * Bernard Harrison, Principle Partner, Bernard Harrison and Friends LTD, USA *
This volume brilliantly situates the contemporary zoo within the broader world of themed environments, showing how narrative, design, and immersion reshape our encounters with animals and nature. It is both intellectually engaging and highly relevant, offering fresh insights into the cultural work that zoos perform in the twenty-first century. * Scott A. Lukas, Faculty Member, Lake Tahoe Community College, USA, and author of Theme Park (2008) *
I’ve known Dave Gottwald for the last twenty-five years and it came as no surprise, having known how unique a perspective he viewed all of life, that he would come up with an idea this fresh, insightful, unique and for me out of left-field. I know nothing about the subject matter, and thus, was just amazed with not only the originality of this concept but how extraordinarily well it was researched. I always tell people they have adult jobs because all I do is draw Mickey Mouse all day and this is a perfect example – an adult with an extraordinarily original concept that I never would’ve thought of. Enjoy! * George Scribner, Artist and Animator, Walt Disney Imagineering, Panama, and Director of Walt Disney Animation Studios Oliver & Company (1988) *
ISBN: 9781666928198
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
312 pages