When Disneyland was built, it was done so in the style of a movie. The Mickey Mouse in front of the train station at the entrance to the park is the title card. The tunnel creates a dissolve as you enter a new immersive experience – Main Street, U.S.A. But where would you go, what would you do, and what would you see in this movie? Posters helped visitors understand what was offered in the park and what they could expect. “Poster Art of the Disney Parks” (affiliate link) shows the process of making posters with beautiful full color examples of what you would find in the Disney Parks.

As a Disney fan, I always enjoyed looking at the posters as I ran by them to get into the park. I never actually thought about what they needed to do or why. Posters have to be able to tell a story without using words quickly. They are made for people who are rushing onto the next thing. However, there are some styles, like that used for the Opera House and “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” that use only text because it’s appropriate to the atmosphere that Disney is creating.

I always wanted to own the posters I saw at Disneyland. They were large, I had no place to put them, they would be expensive to frame, and even when they were available, I just didn’t have the money in my budget for something that would have to remain rolled up in a tube for an undetermined amount of time. “Poster Art of the Disney Parks” offered me a compromise. I get to examine the beautiful posters and enjoy them. I also get to learn about their history, how they work, and why they were designed the way they were. It even includes a pull away page should I ever find a place to hang my posters.

This review is part of our Disneycember coverage. Disneycember appears to have been coined by Doug Walker, the Nostalgia Critic, and Channel Awesome. Come back every day during December and read a new Disney article.

If you want to read more about Disney and creativity, check out “Disneyland Is Creativity” and “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity.” Read more about the Disney Company in “Penguinate! The Disney Company.” Check out other Disney stories at www.penguinate.weebly.com.