The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky - A Book Review

“The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky” appears on the surface as many in the “coffee table book” genre do: a book on a beloved subject, a beautiful cover, begging to be opened and looked at for the pretty pictures laid out within the pages inside. 

Then you pick up the book and open it.

Did I mention pretty pictures? Because this book has those from the opening page. The selection and hi-res scans of the artwork pull the reader in and refuse to stop inundating the reader on a visual overload. The forward by Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower evokes nostalgia for monorail fans, park enthusiasts, and television viewers. Who can forget the iconic scene of Walt and the Nixon family waiting to take their maiden voyage (With dulled oversized ribbon-cutting scissors that didn’t exactly do the one job they were intended for!)?

At this point, the reader should be well aware that “The Disney Monorail” goes beyond another nifty coffee table book. The information and detail on each page ensures a wonderful learning experience along the way.

The first chapter takes us into the inspiration and mind of Walt Disney, and his fascination with a world on the move. From trains to space travel, we see how different modes of transportation inspired Walt in his own hobbies, which ultimately led to the formation of the Disney theme parks we know and visit today. This is something that author Jeff Kurtti excels at – any book written about Disney becomes another chapter in a never-ending Walt biography. This is as it should be considering the subject – Walt Disney was a complex man with many facets to his life. Books like this are able to open up driving forces and philosophies that can get caught up in a regular biography. Kurtti, as always, does a great job of relaying the “why” to fans of both Walt Disney and the subject at hand.

Image of Walt Disney from "The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky." ©Disney

The chapters that follow offer a look at early monorail visions, designs, and executions, beginning with the 19^th century, moving into early Disney visions of Tomorrowland (including preliminary plans that were envisioned from the start), to the eventual design and implementation of the Disneyland Monorail in 1959. Included in this are great visuals of the short-lived Disneyland Viewliner, a sleek and “futuristic” train that played predecessor to the design of the Monorail. Along the way in these chapters, the reader is treated with a visual and informatic formula of successes and failures along with iterations never fully executed. The whole thing plays out like a retro “Popular Mechanics” magazine full of post-modern visions and written words that pique the interest of both transportation and Disney buffs – which, in this reader’s opinion is pure brain candy.

Image of Engraving of the Meigs Elevated Railway, originally published in Scientific American, July 10, 1886. from "The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky." ©Disney

Concept drawings of The Disneyland Monorail. From "The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky." ©Disney

It needs to be noted at this point that credit needs to be given to all three authors of this book. Jeff Kurtti, Vanessa Hunt, and Paul Wolski deserve the praise for the knowledge, insight, and layout that is poured out onto every page of this book. Hunt, a Disney Imagineer, has been instrumental in preserving art in the Walt Disney Imagineering Art Collection, and she brings forth her knowledge of the artwork presented on these pages, with hi-res pictures and transfers of both well and lesser-known Disney artifacts in the library (Something she has accomplished with many projects including “Poster Art of the Disney Parks” and “Maps of the Disney Parks,” among other projects). Wolski, a long-time graphic designer, creative director, and illustrator, brings his knowledge and artistry to the layout of the book, helping to make the pages an aesthetically pleasing work of art. Anyone who has read “From all of Us to All of You: The Disney Christmas Card” (Also by Wolski and Kurtti) knows what a great layout and design bring to a book. A true collaboration between three experts who relied on each other for the written word, design, and amazing artwork, their talents truly shine and compliment each other here. This is evident in these chapters of the book, as well as the chapters to come.

The chapters to come? Of course, we delve into the introduction of the Disneyland Monorail to the public, as well as the iterations and Marks used in Disney theme parks worldwide. Included in these chapters are great tidbits on promotional materials, collectibles, cast member costumes, identifying traits of the different Monorail “Marks” in Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the greater use of the Monorail in Walt Disney World (hotel and inter-park park transportation), and Monorails used in Tokyo Disney Resort.

 From "The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky." ©Disney

Closing out the story told in this book is one of Walt as a world visionary – a man that saw the monorail as more than just a theme-park attraction – he envisioned a viable transportation system to be used worldwide. While his disappointment in the greater realization not coming to fruition in the way he fully hoped, implementations of a monorail system throughout the world since are noted – his vision WAS indeed farther reaching than he lived to be able to see.

Included in this book are great tributes to Disney Legend Bob Gurr (associated with MANY Disney transportation designs beyond the Monmorail), Jack Wagner (The Voice of Disneyland, associated with so many announcement and spiel memories), and designer and artist Paul Hartley, whom the authors of the book pay tribute to as a major influence in the design of this book.
 
As a collector of Disney-themed books, “The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky” will be placed proudly on my bookshelf as one of my absolute favorites, along with “The Nickel Tour” (Bruce Gordon and David Mumford), “Travels With Walt Disney” (Jeff Kurtti), “The Disney Christmas Card” (Jeff Kurtti and Paul Wolski), “Maps of the Disney Parks” (Vanessa Hunt, Kevin and Susan Neary) and a select handful of others. It is a work of art and deserves to be both read and viewed. But beyond the world of Disney, it is a fascinating look into the development of a transportation mode that has sparked the imagination of mankind for nearly two centuries. By all means, if any of this appeals to you, seek out a copy of “The Disney Monorail” (Available September 15^th, 2020) online or from a bookseller near you - support independent where you can – you won’t regret it!

Now sing it with me: "Monorail.... Monorail.....MONORAIL!!!!"