Known as the final Imagineer hired by Walt Disney, George McGinnis worked on some of my favorite attractions. He designed the newer Monorails, both Space Mountains, and vehicles for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Those contributions pale in comparison to McGinnis’ work as Project Show Designer on my favorite attraction, the one and only Horizons. His ingenious work on that classic helped make it beloved. When I heard McGinnis had written a book, it jumped to the top of my list. There was no doubt that I was the prime audience for it.

I have a personal interest in From Horizons to Space Mountain: The Life of a Disney Imagineer, which was released by Theme Park Press in May. For many years, I’ve been a member of the Horizons Tribute newsgroup on Yahoo. During its more active days, this group included regular contributions from McGinnis. I learned about his work there and appreciated his surprising humility.

McGinnis also wrote a series of detailed articles for Mouse Planet about Horizons and his other work. His skills helped make Disney into a giant, but McGinnis isn’t a household name. Hopefully this book will help to change that omission, particularly for newer fans.

A Lot More Than Horizons

This book does a nice job mixing in McGinnis’ personal story with attractions info. The opening chapter includes 36 pages about his background, family, and joining Disney. He’s worked on a wide range of projects, including a proposal for trolleys in Los Angeles and Glendale. This chapter includes many short sections that leave you wanting more. The material is easy to read, but it’s more of a broad portrait than a close investigation. It’s mostly a chronological path, but there are some detours. McGinnis includes questions from several young people within this section that seem a little awkward but fit with the book’s tone.

The Q&A approach continues in the next chapter, which includes McGinnis’ interview with Didier Ghez in 2009. This 30-page conversation is packed with interesting details but does seem a bit odd within an autobiography. This book’s format is more like a collage of articles than a straightforward narrative. The result is a convincing picture of McGinnis’ life, but not in the way you might expect. Disney historians may find information they’ve seen before in other locations. It’s almost like a greatest hits collection with some new material, but it still works. It’s probably fresh for most readers and still has a lot to offer.

Detailed Info on Incredible Attractions

The book’s largest section is called “An Imagineer at Work” and gives excellent info about McGinnis’ work on three projects — The Monorail, Horizons, and Space Mountain. I really enjoy these chapters because they go beyond the surface. Hearing about Horizons from an Imagineer directly involved was a treat. The only catch is that all come from articles that McGinnis published on Mouse Planet in 2004 and 2005. I don’t mind their inclusion; why re-invent the wheel? However, I would have enjoyed learning about McGinnis’ other attractions in a similar way. He is very good at keeping the information understandable but not dumbing it down.

From Horizons to Space Mountain is a relaxing, interesting look at a brilliant Imagineer. There’s certainly more to cover from McGinnis’ life, so it doesn’t match the genre’s top books. This book still includes plenty to make it worth your time. EPCOT Center fans should definitely enjoy learning more about Horizons’ design and the budget challenges.

What McGinnis, Tom Fitzgerald, and others accomplished with Horizons is amazing. I’d easily read a whole book about that pavilion on its own. For the less obsessive fans, this book is a cool resource. It could flow better at times but still gives an engaging story. I hope this isn’t the last that we hear from McGinnis about his work on some of Disney’s best creations.

Learn more about From Horizons to Space Mountain at the Theme Park Press site.

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