Ever wondered how those creative forces at The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) continue to dazzle us in front of the cameras and behind the scenes? Wonder no more – find out with One Day at Disney!
One Day at Disney is a stellar collaboration between Disney Publishing Worldwide and Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+. It comprises a new, 224-page coffee table book and documentary series highlighting the talented men and women who bring life to some of Disney’s classics. You may feast your eyes on both the book and documentary beginning December 3.
This evening at D23 Expo, Ricky Strauss, president, Content & Marketing for Disney+ and Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts announced the exciting new book-and-doco combo.
Here’s some insight into what this unprecedented project is all about:
The book
In February, Disney dispatched photographers around the world to capture images of many of the TWDC geniuses in their natural creative habitat. From Shanghai Disneyland and ESPN to Pixar and the set of Modern Family, these remarkable photographs and their stories will be featured in the hardbound, collectible book, written by Bruce Steele (which is now available for pre-order!).
The feature-length documentary
On December 3, the same day the book arrives in stores, Disney+ will launch with a feature-length documentary. Produced by Victoria Chamlee, together with executive producers Michael Antinoro and David Chamberlin, the series transports you to the daily jobs of Disney’s men and women in their unique roles. This takes my vicarious living through Disney creatives to a whole new (informed) level!
Feature-length documentary not enough? There’s more…
The doco shorts
Following the debut of the special, which features such talent as Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and legendary animator Eric Goldberg, more than 50 One Day at Disney shorts will also be at your Disney+ fingertips. Also produced by Chamlee, Antinoro and Chamberlain, the shorts range in length between 4 to 7 minutes long and each profile a single visionary individual and their fascinating job. They will debut each week.
The all-star line up
If the above hasn’t already got you frantically pre-ordering your book, check out this second-to-none line up to be featured in the Disney+ docu-special:
- Eric Baker: The Walt Disney Imagineer who has overseen the creation of many of the intricately detailed props and lifelike creatures that inhabit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the newest lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts
- Ashley Girdich: A talented Walt Disney Imagineer who, as a Research and Development Project Manager, drives plans and helps teams execute some of the innovative robotics technology projects being created for our Parks around the world
- Eric Goldberg: The legendary animator known for creating the Genie in Aladdin and Phil in Hercules, directing Pocahontas, as well as for animating Mickey Mouse in the Academy Award-nominated short Get a Horse!
- Mark Gonzales: A Los Angeles native who works on the world-famous Disneyland Railroad
- Grace Lee: A senior illustration manager at Disney Worldwide Publishing who has worked on titles from Zootopia to Fancy Nancy
- Zamavus “Zama” Magudulela: The talented South African actor currently playing Rafiki in the Madrid production of phenomenally successful musical The Lion King
- Ryan Meinerding: Marvel Studio’s head of visual development who has worked on films including Avengers: Endgame and Guardians of the Galaxy
- Dr. Natalie Mylniczenko: The veterinarian who cares for creatures large and small at Walt Disney World Resort, including a number of endangered and threatened species.
- Jerome Ranft: The skilled Pixar artist who created detailed sculptures for animators to use as reference for such films as Finding Nemo, Toy Story 3, and Ratatouille
- Robin Roberts: The former ESPN sportscaster has been co-anchor of the Emmy Award-winning, top-rated morning show, Good Morning America, since 2005
Not sure that I have ever felt starstruck in the comfort of my own home, but this spectacular collaboration might just change that! Who am I kidding, with all this insight into the lives of these Disney legends, I might even feel like part of the team.
Note: This is a book of the same title that was published in 2000. It is a similar concept, but focused just on Disney’s theme parks at the time.