For a few years now, Disneyland Paris has been moving into publishing books for Disney fans. Each subsequent edition has improved upon the last, 20 ans des rêves was an excellent retelling of the history of Disneyland Paris; Disneyland Paris from A to Z was an in-depth look at the resort and what makes it so beloved amongst both guests and fans alike. Then, following the extensive refurbishment of Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, a new type of book was released; one that studied the attraction and tackled the history, but also was an examination as to why we, as fans, love it so much. This was then followed by a book looking at Phantom Manor, and now Space Mountain.
What is most enjoyable about these books is that seemingly everything has been considered, from the cover, right the way to page design. Each of the three books within this collection are gorgeous works of art in their own right, simply opening the book and looking at the pages is such a treat.
A complete storytelling of the attraction
Aside from the beauty of the book, inside Space Mountain: de la terre aux étoiles you will find a complete history of the attraction, in each of the three versions we have seen at Disneyland Paris. The book takes its time to study the concept of the attraction with a look at the Matterhorn at the Disneyland Resort right through to the original Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom.
There is an accessibility to the writing which means that it is both suitable for a guest who is less familiar with the full backstory of Space Mountain, but there is also a lot of content for the hardcore fan who may think that they know absolutely everything about the attraction; I guarantee you that some of the information in this book will surprise you. Space Mountain: de la Terre aux étoiles dives into things that you may well have overlooked; just how does the onboard audio actually work? Are there hidden messages in the types of plants used around the attraction? The answers are all here.
Artwork and images
Aside from the aforementioned beautiful page design, the images and artwork selected in this book are also top quality. What a thrill it is to finally have some printed versions of artwork that we have all only seen online in our collections! But there is also new artwork in here that perhaps you have not seen before, or some additional information on artwork that you have come to know and love. For me, the elevations of Space Mountain within the land were such a thrill to see, as well as alternative names and logos of what became, Space Mountain: Mission 2.
A wonderful addition to your library
Like many Disneyland Paris fans, my library of books keeps growing and growing, but I keep returning to these attraction book series; I find that they are full of fantastic artwork and information. They serve as excellent quick references to questions that you may find yourself having, or just wanting to take a look at a piece of concept art or archival photograph.
Space Mountain: de la terre aux étoiles is out now at Disneyland Paris boutiques and is priced at €22.
Disneyland Paris provided the copy of the book used as part of this review with the InsidEars programme. A review was not requested, nor was it part of the conditions of receiving the book. A big thank you to the Disneyland Paris InsidEars team for gifting the book.
