REVIEW: The Imagineering Story

Given who I am, I obviously had to get a subscription to Disney+ when it was released to the public. I mean, how could I not? It has Stuck in the Suburbs AND Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings! Those are worth the admission alone!

This is some TLC kind of crap. And I love that kind of crap.

But among the original programming that was offered at launch, what grabbed my interest most of all was a six-part docuseries titled The Imagineering Story. When I learned of this, I knew that I had to watch it. And I did! Should you have a binge, now that you're locked up in your home, your TV, computer, and game consoles being some of your only direct companions? That's what I'm going to tell you.

SPOILERS FOR THE IMAGINEERING STORY

THE GOOD

Oh, Eisner. I want to punch you, then buy you a beer.

This is, without a doubt, the most definitive look at the history of the Disney parks outside of a book that you will ever find. Every park, from Disneyland to Tokyo Disneysea, gets a fair amount of time in the spotlight. We get to see footage from their development that we had never seen before, and that easily made my $70 subscription worthwhile.

The show is really something with Episodes 3 and 4. The Eisner era, if you follow the company's history, is an absolutely insane period of time, and this show does not hesitate to show the many ups and downs. What surprised me the most by far was them interviewing Michael Eisner himself. The man, the myth, the legend. God, the questions I would ask that man if I could...

And overall, the show just has a general fascination about it. All the different interviews with imagineers and park workers they have are wonderfully charming, and make me wish that I could be one even more. Stuff like Bob Gurr going to the basketball court inside the Matterhorn, Tony Baxter talking about his experiences as a kid going to the park, Kim Irvine taking her kids to see Madame Leota in The Haunted Mansion because she was played by her late mother, their grandmother. It's all so brilliant.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

This really looks like something's about to blow up.

As much as I adore this show, there are still some issues with it. While the show's first four episodes take an honest look at both the good and the bad, analyzing their successes and mistakes, the last two, focusing on Iger's reign, are mostly just a circlejerk of "Wow, look at how great we are!". I honestly should've expected that in hindsight, but it came as a bit of a tonal shift after the first two-thirds of the show.

Also, don't expect your favorite attraction to get covered. While I was happy to see the development of things like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, or Rise of the Resistance, there's a lot that I feel they still didn't really go into. I wanted to see some details about MuppetVision 3D, or Test Track, or Rock'N'Rollercoaster. I wish they got more coverage than a mere footnote, but I guess six episodes wasn't enough time. Maybe they'll make a sequel series at some point, but I can only hope.

FINAL VERDICT

I rode through this. It kicked ASS!

Despite a couple of issues, this might just be one of the most definitive, detailed looks at theme park development you can find. The Iwerks Company and Narrator Angela Bassett have given us a brilliant series, and if you have any kind of interest in how attractions are made, I cannot recommend this show enough. This is 100% Colin approved.

But what do you think? Have you seen the show? What are your thoughts on it? Feel free to comment, or ask me directly at @Colonel_Colin on Twitter. Until next time, keep shooting those hoops!