Disney and the Theming of the Contemporary Zoo

Equal parts design history, thematic taxonomy, site survey, and practitioner insight, this book places the contemporary zoo in the context of Disney's sizable influence on today's built environment and those who create it. The 1998 opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World introduced theme park design principles to wildlife display. In this book, Benjamin H. George and Dave Gottwald draw on extensive interviews with over three dozen zoo designers and professionals, landscape architects, and former Disney Imagineers to explore how, in the decades since, zoo designers have adopted and adapted Disney's approach to theming both guest and animal experiences. Beginning with Tierpark Hagenbeck, the book also serves as a site study covering Animal Kingdom and some fifty zoos around the world which evince its influence as George and Gottwald chart the evolution of naturalist habitat design through immersive theming. Ultimately, this book critically examines how post-Disney zoo environments combine entertainment with education, thus complexifying authenticity with theatricality.

Benjamin H. George is an associate professor in the Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning Department at Utah State University, USA, where he teaches courses in landscape architecture. George's research interests include the impact of technology on design processes, zoo design, online design pedagogy, and landscape history. He is the creator of the award-winning Digital Library of Landscape Architecture History. https://kingdomsofartifice.com/

Foreword by John Shields Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations 1. The Chameleon and the Tiger 2. Zoos in the Twentieth Century 3. Disneyland and Thematic Design 4. Imagineering a Zoo 5. A Walk in the Park 6. The Theming of the Contemporary Zoo 7. Kingdoms of Artifice 8. An Indelible Legacy Afterword by Jon Coe A Note on Sources Selected Bibliography About the Authors Index