January 14, 2010

Legend of the Forbidden Mountain: Expedition Everest

Many times, good things do come in small packages!
At the exit of the thrilling Expedition Everest attraction at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom, riders are deposited into the expected souvenir shop. Amidst all the yeti plush and keychains is a little gem of a book with a very long title: Expedition Everest, Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, the Journey Begins. It's a limited edition book well worth the search.

Inside, you'll find the story of the development of the attraction, including Imagineer Joe Rohde and his team's own expedition to Asia to study the area, the legend and the local lore. There's plenty of photographs, study notes and observations- and much concept art and sketches you won't find anywhere else.

As you will discover, this little book is chock full of interesting tidbits. It even includes detail on paint colors chosen when building the village surrounding the attraction!

On your next trip out to take a spin on the tea trains of Asia, take a look and hunt down your own copy of this book. Even though the printing was limited to ten thousand, a few copies still exist- at least last time I checked. Well worth your time and the $6.95 to snag one.
(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

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