I also have a copy of this guide, which is a wonderful piece of Disneyana. What I find most fascinating: There's not a Mickey head or a "Disney script" to be seen.  Nearly forty years ago, Disney knew how to market its NAME and its reputation without resorting to the cheap and easy "thrills" of plastering characters and "magic" all over everything.  We were excited by the idea that Disney was creating something -- that in itself was good enough to spur dreams.  I can't imagine Disney doing this today.

Wonderful article, Jim!  It's interesting to see how Disney marketed WDW before it was opened.  And, those hotels that never were built look neat.

It's a shame that some W.D.W plans couldn't fully realized as what he envisioned it. Love the concept arts especialy the Polynesian Resort Hotel, would've been fun using the dock as a jump off for a swim, never been to Epcot before so I'm gon'na plan to go there sometime... The park might've not been poplular in the fall term yet probaly would make much like it's 2 predecessors.  

-Mason

Reading books like this always makes me sad, because it reminds how unique and wonderful this company once was.

I've had a bad case of the WDW fever lately.  I watched the three specials on travel channel last night, and now this this morning!  It's killing me!  I wish I lived closer so I could visit more often.  

I love stuff like this! And The Persian Hotel? I was always fascinated with that hotel ever since I first saw it on an in-room painting one time when I stayed at the Contemporary sometime in the early 80's.

I am glad that the Polynesian looks the way it does now, as opposed to the modern take in the picture. And I don't care for The Venetian at all. That one, I don't miss.

The Thai?  The Persian?

And they give us the Grand Floridian instead?

pathetic...

I got to get on the look-out for this on eBay.  I noticed two of them sold a while ago.

I'm getting married in June of 08, and we're heading down to the World for our honeymoon. Any particular areas of interest for animation history buffs? I knows I'm going to see the Mary Blair mural in the Contemporary.

I have a copy of that preview guide, too; it's absolutely fascinating. My favorite thing is that on the back page there's an address where you can write for additional copies of the preview guide for $1.00 each. Do you suppose they'd still have some copies available? :)

There were at least two other preview guides that I'm aware of. One came out about a year before the guide Jim talked about today and was aimed more at businesses and government officials; you can recognize it by the cover, which has a drawing of the MK and the resorts instead of the photo of the model on the cover of this report. There was another one that came out a year or two before that titled "Project Florida: A Whole New Disney World", which has the illustration of Walt's EPCOT (which is how I refer to the city) on the cover. Alas, I've never been able to get a copy of this one...

Ah!  Now that's the kind of Jim Hill article I've been waiting for - for a long, long time.  Thanks Jim.

To Hrundi V. Bakshi.... HEAR, HEAR!  I second that!  I miss those kind of articles too.  I wish he would finish the Star Tours one... I am on the "edge of my seat" waiting for that one to be concluded.

Is the Mary Blair mural still there in the contemporary resort?

When I was at Disneyland last April I expected to fall in love again with the carousel and castle and Haunted Mansion. But I didn't expect to also fall in love agin with It's a Small World...but I did.

I remembered there were proposed hotels that were never built. I think that when I was there as a kid they even  pointed out the future sites as part of the monorail ride. Anyone know why they did not put more hotels on the monorail?

Mickeystrailer, I suggest that at WDW instead of "Hidden Mickeys" you look for hidden references to classic Disney animation. They are all over. The Pecos Bill Cafe in  Magic Kingdom for example is a reference to the Pecos Bill segment from "Melody Time"

Yeah, we weren't planning on worrying about the "hidden Mickeys'', so we'll definitely look out for the classic animation homages.

Great article, Jim. The never built hotels look great, such a shame they didn't build them.. More a shame is EPCOT, that could have been so revolutionary. Oh well..

Empoor; I' not sure if Walt's Epcot would have worked had it been built anyway. I may be wrong though. As I remember it, people were only to be allowed to live there for a certain amount of time. Correct me if I'm wrong. Then again if it had indeed worked: that would have been revolutionary. I do remember seeing the EPCOT model at Disneyland years ago, the same one that's now on the WDW People Mover. I was absolutely blown away by it.

I remember that book !!

I remember thinking that the Persian looked SO cool.

wow. sometimes i wish things had turned out the way they were invisioned here..

This is the Walt Disney World I always wanted to visit!  Those concept illustrations are beautiful and beaming with originality.  It reminds me of the concept illustrations from EPCOT center in the early 1980's.  

I love WDW very much but it never has been the place that I see in those illustrations. If that makes any sense.

Take care,

Greg

Following up on last week's column, Jim Hill talks about those highly themed hotels that were supposedly to be built during WDW's "Phase Two." Only to have those plans scuttled by the Oil Embargo of 1973