One for the Books: A Sneak Peek at Disney Press & Disney Editions’ 2007 Releases

Jim Hill

18 years ago

Got a Barnes & Noble giftcard or an Amazon.com gift certificate that’s burning a hole in your pocket?

Well, if you’re a Disney dweeb, you may want to hold off on those book-related impulse purchases for a while. In fact, you may actually want to start setting some dough aside. Given all of the great new titles that Disney Press & Disney Editions will be publishing over the next 9 months.

“Like what?,” you ask. Well, how about the next volume in Alex Wright’s terrific “Imagineering Field Guide” series …

… which takes an in-depth look at the Walt Disney World Resort‘s newest theme park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom ?

Or — better yet — how about taking a look at how Disney’s latest Broadway musical actually came together …

… by picking up a copy of Brian Sibley & Michael Lassell’s insightful “Mary Poppins: From the Page to the Stage” ?

Got any tweens in the house? If so, you’re probably going to have to purchase at least one copy of this paperback …

… which is the novelization of “High School Musical 2,” the highly anticipated sequel to the Disney Channel’s top-rated TV movie.

Speaking of “High School Musical 2” … Would you like a brief description of the storyline of this soon-to-begin-shooting production?

WARNING !! There be spoilers ahead …

Goodbye, classroom! Hello, summer! But for Troy, Gabriella, Chad, and Taylor, this vacation is no day at the beach; they’re all working at a country club founded by none other than Ryan & Sharpay’s grandfather! And with the club’s annual Midsummer Night’s Musical right around the corner, Sharpay’s competitive instincts are sizzling. If she can manage to win the Star Dazzle award just one more time, the country club will name it after Sharpay, and it will be hers forever.

But this year, Sharpay faces some tough competition — Gabriella! To have any hope of coming out on top, Sharpay knows that she’ll need a secret weapon. Which is why she dumps Ryan and starts wooing Trop to be her new partner. Gabriella is less than thrilled that Troy has fallen under Sharpay’s spell. How could he do that to her?

Things are heating up on the lawns of high society. Will Troy & Gabriella realize that they were meant to be? Or is it too late for them to sing one last song together?

Spoilers end here …

Trust me, folks. There are a lot of tweens out there who are going to freak when they learn about that plot twist. And just so you know … Development of “High School Musical 3” has already begun. A possible storyline for that TV movie (Which is already slated to begin shooting in early 2008) has just been pitched to a handful of Disney executives. And when it’s safe to actually talk about this upcoming Disney Channel production, I’ll share what I know about the next installment of Troy & Gabriella’s star-crossed saga.

Speaking of Disney execs … You’ll notice that the suits at the Mouse House really wasted no time when it came to creating new products where the Disney & Pixar characters could finally co-mingle.

Disney Press published the book on the left — “Disney * Pixar Storybook Collection” — back in early 2006, before the Pixar acquisition had actually been completed. When it still wasn’t quite kosher that these two sets of characters could appear together … Not without Disney & Pixar’s lawyers getting involved, anyway. To make sure that Buzz Lightyear was displayed just as prominently as Mickey Mouse was, etc.

But now that Disney & Pixar are just one big happy family … Well, that’s why you’re getting covers like the one shown above on the right. Though — given that it looks as though Lightning McQueen is ready to run over Mowqli — one wonders just how happy this “one big happy family” actually is.

Speaking of Pixar …Since “Ratatouille” is set in a kitchen, Disney Press is — of course — prepping a cookbook for kids to tie in with this June 2007 release …

… Entitled “What’s Cooking: A Cookbook for Kids,” this 64 page hardcover will feature recipes that draw their inspiration from this soon-to-be-released Brad Bird film.

So your kids can soon learn how to make such delicacies as Remy’s Famous Omlets, Emile’s Sewer Sandwiches and — of course — ratatouille.

For those “Ratatouille” fans who aren’t all that skilled when it comes to using skillets,.there’s always “Too Many Cooks” …

… Margaret McNamara’s delightful new children’s book, which features Nate Wragg’s witty illustrations.

For the 3 – 7 crowd, there’s also “Remy’s Adventure in Paris.” Which is a sturdy 10-page hardcover that recounts the story of this upcoming Pixar release. It even features 8 character magnets to play with.

And speaking of adventure … If you’re a fan of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film trilogy, you really owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of “Bring Me That Horizon: The Making of The Swashbuckling Film Trilogy.” Written by Michael Singer, this 160-page paperback will take you behind-the-scenes on the production of “The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At Worlds End.”

Mind you, Disney Editions has even more “Pirates” – related booty headed your way this summer. Timothy Shaner’s “The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: From Stem to Stern” …

… will reveal all of the great design work that went into these Gore Verbinski films. You’ll get the big picture on these motion pictures (EX: How the production designers arrived at the final look of the Flying Dutchman) …

… as well as all of the finer details (How the cannons of Davy Jones’ cursed ship worked)

Now can you understand why I told you to hang onto those Barnes & Noble giftcards and those Amazon.com gift certificates? Thanks to the nice folks at Disney Press & Disney Editions, there’s lots of great Disney-related books coming out in the coming months.

So start saving your pennies, people. For some of these hardcovers & paperbacks don’t exactly come cheap.

Your thoughts?