Boundless Realm: Deep Explorations Inside Disney's Haunted Mansion (Theme Park Design Book)

Foxx Nolte’s Boundless Realm is a delightful and remarkable thing. First off, it is welcoming and accessibly written without being short on information and insight—but what’s most intriguing is the nature of the information and insight on offer. After an introductory section exploring haunted house iconography, history, architecture, and early incarnations of amusement park scare rides like the pretzel, the heart of the book is a sort of “audio commentary track” for Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride. Nolte takes the reader through the ride in the chronology of a rider’s experience—from the queue through to the exit. At each step, he discusses the differences between different iterations of the ride (Disneyland versus Magic Kingdom, variants in Paris’ Phantom Manor, changes brought to the ride over time since its debut, etc), as well as the significance and meaning of these different aspects. The author’s bona fides are extensive—in addition to his scholarship and research, Nolte was a longtime employee of the Magic Kingdom and brings firsthand knowledge of the park’s operations to bear. This is not intended as an entry-level primer for readers unfamiliar with the history of Imagineering—if you don’t know who X Atencio is, don’t come to this book looking for a biography. At the same time, the stories told in the book are so fully formed that you will inevitably come away with a deeper understanding of Atencio and other Imagineering luminaries whose personal stories informed their work on Haunted Mansion. Be warned—reading this book will create a palpable urge to (re-)visit Disney’s parks and enjoy the Haunted Mansion through new eyes. Highly recommended.

I am a HUGE Haunted Mansion fan, so this book really appealed to me. I’ll start with the bad… The author gets WAY too wordy in the book and obviously was a fan of using five words when one word would do. The first part of the book is totally unnecessary. It dives into a brief history of the horror genre - who cares? He then goes into excruciating detail on where the house is located (riverside or seaside) and if the house is truly gothic - who cares? However - the good … and it’s GOOD, is - as a cast member he spent hours working in this attraction and spills the secrets of the ride and what it looks like with the “lights on”. THAT is very fascinating and I could not put the book down. He still gets a little excessively wordy - but the details are there. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars for that reason - too many words appear there just to stretch things out unnecessarily. With that said, go there if you want to - but be warned, you can’t unread or unsee things. This book will get into detail everything about the ride! Very fascinating!

This is the kind of book I've been waiting for someone to write.It wastes no time with any well-known history that the average HM fan would already know. We dive straight into EVERY imaginable detail surrounding the mansion. Why is it situated where it is in Liberty Square? Why are we, as guests, invited to go inside? Why does the mansion seem to speak to so many fans, young and old, despite having no flashy pre-established IP backing it up? Was there really a skeleton originally in the staircase scene?Also peppered within the book are the author's amusing anecdotes from when they worked on the attraction, such as ride operators playing Tic-Tac-Toe with tape on the back of doom buggies or a coworker placing a Kermit the Frog statue in the rafters of the stretching room. The book never loses focus on its academic dissection of the mansion, but the anecdotes do a great job of giving us a peak into life as a maid or butler at the mansion.Along with Younger's "Theme Park Design" and the recent "Marc Davis: In His Own Words," this book is another tome that makes me optimistic for the future of theme park books. There is so much to cover, and the best attractions deserve the same intellectual rigor that Nolte has given to the hallowed Haunted Mansion.

I’m admittedly only a few chapters in, but I am loving this book. I’ve loved the author for years and am a fan of their blog “Passport to Dreams: Old and New,” which I highly recommend you check out as well!This is an approachable, but also truly academic text, and I appreciate the balance of theme park fandom and also critical observer. Admittedly, Haunted Mansion doesn’t crack my top 10 Disney attractions. However, that is how much I love the style And approach of Foxx Nolte. They have a way to bring a unique perspective that I love.Update: I've finished the text and cannot say enough! The book is worth it for the End Notes alone; pay attention to them as you read and flip to the back for what is oftentimes a funny anecdote or interesting side information.A great history of theme park entertainment, with a focus on the "haunted," house piece. A wonderful background on the history and geography of the mansion.A must read for any Disney fan!

I had heard of this book for a while, but didn't pick it up, thinking it was another fun fact book. Boy was I wrong! This book is a fascinating look into the WDW ride from a storytelling and design perspective, rather than the history of the ride. This is a breath of fresh air for fans of the mansion. There are countless books out there about the creation of the attraction, but this book is more like a textbook in a great way. While the first few chapters are a little slow, the rest is just fascinating. The way Foxx makes historical connections and deep dives into design is expertly done. Compared to other HM books, I can see myself picking this up again and again not only for info, but because it's a fun read!

A really refreshingly different take on 'inside Disney' type books.

I really enjoyed this book, actually read it in less then a week through isolation.I have always loved the Haunted Mansion and the in-depth look at the ride in Florida makes me really want to go back and look for the details that I’ve obviously missed every time I’ve ridden it.Highly recommend to any Disney fan!

Best book I have read about an attraction, Imagineering, or theme parks in general. Great work.