Theme Park Design: Behind The Scenes With An Engineer

Have you ever gone to a theme park and wondered, "How did they do that?" At last there's a book that shows you. Theme Park Design reveals the secrets behind some of the world's greatest attractions. Take a peek behind the scenes, with a theme park engineer. Aimed at theme park enthusiasts, the book features behind the scenes information based upon author Steve Alcorn's 35 years designing attractions. The story follows the development of an attraction from "Blue Sky" design to opening day. Along the way it reveals the engineering tricks used to build many fan favorite rides. "This book shows you the secrets behind the magic," says Alcorn. Theme Park Design explores ride control, mechanics, audio, video, lighting, special effects, animated figures, art direction, and much more, with insider commentary. The author illuminates the fast-paced world of theme park design through tales of calamity and triumph, sprinkled with many humorous anecdotes. He also offers career tips on becoming an Imagineer. A must-read for every theme park enthusiast

Steve Alcorn is an entrepreneur, engineer, inventor, author and teacher best known for his involvement in the theme park industry. In 1982 he joined Walt Disney Imagineering (then known as WED Enterprises) as a consultant, where he worked on the electronic systems for Epcot Center. During his time with Imagineering he designed show control systems for The American Adventure, wrote the operating system used in the park-wide monitoring system, and became Imagineering’s first Systems Engineer. In 1986 he founded Alcorn McBride Inc. The company’s show control, audio, video and lighting equipment is used in most major theme park attractions around the world. Mr. Alcorn is the author of many novels and non-fiction books, including How to Fix Your Novel, and Building a Better Mouse: The Story of the Electronic Imagineers who Designed Epcot. During the past decade, Mr. Alcorn has helped more than 20,000 aspiring authors structure their novels through his online classes, offered at over 1500 universities and colleges worldwide. He also teaches theme park design online at imagineringclass.