Disney World at 50: The Stories of How Walt’s Kingdom Became Magical in Orlando by the Orlando Sentinel
The Disney World at 50 Orlando Sentinel book is a fun curveball for Disney history collectors, because it comes from the hometown paper that covered the story in real time, not from Disney’s own publishing machine. On the heels of Disney’s official 50th anniversary release, the Orlando Sentinel turns the lens back on its own archives, reporters, and photographers to tell the “how we got here” story from an Orlando perspective. This is the same newspaper that famously broke the news that Disney was coming to Central Florida, so there’s a nice sense of history-in-the-blood behind the project.
So the real question is simple: is this book just a nostalgia souvenir, or is it actually worth a spot on your Disney shelf? Let’s dig in.
Disney World at 50 Video Review
The 176 pages features stories and memories from Orlando Sentinel reporters and staff from before opening day through Disney reopening in the midst of the global pandemic. Each page features multiple photos, many of which have only been shared in news articles.
You can order from the Orlando Sentinel Store.
Are You Going to Add Disney World at 50 Orlando Sentinel book to Your Collection?
If you collect Walt Disney World history books, Disney World at 50 earns its spot because it delivers the story through a distinctly Orlando lens, using the Sentinel’s own reporting and photo archive instead of Disney’s official narrative. At 176 pages, it’s an easy read, but it still packs in a lot of decades-spanning moments, with over 100 photos that feel like you’re flipping through a local time capsule. If you want a quick look before you decide, watch my video review for a flip-through and highlights, then order your copy from the Orlando Sentinel Store if it sounds like your kind of book. And now I want to hear from you: what’s the one Walt Disney World moment you’d put on the front page of your personal Sentinel, and why?
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