The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge review: A museum of exquisite art packed into one book

Disney Parks’ Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has been around for nearly two years now. And in that time, countless Star Wars fans have visited the Disneyland and Walt Disney World locations to immerse themselves in the world of Star Wars in a way that only Disney could.

And for anyone who’s a Disney Parks fan, you know that the Imagineers behind each attraction and land dedicate an immense amount of time to crafting each and every product. The development of these projects are stories just waiting to be told, and so it’s no wonder that a book has been dedicated specifically to this when it comes to Galaxy’s Edge: The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

This in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the park (sent to us courtesy of Abrams Books) is written by Amy Ratcliffe with a foreword from Imagineering creative executive Scott Trowbridge. And for an art book, this title strikes the perfect balance between narrative and written sections and the amount of art they have to share.

Truly, this book feels like one big art museum condensed into a couple hundred pages. As I read, it felt as if I were viewing a special gallery dedicated to the etchings and concept art designs for the park. That, of course, makes up a majority of this art-filled book — and no subject about Galaxy’s Edge is left out. In the beginning, the book explores the concepts for the creation of the park’s layout and overall feel as you learn about the places Imagineers took inspiration from — that includes places like Marrakesh, Istanbul, and even the sets of Star Wars movies.

Then, as you read on, the book delves into the art of specific concepts, including anything from the Rise of the Resistance ride and Oga’s Cantina, all the way to the concepts for the custom Coca-Cola bottles designed specifically for Galaxy’s Edge. Below are just a few photos from the book that show off the type of art you’ll find in this fascinating read.

Overall, The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will likely appeal to a number of people. Star Wars fans, for sure, will enjoy learning about how projects like these come together. And of course, the book is filled with trivia about Easter eggs that are hidden in the park, as well as Star Wars concepts that didn’t quite make it into the final design.

Disney Parks fans will also love this book for the sheer amount of information they tell you about the process of creating a theme park land like this. For anyone who enjoyed The Imagineering Story on Disney+, you’ll likely enjoy this expansive look into the theme park as well — because only an Imagineer can detail all of the hard work that goes into creating every single detail in these lands. Ratcliffe herself does an excellent job of including a variety of interviews and facts about each aspect of this park so that you’ll be feeling like an expert Imagineer yourself by the time you reach the last page.

If you’ve visited Galaxy’s Edge already, you’ll likely enjoy looking back on the creation of all the things you’ve seen in the park and wondering what could have been with the scrapped concepts. Or if you’ve yet to visit Galaxy’s Edge (like myself, though that’ll be changing soon!), then it’s a fantastic precursor to your future visit. Either way, you’ll be a knowledgeable tour guide when it comes to the little facts and tidbits you’ve learned about the ever-amazing Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge from this art book.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is out Tuesday, April 27 wherever books are sold.