Book Review - Creating Worlds: The Disney and 20th Century Studios Cinematic Art of Dylan Cole

The Artbook Collector
8 minutes ago
6 min read

November 25th 2025

The movie industry is full of exceptional talent, all of which help bring our favourite movies to life, some write, some direct, and of course, some draw and paint. Concept artist and production designer Dylan Cole is someone that has been working on some of the biggest movies for over 20 years, and even if you were not aware of it at the time, you have almost certainly seen the places he helped design, backgrounds he painted, or posters he created. A selection of his artwork is now available to add to your shelf in his new exciting new book, Creating Worlds: The Disney and 20th Century Studios Cinematic Art of Dylan Cole.

Creating Worlds (shortened for the purpose of this review) was released November 18th 2025 by Insight Editions in the US and is coming on the 30th in the UK from Titan Books. A copy has joined the collection, so I’m able to share my thoughts after diving into this volume of world-building artwork!

Build Quality

This hardcover book comes in at a good size of 31cm x 26cm and 296 pages, so it’s a hefty book too. These pages are thick and high quality, just as you would hope for an artbook. One of my favourite things about this book is the binding, because they used more page signatures than most (groups of pages) and gave the backing some good flexibility as well. This means that not only do the pages open fully, but there is also less strain on the binding, as fewer and thicker signatures can begin to separate due to their weight. The binding will come up again shortly, but in terms of the physical quality of the book, this is as good as it gets.

Content

Creating Worlds shines the spotlight on Dylan Cole’s artwork, and as he mentioned in my interview with him, this is not an ‘Art of’ book, but rather a showcase of the pieces he curated for this release. However, it does more than just showcase images, as it has other features and details fans of Cole and cinema will appreciate.

As for the art, well it speaks for itself of course. Dylan Cole is an incredible artist and that is on full display with concept art, matte paintings, and posters. I’ve been a fan for a long time and anyone that has seen his work surely is too, so a volume of some of his best work and previously unseen art is a joy to look though. The high level of detail, interesting worlds, dynamic keyframes, and incredible use of colour make this a book you will revisit often.

One thing that has to be highlighted is the print quality, as Insight Editions and Titan Books have recently been a step above everyone else in this regard, so I was happy they were behind the book. This one of the best, if not the best print finish that I’ve seen in an artbook. True blacks, vibrant colours and even in the smaller images, all of the details can be clearly seen. It’s very impressive and suited for the artwork.

The book is divided into chapters of the movies he worked on; Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Tron: Legacy, Oz the Great and Powerful, Maleficent, Alita: Battle Angel, and Avatar: The Way of Water. All followed by chapters for his work on Imagineering theme parks, posters, and his workflows. It’s a clean and simple way to break the book up and works perfectly.

As you can see in the previews, there are double page spreads and larger images, taking full advantage of the size of the pages. The movies allow for a variety of art too, including the alien world of Avatar’s Pandora, Maleficent’s scenic Fairy Mound, Tron: Legacy’s sci-fi city, and Alita: Battle Angel’s Iron City. Within the chapters are scenes you will recognise, alternate versions of what you saw on-screen, and ideas that never made the cut, a mix that I love to see.

Avatar: The Way of Water is the largest chapter and it’s rich with stunning artwork, as well as scenes that were didn't make it into the movie, such as a birthing ceremony and an underwater celebration. There is also a great piece from video game that never came to be used here too. There are many other highlights in the book that I really liked, such as the Moors in Maleficent, landscapes from Oz the Great and Powerful, and a concept poster for WALL-E, one of my favourite movies.

Alongside the artwork are insights from Cole, with larger text speaking to his time on each project, getting the job, working with the directors and artists, his role, and more. It’s engaging throughout and highlights that his work on some of the movies went beyond the art and took him on set. It’s always nice to hear about what it takes to create a movie and it’s mixed in with personal stories to make it a fun read. Smaller text gives details for specific pieces, such as the design approach, the methods used, descriptions, and influences. These are great additional notes that take the book beyond being just a slideshow.

On top of all this, Creating Worlds has a foreword from James Cameron and afterword from Robert Stromberg that speak to working with Cole his contribution to the industry, great bookends for what’s inside. A section on Cole’s earlier life before the original Avatar is also found inside, taking the reader through his childhood art and influences, to education and working on his first movies. The Process: A Brief Look chapter has some spreads sharing his workflow in stages, interesting for artists and nerds like myself.

Overall, there is a lot to love here, the superb art alone will have people interested in the book, but the insights and details add to the experience. This is like holding a gallery of artwork in your hands, exactly what Dylan Cole set out to do and it’s wonderfully executed.

Credits

Short and sweet for this part of the review, as the credit for the artwork is on the front cover after all! In the case of a piece from Eyvind Earle, it is credited on the page, the best way to do it.

Use of Space

As mentioned, the book was made to be a showcase, rather than an ‘Art of’ book, so the images are given space to breathe and the pages are designed to be art focused. As is often the case, simple is the better option and that can be seen here, with the art drawing the eye and the text being placed in the least intrusive areas of the white space.

This is also where the binding comes into play, because the huge risk with double page spreads is image loss in the centre fold and this often ruins the art. However, this was thought out and the full pieces of art can be seen on every page, a huge win for the book. I have no doubt this takes time and working out to get right, but it was worth it to deliver a book of this quality.

Value

Creating Worlds has an RRP of $75/ £49.99, which puts it in the higher prince range of an artbook before any discounts. However, given the quality of the book build, its size, and print quality, it earns the price tag. Even without considering the content itself, fans won’t feel let down here.

At the time of writing this shortly after the American release, the book is discounted on the UK Amazon site with 27% off, a huge drop that people would do well to take advantage of. There is nothing in the US for now, but deals come and go, as well as appear elsewhere. Regardless, fans of Dylan Cole and movie art will get good value for their money at full price, with price drops being an added bonus.

Verdict

Creating Worlds: The Disney and 20th Century Studios Cinematic Art of Dylan Cole is a brilliant example of how to showcase an artist’s work in this highly recommended book. Cole’s spectacular art showcases why he is one of the best and the insights are engaging throughout, both making it a joy to go through. The physical book itself is the best I’ve seen in a long time, because it’s thoughtfully produced to make sure everything is beautifully displayed, with the print quality elevating the art further.

I was expecting a fantastic book when it was first listed and it certainly didn’t disappoint. If you’re a fan of Dylan Cole, the movies, or even art in general, this will be a great addition to your shelf. I could go on and on about specific pieces and the concepts for scenes that were cut, but I think with this review I’ve painted enough of a picture myself about my thoughts on this book!

If you would like to add a copy of Creating Worlds: The Disney and 20th Century Studios Cinematic Art of Dylan Cole to your own shelf, you can order the book here;