Some of the first guests who reserved a stay at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa recently received a surprise in the mail from Disney: a storybook celebrating elements of Hawaiian culture which have been integrated throughout the resort.
In designing Aulani, Disney Imagineers called upon the legend of the Menehune. The Menehune are mysterious craftspeople who appear at night and work on a variety of artistic projects.
Menehune statues have been integrated throughout the Aulani resort, ostensibly as part of a well-themed seek-and-find game for youngsters. But Disney has taken the myth one step further, releasing a book entitled "The Untold Tales of the Menehune."
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Cover of "The Untold Tales of the Menehune"
The book was written by Scott Ritchey, designed by Steve Carsella and illustrated by Imagineer Joe Rohde.
As part of the build-up to Aulani's grand opening, Disney has sent copies of the the book to the first 2500 guests who booked a stay at the resort.
Interior sample pages
Disney Vacation Club memeber Troy ("DisWitt") received a copy and had these thoughts to share:
"I just read the book to my 4-year-old son and it's really special and wonderful that Disney went so far as to create an offshoot of a Hawaiian myth that explains and weaves magic into the Aulani. How many hotels can say that there is a magical back-story to their existence? Color me impressed."
Aulani is scheduled to open to guests on August 29, 2011
Many thanks to Troy for the information and photos!
