About Us
Happy Place Press is a place to learn about the history, art, and archaeology that have influenced popular culture. Our books uncover the real castles, paintings, sculptures, prints, and more hidden inside your favorite films and theme parks.
Art behind the magic
Happy Place Press exists to share the art history behind some of the world’s most popular stories and imagery in movies and theme parks: the historical architecture behind theme park castles, the visual history of pirates, or the actual paintings and buildings that inspired animators and engineers decades ago.
Each book pairs rigorous art historical research with the warmth of a friend who can't wait to show you something cool, so you walk away seeing your favorite films and parks (and a lot of art history) in a completely new light.
Happy Place Press was founded by art historian Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank in 2025 to make art history more accessible and relevant to people outside museums and college classrooms.
Staff
Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
Publisher & Founder
Lauren was a longtime professor of Art History who left academia to find better ways to connect with other audiences. She has published academic scholarship, both books and articles, but is passionate about finding non-academic channels to help people connect with art history. She has worked as a developmental editor and an acquisitions editor for several open educational resources (OERs). In late 2025, she formed Happy Place Press as a place for other scholars in the humanities and social sciences to publish accessible non-fiction about popular culture and history.