{"id":62841,"date":"2018-05-31T12:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T16:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=62841"},"modified":"2022-04-08T23:36:44","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T03:36:44","slug":"disneyland-dream-walt-disney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/disneyland-dream-walt-disney\/","title":{"rendered":"Disneyland: A Dream Comes True for Walt Disney"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the 1950s, when Walt Disney began designing what would become Disneyland, not even he could have foreseen that by 2016 there would be 12 Disney theme parks worldwide. As a young man, Walter Elias Disney, born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois (on the northwest side of Chicago),\u00a0set out as a commercial artist. From 1919 through 1923, Walt Disney undertook several ventures that all ended in bankruptcy before he cofounded, with his brother Roy, the Disney Brothers Studio in Los Angeles, California (later renamed Walt Disney Studios). The company was located at 2719 Hyperion Avenue for more than 10\u00a0years; here, Walt created some of his early successes, such as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Snow White. In 1938, more space was needed, and Disney Studios acquired a 50-acre lot in Burbank.<\/p>\n

\"Walt<\/p>\n

In 1939, Walt won an honorary Academy Award (one full-size Oscar and seven miniatures) for his animated feature Snow White<\/em>. Classics such as Dumbo, Bambi,<\/em> and Cinderella<\/em> followed. During his lifetime, Walt Disney went on to win\u00a022 Academy Awards!<\/p>\n\n

In 1954, Walt Disney set out to fulfill his\u00a0long-held dream to build a theme park by purchasing 160 acres of land\u2014former orange groves\u2014in Anaheim, about 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Construction began immediately; $17 million later, Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955. A total of 11,000 guests were expected, but, due to counterfeit tickets, at least 28,000 arrived at the gates, leading to huge traffic delays and long queues in near-100-degree heat. Many celebrities attended the opening of the park, including Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher, and\u00a0movie star (and future US President) Ronald Reagan.<\/p>\n

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Walt opened Disneyland with the following, now famous, words:\u00a0“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past…and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts which have created America … with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Disneyland was not ready on this first day: Food and drink ran out, the asphalt on Main Street USA was still wet, there was a gas leak at Sleeping Beauty\u2019s Castle, and the Mark Twain steamboat nearly capsized when too many passengers were allowed to board.<\/p>\n

The park, however, opened to the public, on time, the next day. The landmark Sleeping Beauty Castle, as well as the classic rides (Snow White\u2019s Adventures,\u00a0Peter Pan\u2019s Flight, The Storybook Land Canal Boats, the Jungle Cruise, Mr. Toad\u2019s Wild Ride, and the Mark Twain River Boat) enticed more than 1 million visitors to come in the first year alone. In 1955, admission was $1, and the cost of the individual attractions ranged 10 to 35 cents. Over the years, Disneyland kept adding\u00a0new state-of-the-art attractions, and visitors kept returning; since opening day, more than\u00a0600 million<\/strong>\u00a0guests have visited the theme park.<\/p>\n

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For all there is to see and do at Disneyland Park, check out\u00a0The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by Seth Kubersky with Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa, and Guy Selga Jr.<\/p>\n

All Disneyland fans should also check out\u00a0The Disneyland Story:\u00a0The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney\u2019s Dream<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by Sam Gennawey.\u00a0If you enjoyed this post, sign up for our newsletter\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photo credits<\/strong>
\nEP Ripley train: By Tom Arthur (originally posted to Flickr as train) [CC BY-SA 2.0],via Wikimedia Commons
\nDisneyland Stage Coach: By ljpelletier (1955 Disneyland Stagecoach) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
\nDisneyland map: By U.S. Geological Survey [CC BY 2.0 0], via Wikimedia Commons
\nSleeping Beauty Castle: Liliane Opsomer<\/p>\n

What are your favorite parts about Disneyland? Share in the comments, or\u00a0on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Did you like this article? Make sure to share it with your friends! Check below for easy ways to share!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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