Behind The

Disneyland
Curtain
By Brynn McBride
 Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth
- Grand Opening: July 15, 1955
- First Disney Park
- Located in Anaheim, CA
- Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, combined, span across
500 acres compared to Disney World’s 43 square mi
- Disney’s California Adventure, similar to Disney World’s Hollywood
Studios, it contains the new Avengers Campus and Pixar Pier
- DCA opened on May 1, 2001
 Walter Elias Disney
- Born December 5, 1901 as the 4th son
- Took to the arts in school, where he created an animated
mouse named Mickey
- Started a commercial art studio in 1919 with Ub Iwerks, but
eventually went to work with older, brother Roy
- Married Lillian and 2 daughters

Google Images
Google Images
Inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpM9
-zkK4OM
 The Spark
- After WWII, animation increased substantially in price and
continued to rise
- Walt was fed up with labor unions
- Used artist instead of architects to come up with the design
- Called the original team of artists that helped bring is dream to life,
Imagineers
Google Images

Google Images
 Anaheim, California
- Chosen for its climate, price, and near by a rapidly booming urban area
- Mostly citrus trees and no freeways
- Banks refused to invest in the park calling it a “pipe dream”
- Walt Disney was determined that it was going to work, his brother Roy was not so convinced.
- Roy proposed that they make a weekly TV show for ABC in exchange for financing the $5
million park
- Walt used this opportunity to promote the park
Google Images

Google Images
 Construction
- Started construction on July 24, 1954
- The goal was a year
- Put out adds to remove trees from people’s yard for use in the Jungle Cruise because there
wasn’t money to buy them
- Walt would come on Sundays, he was scared throughout construction because he was
worried that people wouldn’t pay to come
Google Images

Google Images
 Home Stretch
- Labor disputes erupted over long hours
- Record rainfall caused flooding
- By the end Walt’s team had spent $17 million
- There was a plumber strike, so Walt had to choose between the toilets or the drinking
fountains, he chose the toilets.
- Many of the attractions were not finished by opening day

Google Images

Google Images
 Opening Day
- The black top hadn’t dried, so women’s heel were going through the black top
- Nearly 24,000 counterfeit tickets
- The speedway cars were overwhelmed with people not wanting to wait in line and the
teacup ride was falling apart
- Got horrible reviews, but visitors continued to come
- Hit 1 millionth visitor in the second month

Both Google images

Walt’s Response to the media’s comments
about Disneyland’s unfinished attractions

“Disneyland will never be completed, as

long as there’s imagination left in the world”
 Evolution
- Improvements are made every
year
- Avengers Campus, Pixar Pier,
Both Google Images Incredibles, etc.
 The Start of an Era

Disneyland was the start of a new era. Now,

there a Disney Parks all around the world.
Disney World opened on October 1, 1971.
Unfortunately, Walt Disney passed away
before it was finished, so Disneyland is the
only Disney Park that Walt Disney was
completely involved in and it was the only
one he was able to go to.

Google Images
References:
Bassett, A. (Narrator). (2019). The Imagineering Story [Online video]. United States: The Walt
Disney Company.
Brown, V., & Chen, E. (2021, October 25). What is the difference between Disneyland and
Disney World. In USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/
experience/america/theme-parks/2021/10/24/disney-world-disneyland-differences-theme-parks/8520987002/

Disney California Adventure Park. (n.d.). In Disneyland Resort. Retrieved from

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disney-california-adventure/

Disneyland. (2021, July 17). In Britannica. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/place/Disneyland/additional-info#history
Continued…
MacDonald, B. (n.d.). Disneyland got off to a nightmare start in 1955, but ‘Walt’s Folly’ quickly
won over fans. In Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from
https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-d-disneyland-opening-day-20150712-story.html
Walt Disney. (2021, December 11). In Britannica. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Walt-Disney
The Grand Opening of Disneyland. (n.d.). In Designing Disney. Retrieved from
https://www.designingdisney.com/parks/disneyland-resort/grand-opening-disneyland/