Disneyland turns 60
Nov 18, 2015 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle
As I’m writing this, I’m on a plane shuttling across the friendly skies to California for an epic trip with my best friend, sister, and vintage partner-in-crime. While we’re going to cram a lot into our schedule, the top thing on the list is a visit to the happiest place on earth. This year marks six decades since this iconic park opened it’s doors. Let’s travel back in time to 1955 and celebrate the fact that Disneyland turns 60 this year!
While the park itself turns the big 6-0, the idea for it really came two decades earlier. As a father, Walt Disney was no stranger to amusement parks. His daughters often asked to go to Griffith Park in LA, and while this place was fun, it was very typical of entertainment for the time: a great place for kids to run around and play, but not an environment where parents could really enjoy. Walt wondered if this concept of outdoor entertainment could be turned on its head. Could you create a special place where kids can see their imagination take shape and parents are encouraged to be kids for a day? Could a venue that caters to children also engage adults? These questions guided the park’s focus throughout its development.
For years this idea largely lived in Walt Disney’s head, but by the mid to late 1940s, memos started to surface. At the beginning, this correspondence was largely between Walt and his studio production designer, Dick Kelsey. In these notes they discussed making a small park, adjoining the studios, with an emphasis on the big guy himself, Mickey.
But pretty soon this work picked up pace as fan letters started pouring in – people wanted to see the studios and watch the magic being made. But visiting a working movie studio wasn’t exactly the vision Walt Disney had in his mind all those years ago – he wanted to exceed his fan’s expectations. (Check out a neat description of Walt’s goals with the park’s different attractions here.)
“What youngster….has not dreamed of flying with Peter Pan over moonlit London, or tumbling into Alice’s nonsensical Wonderland? In Fantasyland, these classic stories of everyone’s youth have become realities for youngsters-of all ages-to participate in.” – Walt Disney sharing his vision for Fantasyland
With the public fueling him on, his words leapt off the page and into action. Walt started to visit parks all over the world – the Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, Efteling in the Netherlands, and Greenfield Village (which had a Main Street Attraction). Each trip brought him more inspiration and direction to give to his design staff. Sketch after sketch got tacked up on the wall and by then, everyone realized this park had taken on a life of its own. There was no way it was going to fit on their existing lot. (Not to mention Burbank city officials weren’t thrilled with the idea of a park in their town. They didn’t see Disneyland through Walt’s eyes, they only worried about fly-by-night types inundating their community.)
Getting ready for another Disney TV special
Never one to shirk away from a challenge, Walt forged ahead. Instead of limiting the project, he brought in a researcher to identify the best location for the burgeoning park layout. Once the team knew where the park would call home, the next step was making sure they could fund this ambitious design. Again, an innovative approach was on the menu. Instead of focusing on traditional fund-raising, Walt partnered with the brand new television network: ABC. He created content for the network (remember, this was the early days of tv) in the form of a show called Disneyland and in exchange ABC helped fund the park. Talk about clever branding and marketing, huh?
The park opened exactly one year and one day after the groundbreaking ceremony and the state of California added two more lanes to the freeway to accommodate the expected jump in traffic. An excited Walt hosted a preview event for the public and the media on a fateful Sunday in July. The big day… well… let’s just say it didn’t go as anticipated. Portions of the event were broadcast nationally and hosted by three of Walt’s famous friends: Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings, and Ronald Reagan. This was one of the first live broadcasts and it was plagued with technical difficulties. On top of that, it was blazing hot, plumbers were on strike (so the park had flushing toilets, but no working drinking fountains), vendors ran out of food, women’s shoes sunk into the hot asphalt, and a gas leak in Fantasyland caused many attractions to close for the afternoon. It’s no wonder Disney executives termed this day “Black Sunday.”
Needless to say, the press held no punches back as they covered the ongoing mishaps and frustrations of the park’s debut. Walt’s determination came into play again and he decided to host a do-over. All attendees were invited for a second event the next day and it went off without a hitch. The rest, they say, is history. Within the first three months, a million people were introduced to a world of fantasy, imagination, and fun. Disneyland has gone on to host a long list of famous guests and even invented Doritos along the way! But for me, the best thing about celebrating this milestone is that the feel of Disneyland defies its age. It may be sixty years old, but it’s still a kid at heart – housing new exhibits, welcoming new characters, and inspiring people to be a little silly for at least a day. And this, I think, is exactly what Walt was hoping for when he had that first twinkle in his eye in the 1930s – a place that took on a life of its own and embodied the ideals it was created around.
Next time you’re facing a challenge, take a page from his book and have a do-over. Just because obstacles stand in your way, it doesn’t mean the dream isn’t valid – and as Walt proved to the world – it doesn’t mean you can’t make it happen!
For our readers – have you been to Disneyland? What are your favorite memories? Do you think today’s media coverage would have allowed for a do-over of such an epic blunder?