“To all who come to this happy place, welcome,” Walt Disney proudly told his audience on July 17, 1955, at the opening of his new and completely unique amusement park. “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 that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
Art Linkletter, one of the hosts of the opening day broadcast (along with Bob Cummings and Ronald Reagan), called Disneyland the “eighth wonder of the world.” And indeed Walt’s crazy dream, despite prophecies of disaster and bankruptcy from enemies and friends alike, was a phenomenal success from that first hot and crowded opening day onwards. Walt Disney had invented a brand-new kind of entertainment, and people of all ages, American and foreigners alike, were captivated.
Just as his “Snow White” movie created the genre of animated movies, Walt’s Disneyland created the amusement park industry as we know it today. But though there have been many imitators, the original has never been surpassed. Whether a guest wishes to travel to outer space, play with mermaids and fairies, explore the American frontier, battle pirates, or take a tropical safari, his dream can come true at Disneyland.
Just as St. John the Apostle once advised visitors horrified to find him playing a child’s game that play has a necessary place in every healthy life, Walt Disney wanted to reawaken child-like wonder in people of all ages. “I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty,” he said. Disneyland was based on the same idea. No one worked harder than Walt Disney, and no one understood better the importance of having holidays to reawaken joy in and wonder at life. And notably, Disneyland was meant to bring families together, to provide a space where extended family, parents, friends, and children could all play together. The modern Disney company ought to recapture that spirit, promoting child-like wonder at marvels both real and fictional.
The rest of this article is taken from my piece for PJ Media.
Whether riding the Mark Twain Riverboat or paddling the Davy Crockett canoes in Frontierland, flying with Peter Pan or chasing the Wicked Queen with the dwarves in Fantasyland, launching a rocket or submerging in a submarine in Tomorrowland, or taking a Jungle Cruise in Adventureland, Disneyland provided guests of all ages and tastes a chance to live out their biggest dreams and step into a world where each guest is the hero of a fantastical story…
Not many opening day attractions survive — Peter Pan, Snow White, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Jungle Cruise, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Autopia, the Railroad, and the Mark Twain Riverboat are among them — but the magic of Disneyland is still there. Despite all the wokeness that has since entered Walt’s company (which would have broken the staunchly Republican Christian’s heart), the spirit of Walt and his quintessentially American genius linger in the land that was his greatest pride and joy.
Related: Walt Disney, Patriotic Lover of American Rights
Where else can you visit a Haunted House, battle pirates, fly with pixies and large-eared elephants, hear Abraham Lincoln speak, climb castle stairs, explore tropical jungles with talking tikis, challenge Storm Troopers, scale the Matterhorn, and ride a mine train in the Old West all in the same day? The unbridled imagination coupled with rigorous craftsmanship on display at Disneyland is still a gold standard of entertainment. There have been many imitators of Disneyland since the park first opened, but, in my opinion, the original has never been surpassed.
I have many childhood memories from Disneyland, with my parents, my grandfather, my uncle and aunts, my cousin, and my siblings. To this day, it represents a favorite spot for my family to meet up and have fun. To quote James Baskett (“Uncle Remus”), the Disney legend whom Walt ensured would be the first black actor to win an Academy Award, every day at Disneyland is “a wonderful day.” Walt Disney truly managed to preserve the greatest stories, both fantasy and history, of Western Civilization for new generations at Disneyland, adding in his own original touches, unique storytelling style, and masterful attention to detail to cement their enduring popularity.
Related: James Baskett, Oscar-Winning History Maker as ‘Uncle Remus’
A quote usually attributed (at least in part) to Walt Disney and which certainly encapsulates his attitude toward the park’s purpose provides a fitting end to this brief tribute for Disneyland’s 70th birthday:
The most important person in Disneyland is a guest. A guest is a person who enters Disneyland seeking entertainment. A guest may be white, black, brown, or yellow… Christian, Jew, Buddhist, or Hindu … Republican or Democrat… Showoff or wallflower… big shot or small… Rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy…
But, from the moment his car turns into the Disneyland parking area until he leaves, he is a guest of Disneyland… A Disneyland guest is to us, a King in our Magic Kingdom.
And, as Walt also said, never forget that it all started with a mouse!
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Author: Catherine Salgado
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