Encyclopedia
- This article is about Disneyland, a theme park in Anaheim, California USA. For other Disney parks and attractions, see Walt Disney Parks and Resorts or . For the television series originally titled Disneyland, see Walt Disney anthology series.
Disneyland Park, formerly referred to simply as
Disneyland from 1955-1998 is an elaborate "
theme park" at
Disneyland Resort in
Anaheim, California,
USA . Owned and operated by
The Walt Disney Company, The Magic Kingdom of Disneyland has become one of the most famous places on Earth and also one of its most visited sites. More than 515 million visitors, among them presidents, royalty, and other heads of state, have travelled to the park from around the world since the attraction first opened to guests on July 17, 1955. A worldwide celebration in commemoration of Disneyland's 50th anniversary began on May 5, 2005 and will conclude on September 30, 2006.
Dedication
"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, 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."
-
Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955
Concept and construction
Walt Disney and his older brother
Roy already headed one of Hollywood's more successful studios founded in 1924, long before the idea of a park even began to form. Walt's original concept was of a permanent family fun park without the negative element that traveling
carnivals often attracted. He developed the idea during his many outings with his daughters Diane and Sharon, when he realized that there were no parks with activities that adults and children could enjoy together.
While many people had written letters to Walt Disney about visiting the Disney Studio lot and meeting their favorite Disney character, Walt realized that a functional movie studio had little to offer to the visiting fan. He then began to foster ideas of building a site at or near his
Burbank studios for tourists to visit and perhaps take pictures with Disney characters set in statue form. His ideas then evolved to a small play park with a boat ride and other themed areas. Walt's initial concept, his "Mickey Mouse Park," grew bigger and bigger into a concept for a larger enterprise which was to become Disneyland.
Disneyland Park was partially inspired by
Tivoli Gardens ,
Greenfield Village , and Children's Fairyland . Disney's original modest plans called for the park to be built on eight acres on Riverside Drive next to the Disney Studios in
Burbank, California as a place where his employees and families could go to relax.
Early in development, during the early 1950s, it became clear that more area would be needed. Difficulties in obtaining funding caused Disney to investigate new ways of raising money. He decided to use television to get the ideas into people's homes, and so he created a show named
Disneyland which was broadcast on the fledgling
American Broadcasting Company television network. In return, the network agreed to help finance the new park.
On the suggestion of researchers at
Stanford Research Institute who correctly envisioned the area's potential growth, Disney acquired 160 acres of orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim, south of
Los Angeles in neighboring
Orange County. Construction began on July 18, 1954 and would cost
USD$17 million to complete.
U.S. Route 101 was under construction at the same time just to the north of the site; in preparation for the traffic which Disneyland was expected to bring, two more lanes were added to the freeway even before the park was finished.
Because of financial considerations, Walt Disney was forced to turn to outside financing for his theme park. He first turned to long-time licensee Western Publishing which invested in the park. ABC as part of the deal to broadcast the Disneyland television show also became an investor. For the first five years of its operation, Disneyland was owned by
Disneyland, Inc., of which
Walt Disney Productions, Western Publishing and ABC each owned shares. After the park was a clear success Western acceeded to a request to sell its share in the enterprise back to Disney. But ABC refused the same request initially, feeling the profit potential of the park was too lucrative to sell. It wasn't until 1960 that Walt Disney Productions acquired ABC's share of the theme park. Disney's displeasure at ABC's actions partly motivated the Walt Disney anthology series moving to NBC in 1961.
1955: Opening day
Disneyland Park was opened to the public on Monday, July 18, 1955. However, a special "International Press Preview" event was held on Sunday, July 17, 1955 which was only open to invited guests and the media. The Special Sunday events, including the dedication were televised nationwide and anchored by three of Walt Disney's friends from Hollywood:
Art Linkletter,
Bob Cummings, and
Ronald Reagan.
The event did not go smoothly. The park was overcrowded as the by-invitation-only affair was plagued with counterfeit tickets. All major roads nearby were congested. The summer temperature was over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and a plumbers' strike left many of the park's drinking fountains dry. The asphalt that had been poured just the night before was so soft that ladies' high-heeled shoes sank in. Vendors ran out of food. A gas leak in Fantasyland caused Adventureland, Frontierland, and Fantasyland to close for the afternoon. Parents were throwing their children over the shoulders of crowds to get them onto rides such as the Dumbo Flying Elephants.
The park got such bad press for the event day that Walt Disney invited members of the press back for a private "second day" to experience the true Disneyland, after which Walt held a party in the Disneyland Hotel for them. Walt and his 1955 executives forever referred to the first day as "Black Sunday," although July 17 is currently acknowledged by Disney as the official opening day. On July 17 every year, cast members wear pin badges stating how many years it has been since July 17, 1955. For example, in 2004 they wore the slogan "
The magic began 49 years ago today." But for the first ten years or so, Disney did officially state that opening day was on July 18th, including in the park's own publications.
On Monday, July 18 crowds started to gather in line as early as 2 a.m., and the first person to buy a ticket and enter the park was
David MacPherson. Walt Disney decided to have a photo taken with two children, Michael Schwartner and Christine Vess instead, and the photo of the three always carries a caption along the lines of "Walt Disney with the first two guests of Disneyland." MacPherson, Schwartner and Vess all received lifetime passes to every single Disney-owned park in the world.
The Magic Kingdoms around the World
Despite the problems on opening day, Disneyland became an enormous success within its first few months. It attracted visitors worldwide in unprecedented numbers. Soon, even as Disneyland continued to grow, Walt Disney planned an expansion of the concept: Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World would be a self-contained and completely-integrated vacation experience encompassing more land than twice that of the island of Manhattan.
Walt Disney World Resort in
Lake Buena Vista,
Florida is the world's largest privately-owned vacation destination in the world, in addition to being its most popular.
Walt Disney World opened in 1971 under the guidance of Roy O. Disney, almost five years after the death of Walt Disney. Since the initial opening with one theme park and two hotels, the resort has grown into a collection of: four theme parks; two water parks; twenty-three hotels; and, an entertainment district.
In 1983 the first international Disney theme park opened:
Tokyo Disneyland Park in
Japan. Tokyo Disneyland is now part of
Tokyo Disney Resort and has a sister theme park
Tokyo Disney Sea. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea are owned by a Japanese corporation, Oriental Land Company. The Walt Disney Company receives royalties based on revenues and maintains creative control.
In 1992 EuroDisney opened in
France and is now part of
Disneyland Resort Paris with two theme parks.
On September 12, 2005,
Hong Kong Disneyland was opened in
China. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is owned jointly by the Hong Kong Government and The Walt Disney Company.
1990's Transition: A Theme Park and Hotel Becomes a Resort Destination
In the 1990s, major construction began to transform Disneyland from a theme park into a vacation resort. The Walt Disney Company purchased land surrounding the park that was once the site of low-budget motels and trailer courts and — on the site of Disneyland's original "Hundred-Acre Parking Lot" —
Disney's California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney opened in 2001. The
Grand Californian Hotel, patterned after the
Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century, extends into Disney's California Adventure Park and allows paying guests to enter that park through the hotel itself.
Most of the resort's parking today is handled by the six-level "Mickey and Friends" parking structure. With six levels and 10,250 parking spaces, it was for a short time the largest parking structure in the world. Propane-powered trams bring visitors to the entrance plaza between the two parks. There are three other Disney-owned parking lots in the Resort. The
Timon Parking Lot entrance is right at the intersection of Harbor Blvd. and Disney Way. The other lot, the Pumbaa Lot, sits across Harbor Boulevard at Disney Way, but has no tram access. The
Pinocchio lot sits just north of the Disneyland Hotel adjacent to the "Mickey and Friends" parking structure. There are also some smaller, off-property lots with regular shuttle service to the parks, and most nearby hotels offer regular shuttle service as well.
The park's management team of the mid-1990s was a tremendous source of contention to many Disneyland fans and employees. Headed by executives Cynthia Harriss and Paul Pressler, each with a retail marketing background, Disneyland's focus gradually changed from attractions to merchandising. The leaders came under increasing criticism for a host of cost-cutting initiatives and profit-boosting schemes.
Under their direction, few new attractions were built and many were closed down. Shops that once carried a variety of items themed to their locations now carried general Disney character products. Themed
restaurants and shops were closed and replaced by Outdoor vending carts which caused crowds to clog walkways. The decision to remodel Tomorrowland, derided by some fans, was attributable to Pressler, as was the closure of a great many popular attractions within the area. Dewitt "T" Irby, a retired U.S. Army officer hired as facilities manager, was blamed for the destruction of much of the tooling and attraction components in storage in the backstage areas in an effort to streamline operations as recommended by outside consultants.
After nearly a decade of deferred maintenance, Walt Disney's original theme park was showing visible signs of neglect. Paint was peeling off buildings and roofs were literally disintegrating from age, especially the
thatched roofs in Fantasyland and Adventureland. Light bulbs, which were once replaced before they burned out, not only were run to burnout but were so numerous as to make the facades they outlined look almost toothless. Fans of the park decried the perceived decline in customer value and park quality and rallied for the dismissal of the management team.
Disneyland in the 21st Century
In 2003, both Harriss and Pressler stepped down to take over operations of national clothing retailer The Gap. Irby stepped down the following year.
Matt Ouimet, formerly the president of the
Disney Cruise Line, was promoted to assume leadership of the Disneyland Resort in late 2003. Shortly afterward, he selected
Greg Emmer as Senior Vice President of Operations. Emmer is a long-time Disney cast member who had worked at Disneyland in his youth prior to moving to Florida and holding multiple executive leadership positions at the Walt Disney World Resort. Ouimet quickly set about reversing certain trends, especially with regards to cosmetic maintenance and a return to the original infrastructure maintenance schedule, in hopes of restoring the safety record of the past. Much like Walt Disney himself, Ouimet and Emmer could often be seen walking the park during business hours with members of their staff. They wore cast member name badges, stood in line for attractions and welcomed comments from guests.
In July 2006, Matt Ouimet announced that he would be leaving The Walt Disney Company to become president of
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Soon after this announcement, Ed Grier, executive managing director of Walt Disney Attractions Japan, was named president of the Disneyland Resort. Greg Emmer remains at the Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland Park hosted its 500-millionth guest in 2004.
50th anniversary
In 2004, the park undertook a number of major renovation projects in preparation for its fiftieth anniversary celebration. Many classic attractions have been restored, probably most notably
Space Mountain,
Jungle Cruise, and Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, which has received a complete restoration of its 40-year-old soundtrack.
In 2005, the entire
Walt Disney Company celebrated Disneyland Park's 50th anniversary, marketed as the "
Happiest Homecoming on Earth." The official celebration began on May 5, with a dedication from
Michael Eisner,
Bob Iger, and Art Linkletter. On July 15, 2005, Disneyland Park became the first 'location' to get a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Richard Marx wrote the official theme song, "Remember When", which was performed by
Grammy winning country artist
LeAnn Rimes, for the 50th Anniversary of Disney.
The actual anniversary day was an event marked by fans' enthusiasm. The first people began to line up at 3 p.m. the day before. Overnight, park management opened the gates of Disney's California Adventure Park simply to house the thousands of people who showed up over the course of the night. A second line formed outside the security checkpoints as thousands more arrived in the final hours before the park opened. Disneyland Park opened at 7:00 a.m., although it took several hours to admit the crowds that showed up that morning.
At 10:00 a.m., Diane Disney Miller reread her father's original dedication speech in a ceremony with Art Linkletter, Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger, CEO-elect Robert Iger, and CEO Michael Eisner. Later that day, a recording of Walt Disney's original dedication speech was replayed throughout the park, exactly 50 years to the minute from when it was originally delivered. No other special events had been planned for the day, making for a much smaller celebration than the media blowout of May 5. There were also complimentary golden Mickey ears that were specifically made for July 17, along with cupcakes for the guests. Many of the people who had waited overnight left after the rededication. Although the gates had been temporarily closed in the morning, it was done only to control crowds which were flooding Main Street for the morning ceremony. The park never reached capacity that day.
Park layout
The park is divided into realms, which radiate like the four cardinal points of the compass from Central Plaza, and well-concealed backstage areas, which normally only Disneyland hosts and hostesses can enter. The public areas occupy approximately 85 acres .
At the center of The Magic Kingdom and immediately North of Central Plaza stands Sleeping Beauty Castle, which provides entrance to Fantasyland by way of a drawbridge across a moat. Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland are arrayed on both sides of the castle.
To reach Central Plaza, guests first progress through Main Street, U.S.A., "everyone's hometown", as Walt Disney described it.
Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, Walt Disney conveyed impressions of his formative years at the turn of the 20th Century in middle America, in Marceline and Kansas City, Missouri, specifically, through the idealized and universalized form of the archetypal Main Street. Here, guests come home by arriving at Main Street Station, the main depot of the Disneyland Railroad, to find themselves in Town Square where Disneyland City Hall stands opposite the Disneyland Opera House and where other features are open for business, including: a bank; an emporium; a bakery; a general store; a fire house; an ice cream parlor; a cinema; and, a penny arcade.
It is here, also, where the duality of Disneyland is first experienced. Main Street, Disneyland, U.S.A. gives way to a magic kingdom where timeless and imaginary characters, settings, and stories come to life in fully-immersive and permanent physicality.
Lands
The original park layout included four distinct lands or realms, in addition to Main Street, U.S.A. Three more areas have been added since the park's opening, including New Orleans Square and Critter Country in Frontierland and Mickey's Toontown as an annex to Fantasyland. Once entering a realm, a guest is unable to see the outside world or any of the adjacent areas.
;
Main Street, U.S.A.:Based on the stereotypical turn-of-the-19th-century city, specifically Disney's boyhood home of
Marceline, Missouri, Main Street, U.S.A. is home to many shops but is the only land in all of Disneyland without a permanent ride. Walt Disney said, "For those of us who remember the carefree time it recreates, Main Street will bring back happy memories. For younger visitors, it is an adventure in turning back the calendar to the days of grandfather's youth."
;
Adventureland:This land is designed to be an exotic tropical place in a far-off region of the world. "To create a land that would make this dream reality," said Walt Disney, "we pictured ourselves far from civilization, in the remote
jungles of
Asia and
Africa." Attractions include the "Temple of the Forbidden Eye" in
Indiana Jones Adventure, the Jungle Cruise, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room and "Tarzan's Treehouse." .
;
Frontierland: This land recreates the setting of pioneer days along the American frontier. According to Walt Disney, "All of us have cause to be proud of our country's history, shaped by the pioneering spirit of our forefathers. Our adventures are designed to give you the feeling of having lived, even for a short while, during our country's pioneer days." Frontierland is home to the Pinewood Indians band of animatronic Native Americans, who live on the banks of the Rivers of America. Entertainment and attractions include
Fantasmic!,
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad,
Mark Twain Riverboat, and Sailing Ship Columbia. Frontierland is also home to the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, a show palace straight out of the Old West. Currently the comedic troupe "Billy Hill and the Hillbillies" entertain guests on a daily basis.
;
Fantasyland:Walt Disney said, "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." Fantasyland was originally styled in a fairground fashion, but its 1983 refurbishment turned it into a
Bavarian village. Attractions include several dark rides, the King Arthur Carrousel , and various children's rides.
;
Tomorrowland:
In Walt Disney's words, "Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are opening the doors of the
Space Age to achievements that will benefit our children and generations to come. The Tomorrowland attractions have been designed to give you an opportunity to participate in adventures that are a living blueprint of our future."
- Disneyland producer Ward Kimball had Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, Willy Ley, and Heinz Haber as technical consultants during the original design of Tomorrowland. Initial rides included the rocket to the moon; later, a large fleet of submarines was added. The area underwent a major transformation in 1967 to become "New Tomorrowland," and then again in 1998 when its focus was changed to present a "retro-future" theme reminiscent of the illustrations of Jules Verne. Current rides include the popular Space Mountain and Star Tours, among others.
;New Orleans Square:
- New Orleans Square was among the last additions to Disneyland overseen by Walt Disney himself. Opened in 1966, the area depicts the port city in the 1700's and 1800's when she was "the gay Paris of the American frontier", as Walt Disney put it. New Orleans Square contains two of the most beloved Disneyland attractions: The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.
;
Critter Country: Critter Country opened in 1972 as "Bear Country," and was renamed in 1988. Formerly the area was home to Indian Village where actual indigenous tribespeople demonstrated their dances and other customs. Today, the main draw of the area is
Splash Mountain, a log-flume journey inspired by the Uncle Remus stories of Joel Chandler Harris and the animated segments of Disney's Academy Award-winning 1946 film,
Song of the South is a feature film produced by Walt Disney Productions [i], released on November 15 [i] ...
. In 2003, a
dark ride called
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh replaced the
Country Bear Jamboree, which presented shows featuring singing bear characters that were original to Disneyland and were visualized through electronically-controlled and mechanically-animated puppets.
;
Mickey's Toontown:Mickey's Toontown opened in 1993 and was partly inspired by the fictional Los Angeles suburb of Toontown in The Walt Disney Studios' 1988 release
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 film [i], produced by Disney [i] ...
. Mickey's Toontown is a 1930's cartoon come to life and features Mickey's bungalow, Minnie's cottage, and the homes of several of the other principal Disney characters.
Backstage
Since guests step onto a stage to interact with the cast members and sets of an elaborate outdoor theatre, areas closed to park guests are considered
backstage. There are several points of entry from the outside world to the backstage areas: Ball Gate , T.D.A. Gate , Harbor Gate , and Winston Gate .
Berm Road encircles the park from Firehouse Gate to Egghouse Gate . The road is so called because it generally follows outside the path of Disneyland's earthen berm, although with the addition of Mickey's Toontown, the road now strays as much as 100 yards from onstage areas at some points. A stretch of the road, wedged between Tomorrowland and Harbor Boulevard, is called Schumaker Road. It has two narrow lanes divided by a double yellow line, runs underneath the Monorail track. There are also two railroad bridges that cross Berm Road: one behind City Hall and the other behind Tomorrowland near Harbor Gate. The speed limit for most parts of Berm Road is 15 miles per hour, although a section cutting through Disneyland's maintenance shops behind the park's northwestern corner has a speed limit of 5 miles per hour.
Major buildings backstage include the Frank Gehry-designed "Team Disney, Anaheim", where most of the division's administration currently works, as well as the old Administration Building, behind Tomorrowland and Main Street, U.S.A.. The old Admin. Building additionally houses the "Grand Canyon" and "Primeval World" dioramas of the
Disneyland Railroad.
"Backstage" also refers to parts of show buildings that are normally not seen by guests. Every attraction contains hidden walkways, service areas, control rooms, and other behind-the-scenes operations. The only way for a guest to see these areas is to have the fortune to be evacuated from the attraction in the event of a break-down. While these rare break-downs can be tedious, they can also offer illuminating views of the attractions.
By definition, backstage areas are generally off-limits to park guests. This prevents guests from seeing the industrial areas that violate the "magic" of onstage and allows cast members some solace while they work or rest. Cameras are explicitly forbidden in these parts of the park, although a scattering of poor-quality photos has inevitably found its way to a variety of web sites.
Nevertheless, there are a few ways to catch glimpses of backstage areas for those who are so inclined. One example is either on The Sailing Ship Columbia or The Mark Twain Steamboat. A short glimpse of the crocodile used in Fantasmic is fenced off behind some trees during the tour. Musical groups such as marching bands can participate in Magic Music Days, a program that allows musicians to participate in clinics and perform in parades and sit-down concerts. The general backstage areas just north of Toontown are home to locker rooms and two music studios that are frequently used by these groups. If the group will be performing at the Carnation Plaza Gardens venue, they are escorted through backstage areas between Fantasyland and Frontierland. In addition, guests who are simply visiting the resort can see bits of backstage by riding the monorail, riding the Disneyland railroad, being evacuated from broken-down attractions, or being re-routed through the area between Tomorrowland and Main Street during a crowded closing time. Guests who attempt to see backstage in more invasive ways will face consequences from the management.
Various amenities exist for Cast Members backstage when they are on breaks, or before and after their scheduled shifts. A number of cafeterias, collectively called Star Dinerz locations, offer discounted meals throughout the day. Star Dinerz locations include the Inn Between , Eat Ticket , Westside Diner , and the DCA Cafe .
Partners Federal Credit Union, the credit union for employees of The Walt Disney Company, provides nearly 20 ATMs backstage for cast member use and maintains a branch at the Team Disney Anaheim building.
Tours and Transportation
Walt Disney had a longtime interest in transportation, and trains, in particular. He even built a miniature
live steam backyard railroad, the "
Carolwood Pacific Railroad", on the grounds of his Holmby Hills estate. Throughout all the iterations of Disneyland during the seventeen or so years when Mr. Disney was conceiving it, one element remained constant: a train encircling the park.
Disneyland Railroad
Encircling Disneyland and providing a grand circle tour is the Disneyland Railroad, a short-line railway consisting of five oil-fired and steam-powered locomotives, in addition to three passenger trains and one passenger-carrying freight train. Originally known as the Disneyland and Santa Fe Railroad, the D.R.R. was presented by the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway until 1974. From 1955 to 1974, the Santa Fe Rail Pass was able to be used in lieu of a D Ticket. Laid to three-foot gauge, the most common
narrow gauge measurement used in North America, the track runs in a continuous loop around The Magic Kingdom through each of its realms. Each turn-of-the-19th-Century train departs Main Street Station on an excursion that includes scheduled station-stops at: Frontierland Station; Toontown Depot, the gateway to Fantasyland; and, Tomorrowland Station. The Grand Circle Tour then concludes with a visit to the "
Grand Canyon/Primeval World" dioramas before returning passengers to Main Street, U.S.A.
Disneyland Monorail System
One of Disneyland's signature attractions is its
monorail service, which opened in Tomorrowland in 1959 as the first daily-operating monorail train system in the Western Hemisphere. The monorail guideway has remained almost exactly the same since 1961, aside from small alterations while Indiana Jones Adventure was being built. Four generations of monorail trains have been used in the park, since their lightweight construction means they wear out quickly. The most recent generation, the Mark V, was installed in 1987 when more modern trains built by Ride & Show Engineering eliminated the old ALWEG
Buck Rogers-style trains. The next update will be in 2007, when the Mark VII trains are slated to be installed. The monorail shuttles visitors between two stations, one inside the park in Tomorrowland and one in Downtown Disney. It follows a 2.5 mile long route designed to show off the park from above.
Currently, the Monorails are out of service as major modifications to the Tomorrowland Station are being performed . As of 2004, three monorail trains, Monorail Red, Monorail Blue, and Monorail Purple, were in regular service. A fourth train, Monorail Orange, was removed from service and shipped to Disney's engineering department in Glendale for disassembly and study so that new
blueprints can be created from it, because ALWEG, the company which built the original monorail trains, has gone out of business, and the current trains, built by Ride & Show Engineering in 1987, use some of the same parts as the ALWEG trains. Monorail Blue has been sent to Canada for major rebuilding in late August of 2006. Monorail Red and Purple remain at the Monorail Barn at the Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland had a contract with Alweg which required the Alweg name to be displayed on the monorail. This conflicted with the contract with the Santa Fe that only their name could be associated with railroad attractions at the park. This caused a rift between Disneyland and the Santa Fe railroad, and eventually caused the breakdown in their relationship and the removal of Santa Fe sponsorship from the Disneyland Railroad.
Main Street Vehicles
A number of vehicles, including a
double-decker bus, a horse-drawn
streetcar, an old-fashioned fire engine, and an old-fashioned automobile, are available for rides along Main Street, U.S.A.
The fire engine was built for Walt Disney, who used it to drive around the park and host celebrity guests. The horseless carriages are modeled after cars built in 1903. They have two cylinder, four horsepower engines and manual transmission and steering.
Skyway
The
Disneyland Skyway, "the first aerial tramway of its kind in the United States"
1, was one of the signature attractions at the park. Opened in 1956 by
Walt Disney himself, it shuttled passengers between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland 100 feet above the ground, giving passengers fantastic views of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the
Matterhorn Bobsleds , and the Autopia. A distinctive feature was that Disneyland maintained the 'on-stage/backstage' illusion to Skyway guests, covering any sites that would be unsuitable to guests that were also hidden to guests on foot.
Due to the enormous impending cost to retrofit the Skyway for earthquake safety and handicap accessibility, the attraction closed permanently on November 10, 1994. Four years later, Tokyo Disneyland Park removed their Skyway; finally, in 1999, Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom Park removed theirs on the exact date that Disneyland removed theirs. No Skyways are left at any Disney park .
The Tomorrowland station in Disneyland remained and was used as a maintenance bay for
Rocket Rods beginning in 1998. It was removed shortly after the Rocket Rods closed in spring 2001.
The Fantasyland station in Disneyland remains but is closed to the public.
Autopia
The Disneyland Autopia opened with the park in 1955, and represented a future look at what would become America's multilane limited-access highways that were still being developed .
Robert Gurr designed the original Autopia cars to be reminiscent of
Ferraris. In 1967, the cars were redesigned to resemble the popular
Chevrolet Corvette. This car design was used through 2000, when the entire ride was rethemed and modernized. The new cars resemble those used in television commercials for Chevron and are in one of these three styles:
- Suzy the zippy compact
- Sparky the sports car
- Dusty, an S.U.V.
Live Events, Shows, and Other Performances
In addition to the attractions, Disneyland provides live entertainment throughout the park. Through the years, this has included:
- Throughout the park
- Disney characters, who greet visitors, talk with children, and pose for photos. Besides greeting visitors in regular places, they often participate in Disneyland parades.
- Main Street
- Daytime and nighttime parades that celebrate Disney films or seasonal holidays with characters, music, and large floats. Beginning May 2005, "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams" is presented, celebrating several of the classic Disney stories including The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland, and Pinocchio.
- Elaborate fireworks shows featuring Disney songs and an appearance by "Peter Pan" character Tinker Bell. The Fantasy in the Sky fireworks premiered in the summer of 1956 and lasted through the summer of 1999. 2000 and beyond introduced fireworks presentations that have become more elaborate, featuring new pyrotechnics, launch locations, and storylines, such as the show Believe... There's Magic in the Stars and the current 50th anniversary celebration fireworks presentation Remember... Dreams Come True.
- The Disneyland Band, which has been part of the park since its opening. They play the role of the Town Band on Main Street, U.S.A. but also break out into smaller groups like the Main Street Merchants Band, the Firehouse Sax Quartet, and a variety of groups in New Orleans Square. The Disneyland Band was traditionally all male.
- The Dapper Dans barbershop quartet, which often sings on Main Street.
- Main Street Piano Player playing at Corner Cafe on Main Street. Until his retirement in 2005, Rod Miller had played piano at Disneyland since October 1969.
- New Orleans Square
- Fantasmic!, a popular nighttime show with Mickey Mouse, special effects, floating barges, fountains, lasers, a pirate ship, a forty-five foot fire-breathing dragon, fireworks, and thirty-foot-tall "mist screens," upon which animated scenes are projected.
- Frontierland
- The Golden Horseshoe Saloon, offering a live stage show with a frontier or old-west feel. The Golden Horseshoe Revue—an old-west Vaudeville type of show starring Slue Foot Sue and Pecos Bill—ran until the mid-1980s, when it was replaced by a similar show starring Lily Langtree and Sam the Bartender. Most recently, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies have played their guitars and banjos in a bluegrass-and-comedy show.
- The Laughing Stock Co., providing small humorous skits with an old-west theme.
- Fantasyland
- Merlin, who appears in Fantasyland several times a day to help some lucky child pull a sword from an anvil and stone.
- Special and Historical events
- During the summer of 2006, Mickey climbed Matterhorn Mountain several times a day with the support of his friends Minnie, Goofy, as well as Disneyland guests. He posted the 50th anniversary flag at the summit of the mountain.
Tickets
From Disneyland's opening until 1982, the price of attractions was in addition to the price of park admission. Park-goers paid a small sum to get into the park, then bought coupons , individually or in booklets, that allowed them access to rides and attractions. The least-expensive "A" tickets gave access to the smaller attractions, while the most-expensive "E" tickets gave access to the newest thrill rides or the most interesting and unusual attractions. This led to the still-popular term "
E ticket ride" for any particularly outstanding, special, or thrilling experience.
While
Pacific Ocean Park is credited as being the first amusement park to use a "pay one price" admission ticket, it was in the 1970s when nearby
Magic Mountain introduced their one-price admission ticket which allowed free access to all attractions within the park when the "pay one price" model really took off. This model spread rapidly to all other parks, including Disneyland, because its business advantages were obvious: in addition to guaranteeing that everyone paid a large sum even if they stayed for only a few hours and rode only a few rides, the park no longer had to print tickets or ticket books, staff ticket booths, or provide staff to collect tickets or monitor attractions for people sneaking on without tickets.
In 1999, in an effort to offset the long waits for the most popular attractions, Disney implemented a new service named
FASTPASS . At attractions featuring FASTPASS, a guest can use his park admission ticket to obtain a FASTPASS ticket with a return time later that day printed on it. If the guest returns to the attraction at his return time, he can wait in a shorter line and be on the attraction within ten minutes, or often much more quickly. Initially, only a few attractions offered this service, but its popularity ensured its spread to many of the park's attractions. The
selection of rides offering Fastpass changes over time.
Admission Prices
Currently admission prices are as follows:
- 1-Day, 1 Park = $63 ages 10+, $53 ages 3-9, $61 Senior
- 1-Day Park Hopper = $83 ages 10+, $73 ages 3-9
Historic One-Day, One-Park, Adult Admission Prices| Date | Price |
| 01/05/1999 | $39 |
| 01/05/2000 | $41 |
| 11/06/2000 | $43 |
| 03/19/2002 | $45 |
| 01/06/2003 | $47 |
| 03/28/2004 | $49.75 |
| 01/10/2005 | $53 |
| 06/20/2005 | $56 |
| 01/04/2006 | $59 |
| 09/15/2006 | $63 |
|
Deaths
Over the half century that Disneyland Park has been in operation, twelve guests and one Cast Member have died inside the park. A greater number of guests have been injured.
Incidents
In August 1970, Disneyland Park was literally invaded by several
Yippies who planned the stunt as an attack on what they saw as bloated establishment decadence. In their leaflets, they stated they would help "liberate"
Minnie Mouse, arrange a
Black Panther Breakfast at the now-closed Aunt Jemima Pancake House, and attack the
Bank of America on
Main Street, USA and the attraction "it's a small world", which Bank of America sponsored. The stated reason for the attack was because the Bank was financing the
Vietnam War, which they opposed. They raised a
Viet Cong flag on Tom Sawyer's Island chanting "
Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh", filled the now-closed Inner Space dark ride with
marijuana smoke and also displayed the Yippie flag . Park officials were aware ahead of time of the invasion. Police units from every city in Orange County were on duty that day. All supervisors were called in and were dressed "undercover". In light of the employee dress code regarding hair length, etc, it was pretty obvious who was who. As a result, Disneyland was closed early for the first time since the death of John F. Kennedy.
With memories of this event in mind, in May 1989, park security personnel were prepared for a rumored invasion of the park by
neo-Nazis in honor of the birth of an obscure Nazi leader named
Gregor Strasser. Although several leaflets were published announcing the invasion, only one car of neo-Nazis was seen in the parking lot before the park opened, and they were turned away at the entry gate.
Closures
In addition to the Yippie Invasion, Disneyland has been forced to close two other times in its history.
The first occurrence was due to
President Kennedy's assassination, yet urban legends have circulated that Walt Disney refused to heed orders from Under Secretary of State George Ball to lower the US Flag in Town Square. This is highly unlikely, though, since Disney and his brother were on the other side of the country surveying land for the future site of the Walt Disney World Resort.
Disneyland Park and Disney's California Adventure did not open on September 11, 2001 out of respect for the time of national mourning and out of fear of further attacks directed at high-profile targets such as the park.
In Disneyland's early years, the park was often scheduled to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during the off-season. They worked with nearby
Knott's Berry Farm, which closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays to keep costs down for both parks, while offering Orange County visitors a place to go 7 days a week.
A scheduled closure occurred on May 4, 2005 so that the finishing touches for the 50th Anniversary Celebration media event could be completed.
An additional restriction was imposed by the
Federal Aviation Administration after September 11, a temporary flight restriction, which forbids civilian and media aircraft from flying over the park. Although called "temporary," this restriction is still in place as of May, 2005, however it has since been weakened, only creating the "No-Fly Zone" when the
Terror Alert Level is Orange or higher.
Disneyland in Fiction
- Disneyland Park, and a learned discussion of its social function, occurs with deliberate incongruity in the closing pages of E. L. Doctorow
