Disneyland Dream
Encyclopedia
Disneyland Dream is a home movie
made by Robbins and Meg Barstow that documents their family's free trip to the newly opened Disneyland. The one-week trip was a prize that they won in a contest sponsored by Scotch tape
. The movie was shot with a 16 mm handheld camera. It lasts approximately 30 minutes. An audio track was added to the film in 1995.
The Barstows lived in Wethersfield
, Connecticut
. They flew to California with TWA
and stayed at The Huntington Sheraton
hotel in Pasadena
. They visited other Southern California locations, including Knott's Berry Farm
, Hollywood, Grauman's Chinese Theatre
, Beverly Hills
, Universal Studios
, Will Rogers' home
and Catalina Island
on their July 1956 trip.
Comedian Steve Martin
who worked at Disneyland as a child, appears at about twenty minutes into the film, briefly walking left to right in the lower part of the frame, dressed in top hat, vest, and pink striped shirt.
by the Library of Congress
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The National Film Registry cited its "fantastical historical snapshots" of early Southern California and the budding importance of the home movies in "American cultural studies as they provide priceless and authentic record of time and place."
Commenting on the selection of Disneyland Dream into the National Film Registry, Robbins Barstow stated: "I think it's because it gives a picture of a representative American middle class family that's functional".
Amateur film
Amateur Film is the low-budget hobbyist art of film practiced for passion and enjoyment and not for business purposes.-Organizations:The international organization for amateur film makers is UNICA ; in the United States the American Motion Picture Society , in Canada the Society of Canadian Cine...
made by Robbins and Meg Barstow that documents their family's free trip to the newly opened Disneyland. The one-week trip was a prize that they won in a contest sponsored by Scotch tape
Scotch Tape
Scotch Tape is a brand name used for certain pressure sensitive tapes manufactured by 3M as part of the company's Scotch brand.- History :The precursor to the current tapes was developed in the 1930s in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Richard Drew to seal a then-new transparent material known as...
. The movie was shot with a 16 mm handheld camera. It lasts approximately 30 minutes. An audio track was added to the film in 1995.
The Barstows lived in Wethersfield
Wethersfield, Connecticut
Wethersfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Many records from colonial times spell the name Weathersfield, while Native Americans called it Pyquag...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. They flew to California with TWA
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
and stayed at The Huntington Sheraton
Hotel Wentworth (Pasadena)
The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, originally named Hotel Wentworth, is a hotel located at 1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue, Pasadena, California 91106.-History:...
hotel in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. They visited other Southern California locations, including Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
, Hollywood, Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922...
, Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, Universal Studios
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
, Will Rogers' home
Will Rogers State Historic Park
Will Rogers State Historic Park is the former estate of American humorist Will Rogers. It lies in the Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades area.-Geography:...
and Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
on their July 1956 trip.
Comedian Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
who worked at Disneyland as a child, appears at about twenty minutes into the film, briefly walking left to right in the lower part of the frame, dressed in top hat, vest, and pink striped shirt.
National Film Registry
In 2008, Disneyland Dream was selected for preservation in the United States National Film RegistryNational Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The National Film Registry cited its "fantastical historical snapshots" of early Southern California and the budding importance of the home movies in "American cultural studies as they provide priceless and authentic record of time and place."
Commenting on the selection of Disneyland Dream into the National Film Registry, Robbins Barstow stated: "I think it's because it gives a picture of a representative American middle class family that's functional".