Disneyland- Ears

Summary:

In this section Walt's dream of Disneyland becomes a reality.  It starts with the creation of the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea the Studios first live-action movie.  It was immensely successful and very expensive film to make.  It posed many challenges including the building of a realistic giant squid.  He made Lady and the Tramp in this period as well.  Walt really started to put his ideas into action for Disneyland in December of 1952 when he created WED Enterprises which was a personal corporation  for Walt's endeavors outside the film industry. To get money for the park Walt used television and created shows like, Zorro, Davy Crockett, and the Mickey Mouse Club.  Bu this first was the Disneyland Story, staring Walt telling the audience what Disneyland would be like.  Another challenge that Walt faced was where to put Disneyland; he decided on an orange grove in Anaheim, California because of its cooler temperature and easy access. He started excavating land in August of 1954 only eleven months before it was scheduled to open.  During this time he was also working on a documentary on how 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was created; this film aired on television and earned an Emmy for the best show of the year.

 Davy Crockett

 

Jungle Cruise

 

In Disney's personal life his daughter Diane was married and had a child named Christopher Disney Miller.  Though Walt was secretly disappointed they didn't name their son after him.  Construction started on the park and Walt was there every day supervising and planning out every detail, even the trash cans.  There was going to be five different lands, True-Life Adventurland, The Word of Tomorrow, Fantasyland, Frontier Country, and Holiday Land.  The Disneyland Railroad was one of the first things to be completed and was modeled after Walt's scale model train in his back yard. Walt even built an apartment so he could stay in the park overnight.  He also made what were called "dark rides"  including Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and Walt's favorite Peter Pan.  He also had the Jungle Cruise and King Arthur's Carousel.  Somehow they managed to open on July 17th 1955 but it was a disaster with food shortages, a gas leak and many more problems.  Walt moved on and fixed the problems and was also working on new attractions. So in 1959 the Matterhorn, Monorail, and Motor Boat Cruise were opened.  Movies were also released during this time including The Shaggy Dog, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Parent Trap, and the very successful Swiss Family Robinson. Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was Walt's fist colored television show and was revolutionary in the business.  Because of the success of the movies and Disneyland on April 25, 1961 Walt and Roy Disney had finally paid off their loan to Bank of America.

Lady and the Tramp

Opening of Disneyland

Review:

This section was particularly interesting for me because of the creativity that went into the making of Disneyland.  Being Disneyland obsessed long before this book it was amazing to see how much though and effort was created to make the perfect place for children and families. Walt would stop at nothing to see his vision become a reality.  He pushed his engineers to new heights and imagined what couldn't be dreamed about.  Everything his was for the people and it was very interesting for me being on all of the rides depicted and knowing that Walt personally rode them to make sure they were perfect. It was wonderful to read about a place that I love so much in it's first steps of creation.  I have long been a Disney lover but now I truly have an appreciation the amazing accomplishments he made.

First Map of Disneyland

1955 Disneyland Overview

Focus: Describe how Walt Disney's wealth changed him.

The truth is Walt was never change by money.  He remained the same loving, driven, and hardworking man he had always been. One thing that did change was his car.  He was driving home from work when he saw this beautiful Mercedes Benz coupe, he told his sister, and he said to himself, "Gee,  I wish I could afford that,"(276) and continued driving.  When he had gone a few blocks down the road he said "Yes I can!" and turned right around and bought it.  He told interviewers, "I've always been bored with just making money," (276).  Some people thought he had no regard for money but that was untrue.  Walt only saw money as something he could do with, to better things.  An example of his kind heart came before Disneyland's opening. The Studio received a letter from a mother with a seven-year-old son with leukemia, her son requested that he do two things meet Pinky Lee a comedian, and ride Walt Disney's train.  The train had almost been completed when the family arrived at Disneyland, the pieces of the train were still being put on my crane.  The engine was started for the first time and Walt took the little boy in his arms and took him on the first ride on the train.  He also gave the boy one of two gold frames from Lady and the Tramp artwork the other given to movie star Grace Kelly.  After the boy's trip Walt had only one request, no publicity.