60 years of magic
From July 17, 1995 to November of 2009 and six theme parks later Disney has grown immensely through their theme parks
On Disney’s website the following description is given for the Park and Resorts.
"When Walt Disney opened Disneyland on July 17, 1955, he created a unique destination built around storytelling and immersive experiences, ushering in a new era of family entertainment. Sixty years later, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (WDP&R) has grown into one of the world’s leading providers of family travel and leisure experiences, providing millions of guests each year with the chance to spend time with their families and friends making memories that will last forever."
At the heart of WDP&R are five world-class vacation destinations with 11 theme parks and 47 resorts in North America, Europe and Asia, with a sixth destination currently under construction in Shanghai. WDP&R also includes the Disney Cruise Line with its four ships - the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy; Disney Vacation Club, with 13 properties and more than 200,000 member families; and Adventures by Disney, which provides guided family vacation experiences to destinations around the globe.
This description of Disney theme parks truly shows the expansion of this part of the company and how successful it is. For sixty years Disney theme parks have seen great success and it all began on that one hot summer day.
Disney Land opened on July 17, 1955. It was Electric Park in Kansas City that inspired Walt to create the theme park, in addition to his daughters. It was when Walt was watching his two daughters, Diane and Sharon on the carousel one day when he realized that there should be a place in which both parents and children can have fun together.
What this country really needs is an amusement park that families can take their children to. They've gotten so honky tonk with a lot of questionable characters running around, and they're not to safe. They're not well kept. I want to have a place that's as clean as anything could ever be, and all the people in it [his park] are first-class citizens, and treated like guests.
It wasn’t until the late 1940’s that Disney actually began to sketch the amusement park. Walt envisioned this park to be a place where his employees could bring their children. Walt shared his plans with Herbert Rymann who actually created the first aerial drawing of Disney Land. He said to him, “Herbie, I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train.” Disney even built a miniature live steam railroad in his background that he named Carolwood Pacific Railroad. It wasn’t until 1955 that Walt’s dream came true and the gates of Disneyland were opened.
Disneyland’s opening was unlike any other day in Walt’s life. Walt made a dedication speech on that day saying,
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, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to the entire world.
It wasn’t until October of that year that the Disneyland Hotel opened in Anaheim, and after that various rides began to open in the park. On June 14, 1959 iconic rides such as Matterhorn Bobsleds, Submarine Voyage and the Monorail system deputed at Disneyland.
Soon after this expansion to Disneyland opened the plans for Disney World began in 1965. It was an area about the size of Manhattan, New York that Walt settled on for his next project. It was the weather, infrastructure, and abundance of land that drew Walt to central Florida. Walt purchased the abundance of land under the company name MAPO, which stands for Mary Poppins. However only a year after purchasing the land Walt Disney passed away. This is where Roy stepped in to take his place. Six years later Walt Disney World opened on October 5, 1971. In 1974 Discovery land opened, 1975 Space Mountain opened, and Disney’s River country a water park resort opened on June 20, 1978. In 1978 it was announced that Disney World was to open a second theme park Epcot, which was Walt’s biggest dream, a place of tomorrow. Four years later Epcot opened on October 1, 1982.
One year later Disney opened its first international theme park in Urayasu, Japan on April 15, 1982. In 1984 Michael Eisner, Disney’s CEO begins an aggressive expansion of the Disney theme parks division. MGM and Disney began a licensing agreement to begin the construction of Walt Disney World’s third theme park, which opened in May of 1989. Euro Disney resort opened in April of 1992. What is different about the Euro Disney resort is that Euro Disney S.C.A manages it, which is a company that is partially owned by Disney. After this came Animal Kingdom in 1995. Ten years later, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opened in 2005 and in November of 2009 it was announced that Disney Shanghai would be debuting in 2015. Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida is not only the largest Disney Park to date, but it is also the most visited resort in the world!
Sources Cited:
Bennett, Brian. "A Brief History of the Disney Parks." A Brief History of the Disney Parks. Mouse Planet Inc., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.
Hamilton, Rich. "Walt Disney’s Success Story»MagicStrategy.com." MagicStrategycom RSS. Rich Hamilton Productions, 15 Sept. 2003. Web. 31 Jan. 2015. <http://magicstrategy.com/articles/walt-disneys-success-story/>.
King, Margaret. "THE THEME PARK: Aspects of Experience in a Four-Dimensional Landscape." Material Culture 1 Sept. 2002: 1-15. Print.
Anabel. "Marceline to Magic Tour." Disney World, Lake Buena Vista. 12 Mar. 2015. Speech.
"When Walt Disney opened Disneyland on July 17, 1955, he created a unique destination built around storytelling and immersive experiences, ushering in a new era of family entertainment. Sixty years later, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (WDP&R) has grown into one of the world’s leading providers of family travel and leisure experiences, providing millions of guests each year with the chance to spend time with their families and friends making memories that will last forever."
At the heart of WDP&R are five world-class vacation destinations with 11 theme parks and 47 resorts in North America, Europe and Asia, with a sixth destination currently under construction in Shanghai. WDP&R also includes the Disney Cruise Line with its four ships - the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy; Disney Vacation Club, with 13 properties and more than 200,000 member families; and Adventures by Disney, which provides guided family vacation experiences to destinations around the globe.
This description of Disney theme parks truly shows the expansion of this part of the company and how successful it is. For sixty years Disney theme parks have seen great success and it all began on that one hot summer day.
Disney Land opened on July 17, 1955. It was Electric Park in Kansas City that inspired Walt to create the theme park, in addition to his daughters. It was when Walt was watching his two daughters, Diane and Sharon on the carousel one day when he realized that there should be a place in which both parents and children can have fun together.
What this country really needs is an amusement park that families can take their children to. They've gotten so honky tonk with a lot of questionable characters running around, and they're not to safe. They're not well kept. I want to have a place that's as clean as anything could ever be, and all the people in it [his park] are first-class citizens, and treated like guests.
It wasn’t until the late 1940’s that Disney actually began to sketch the amusement park. Walt envisioned this park to be a place where his employees could bring their children. Walt shared his plans with Herbert Rymann who actually created the first aerial drawing of Disney Land. He said to him, “Herbie, I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train.” Disney even built a miniature live steam railroad in his background that he named Carolwood Pacific Railroad. It wasn’t until 1955 that Walt’s dream came true and the gates of Disneyland were opened.
Disneyland’s opening was unlike any other day in Walt’s life. Walt made a dedication speech on that day saying,
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, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to the entire world.
It wasn’t until October of that year that the Disneyland Hotel opened in Anaheim, and after that various rides began to open in the park. On June 14, 1959 iconic rides such as Matterhorn Bobsleds, Submarine Voyage and the Monorail system deputed at Disneyland.
Soon after this expansion to Disneyland opened the plans for Disney World began in 1965. It was an area about the size of Manhattan, New York that Walt settled on for his next project. It was the weather, infrastructure, and abundance of land that drew Walt to central Florida. Walt purchased the abundance of land under the company name MAPO, which stands for Mary Poppins. However only a year after purchasing the land Walt Disney passed away. This is where Roy stepped in to take his place. Six years later Walt Disney World opened on October 5, 1971. In 1974 Discovery land opened, 1975 Space Mountain opened, and Disney’s River country a water park resort opened on June 20, 1978. In 1978 it was announced that Disney World was to open a second theme park Epcot, which was Walt’s biggest dream, a place of tomorrow. Four years later Epcot opened on October 1, 1982.
One year later Disney opened its first international theme park in Urayasu, Japan on April 15, 1982. In 1984 Michael Eisner, Disney’s CEO begins an aggressive expansion of the Disney theme parks division. MGM and Disney began a licensing agreement to begin the construction of Walt Disney World’s third theme park, which opened in May of 1989. Euro Disney resort opened in April of 1992. What is different about the Euro Disney resort is that Euro Disney S.C.A manages it, which is a company that is partially owned by Disney. After this came Animal Kingdom in 1995. Ten years later, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opened in 2005 and in November of 2009 it was announced that Disney Shanghai would be debuting in 2015. Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida is not only the largest Disney Park to date, but it is also the most visited resort in the world!
Sources Cited:
Bennett, Brian. "A Brief History of the Disney Parks." A Brief History of the Disney Parks. Mouse Planet Inc., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.
Hamilton, Rich. "Walt Disney’s Success Story»MagicStrategy.com." MagicStrategycom RSS. Rich Hamilton Productions, 15 Sept. 2003. Web. 31 Jan. 2015. <http://magicstrategy.com/articles/walt-disneys-success-story/>.
King, Margaret. "THE THEME PARK: Aspects of Experience in a Four-Dimensional Landscape." Material Culture 1 Sept. 2002: 1-15. Print.
Anabel. "Marceline to Magic Tour." Disney World, Lake Buena Vista. 12 Mar. 2015. Speech.