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| Photo: Courtesy of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts |
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Disneyland: 50 Happy Years
The festivities won’t be confined to the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California. New rides and attractions are also in store for the second Disney theme park in Anaheim, Disney’s California Adventure; Walt Disney World in Florida; Tokyo Disneyland in Japan; and Disneyland Paris in France. A brand new park, Hong Kong Disneyland, will also debut.
“I remember how excited we all were as we drove down to Anaheim. We didn’t know what to expect,” recalls Echeveste. “We got to the entrance of the park, and I saw this giant Mickey Mouse face. I thought wow, this is an amazing place. And I hadn’t even stepped inside,” he says. Other memories of that July day also come back to him. “My little brother was fascinated by the swans in the moat at Sleeping Beauty’s castle. We used to kid him about that for a long time. And I kept a map of Disneyland from opening day for the longest time. I sure do wish I had hung onto that.” Famous Hollywood celebrities, such as Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Danny Thomas, Charlton Heston, and Maureen O’Hara were on hand for the opening day festivities. A group of youngsters called “The Mouseketeers” were in the park as well, but no one recognized them. Their television series, The Mickey Mouse Club, had yet to debut. For Echeveste, the most memorable part of the day was when he got to meet his idols, television stars Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen from the Davy Crockett series. “I was such a big fan of the show. I was always wearing my coonskin cap,” he notes.
“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 all the world.” The Echevestes preserved their memories of opening day in home movies, which they shared with everyone on the block. “We were the envy of the neighborhood, because we got to see Disneyland before anyone else,” recalls Echeveste. He adds, “Even today, it’s so much fun to look at the movies, because it was such a big event in our lives. My mom dressed us all up in our nicest clothes. All the women had had long skirts on, and were walking around in high heels.” In the years that followed, Echeveste’s family returned to Disneyland regularly. Echeveste went to college at California State University, Fullerton, which is not far away from Disneyland. “I always felt Disneyland was part of my growing-up experience. I kept an eye on rides as they were being built. I couldn’t wait for the Haunted Mansion to open,” he recalls. Today, at 55, Echeveste still has the same affection for Disneyland. “I really enjoyed taking my own kids there when they were young. They’re 19 and 16 now. I tell them about being there opening day, and share my memories with them. Sometimes, my mom and dad go with us. They’re 80 and 75 now, but they still remember being there in July of 1955.”
Norma Perez, Walt Disney Company senior publicist for international and Hispanic markets, says, “Disney has always recognized the importance of the Hispanic market, and we’ve tried to cater to that market as much as possible. Over the years, we’ve had major celebrities such as Placido Domingo, Andy Garcia, and George Lopez attend events here with their families. We’ve also had mariachi groups and stars from telenovelas make appearances at special events, such as Hispanic Heritage Month or Cinco de Mayo.” “You can expect some big Hispanic stars from both Mexico and North America at the events celebrating Disneyland’s 50th anniversary,” says Perez. “You can bet we’re going to do everything we can to bring Hispanics to the park. It’s going to be a great celebration, for every generation in the family,” she adds. The celebrations at Disneyland, dubbed the “Happiest Homecoming on Earth,” encourage families to “return and relive” their fondest memories of the park. In fact, Disneyland has asked members of the public to send in photos of their happiest memories at the park. “We’ve had great success, and have received a tremendous number of images,” says Perez. Those images will be compiled into montages throughout the park, forming the shape of a character or a scene from a famous Disney movie. For example, at the Carousel ride in Fantasyland, the montage will be in the shape of the carousel scene from Mary Poppins.
Sleeping Beauty Castle, the attraction that symbolizes Disneyland throughout the world, is being “glamorized.” The castle will be decorated in gold, bejeweled with stones, festooned with colorful banners, and adorned with “crowns” on her turrets. All the fuss is definitely in order, because the castle is the focal point for the Disneyland celebrations. Foremost among them is a fireworks show unlike anything ever seen at Disneyland. The show, entitled “Remember... Dreams Come True” will feature dazzling lighting effects, a special musical score and the latest in pyrotechnic wizardry. “The fireworks will go off all around the audience, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before,” notes Perez. Julie Andrews will narrate the display, which has a nostalgia theme. And speaking of nostalgia, who doesn’t remember being awed by the fairy creature Tinker Bell as she flew through the night sky after the traditional fireworks display? In the new show, Tinker Bell takes flight like never before. “Believe me, it will make the entire visit worthwhile,” says Perez. A new parade, called “Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams,” also promises to enthrall guests. The musical parade will feature gigantic puppets, dancers, rhythmic gymnasts, trampoline performers, and aerial artists that pause to perform in front of the audience. At one point, acrobats twirl in a Cirque du Soleil-type performance. In Tomorrowland, a new attraction called “Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters” will make its debut. Guests on the ride will pilot a Star Cruiser on an interactive mission through space, firing laser cannons against the evil Emperor Zurg. Eventually, an online component to the attraction will let fans at home team up with a guest playing live in the park to enjoy the ride. Another Disneyland favorite, Space Mountain, is getting a makeover for the 21st century. The Walt Disney Company’s special team of design engineers and artists, known as Imagineers, has transformed Space Mountain with redesigned rockets, a new soundtrack, and high-tech effects.
It’s a dream that began with a dad and his daughters. “Saturday was always ‘Daddy’s Day’ with the two daughters,” Walt recalled in a 1963 interview. “So we’d start out and try and go someplace...I’d take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places, and as I’d sit while they rode the merry-go-round and did all these things—I felt that there should be something built, some sort of amusement enterprise, where the parents and the children could have fun together. So that’s how Disneyland started...it all started from a daddy with two daughters wondering where he could take them where he could have a little fun with them, too.” Today, Disneyland is only one part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. Disney’s California Adventure opened in 2000, along with Downtown Disney, a pedestrian mall with an array of entertainment, shopping and dining options. Downtown Disney (which is free to the public) always makes for a pleasant stroll, even if you aren’t entering the theme parks.
Disney’s California Adventure will celebrate the 50th birthday of its sister park with a new interactive parade called “Block Party Bash.” Guests can actually join in the show, by dancing to party songs led by favorite Disney/Pixar characters from Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and The Incredibles. You might say that an occasion as big as the 50th anniversary of Disneyland is too big to confine to land, so it’s expanding out to the sea. For the first time ever, the Disney Magic cruise ship will reposition to the West Coast from its home base in Florida. It will sail 12 consecutive week-long cruises from the Port of Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, between May 28 and August 19. Not surprisingly, the Disney ship caters to kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens. Organized activities, such as learning to create an animation cell and putting on a play with real costumes, draw upon Disney’s flair for the imaginative. Disney characters roam the ship constantly, to the delight of youngsters. And, expect near pandemonium when the popular Disney Princesses hold an autograph session in the ship’s main foyer. Fortunately, adults have their own separate areas of the ship to relax in during the day. The entire family can get together in the evening to enjoy dinner in a restaurant where the walls “come to life” in an animated show, or to watch Disney theatrical performances.
“One option for families looking for a longer vacation is to combine a cruise on the Disney Magic with a vacation at the Disneyland Resort. You can spend your seven nights on the cruise ship, and then a few nights at one of our resort hotels. That way, you can enjoy all the new 50th anniversary shows and attractions,” says Disney spokeswoman Jeanine O’Malley. If you live closer to Walt Disney World in Orlando than to Disneyland in Anaheim, you can still enjoy the 50th anniversary festivities. “Each of our four parks in Florida will get a major attraction from another theme park,” says Walt Disney World spokeswoman Mari Santana. At the Magic Kingdom, look for “Cinderellabration,” a musical coronation stage show that is one of the favorite features of Disney Tokyo. At Epcot, get strapped in and “take off” above the beautiful California landscape in “Soarin’,” the premiere “hang gliding” attraction from Disney’s California Adventure. Walt Disney once proclaimed that Disneyland would never be completed as long as there was imagination left in the world. Today, the same can be said for each of the theme parks that bear his name. The 50th anniversary celebrations are a great reason to revisit the legacy of a great American visionary and dreamer, Walt Disney. |
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