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What happened to Disneyland after Walt Disney died?

No, Disneyland did not close when Walt Disney passed away. Walt Disney passed away on December 15, 1966, but Disneyland remained open and continued its operations. The park has been a beloved destination for guests since its opening on July 17, 1955.



Following Walt Disney's death in December 1966, Disneyland entered a period of transition and steady expansion led by his brother, Roy O. Disney. Roy postponed his retirement to ensure Walt's grandest projects were completed "exactly the way Walt wanted." In the years immediately following 1966, Disneyland saw the opening of some of its most iconic attractions that Walt had been developing, including Pirates of the Caribbean (1967) and the Haunted Mansion (1969). The park continued to focus on the "Tomorrowland" expansion and the introduction of more sophisticated animatronics. Simultaneously, the company’s focus was split between maintaining the original park and constructing the massive "Disney World" project in Florida, which opened its first park, the Magic Kingdom, in 1971. This era solidified the philosophy that "Disneyland will never be completed," as the team of Imagineers proved they could carry on Walt's creative legacy through a period of immense grief and corporate uncertainty.

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The resort was the brainchild of Walt Disney himself, but he died four years before the park opened. His brother, Roy Disney, came out of retirement to oversee the construction of the park and presided over the official opening.

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Disney's fortune passed to his daughters when he died. Upon his daughter Sharon's death in 1993, her share was in Trust for her fraternal twin grandchildren, who should have been able to access funds upon attaining age 35, with subsequent payouts scheduled for their 40th and 45th birthdays.

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However, Disney directors eventually decided that it was too risky to venture into city planning now that its biggest advocate was gone. Roy persisted and took the reins on the project, coming out of retirement, but he could not convince the board to build EPCOT.

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Tokyo Disneyland and its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks in the world not owned or operated by The Walt Disney Company in any capacity.

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At the time of his death, his net worth is estimated to have been around US$150 million – which would be around US$1 billion today. Here are a few facts you might not know about the man who made Mickey Mouse a household name …

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