When did Walt Disney first think of Disneyland?

The concept for Disneyland began when Walt Disney was visiting Griffith Park in Los Angeles with his daughters Diane and Sharon. While watching them ride the merry-go-round, he came up with the idea of a place where adults and their children could go and have fun together, though this idea laid dormant for many years.



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Disneyland in Anaheim, California was the very first of Disney's theme parks. It opened on July 17, 1955. Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida (consisting of just the Magic Kingdom and two resorts at the time) opened on October 1, 1971.

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Disneyland was to be so much more than an amusement park . . . Walt envisioned an entire fantasy world that would bring stories and imagination to life. “Disneyland is like Alice stepping through the Looking Glass,” he said. “To step through the portals of Disneyland will be like entering another world.”

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Walt was famous for his early morning strolls through Disneyland park. He'd inspect, make notes, chat-up the cast, and refine his magic kingdom every chance he got. This ritual was immortalized in an iconic photograph made as Walt strolled through the arches of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

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When Walt finally presented his plans to Burbank's city council, the plans were rejected because local politicians didn't want to bring a “carny” atmosphere into Burbank. This and the reality that Walt's expanded vision for the park had quickly grown far larger than 16 acres, compelled Walt to look outside Burbank.

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Michael Shwarther and his cousin Kristina Graef are now in their sixties, but back in 1955, they nudged their way through a 15,000-strong crowd to become the first kids ever to enter Disneyland.

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Iger, 72, will remain chief executive for two years beyond his previously announced re-retirement date. Mr. Iger reluctantly ended his first run at Disney in 2021, handing the company's top job to Bob Chapek, a former theme park executive. Mr.

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