Disneyland Opens: Walt's Dream Becomes Reality

Walt Disney sank his personal fortune, mortgaged his life insurance, and borrowed against future television revenue to build a theme park that every amusement industry expert told him would fail. Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17, 1955, and the invitation-only premiere was a legendary disaster that nearly destroyed the park's reputation before it began. Within a year, one million visitors had come, and Disney had created an entirely new form of American entertainment. Disney conceived the park after taking his daughters to local amusement parks and finding them dirty, poorly maintained, and unwelcoming to families. He envisioned a clean, meticulously themed environment where adults and children could share experiences. The entertainment industry dismissed the idea. Disney's own brother Roy initially refused to fund it. Studio executives called it "Walt's folly." Disney financed construction by partnering with ABC television, which invested $500,000 and guaranteed $4.5 million in loans in exchange for a weekly television show that doubled as promotion for the park. The 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim was transformed in just over a year of frantic construction. Opening day, broadcast live on ABC as "Dateline: Disneyland," was a catastrophe of logistics. Counterfeit invitations doubled the expected crowd to 28,000. The asphalt on Main Street was freshly poured and women's heels sank into it. A plumbers' strike forced Disney to choose between functioning drinking fountains and working toilets; he chose toilets, and the press complained about a lack of water on a 101-degree day. Rides broke down. Food ran out. Frank Sinatra was trapped on the Mark Twain riverboat with hundreds of other guests. The press coverage was savage. Disney and his team spent the following weeks fixing every problem, and public reaction quickly diverged from the critics. Families loved the experience. Disneyland drew its millionth guest by September and earned $10 million in its first year. Disney's innovations, including themed "lands," controlled sightlines that eliminated views of the outside world, and continuously maintained attractions, became the global standard for theme park design. The concept spawned Walt Disney World in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong, collectively attracting over 150 million visitors annually.