New Orleans Square opened as the very first new land in Disneyland California in July 1966. It would also be the last time Walt Disney would make a public appearance in the park. Learn more about the inspiration behind this land, what it looked like in 1966, and how it’s evolved today.
Read MoreDate Nite at Disneyland was the catalyst of nighttime entertainment for California’s Disneyland. It was an initiative to bring in young couples to the park and cater to a different demographic, something Walt Disney really wanted to achieve. Read more about it here!
Read MoreA timeless theme park attraction is the carousel. Disney has adapted this classic ride into various carousels around the world in each of their parks, including Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Shanghai Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and more. Learn more about all of the Disney carousels!
Read MoreJim Henson’s legacy included his work on Sesame Street and the creation of The Muppets. Muppet*Vision 3D would be the last project Jim Henson would work on before his passing. Learn more about Henson’s career as well as the purchase of The Muppets franchise by Disney.
Read MoreDisneyland’s Critter Country was transformed from the existing Bear Country, which featured the Country Bear Jamboree. When Splash Mountain opened in 1989, the whole land became a place to celebrate animals, music, and wildlife. Learn more about the transition from Bear Country to Critter Country and the opening of Splash Mountain.
Read MoreThe Mickey Mouse Club Theater was an opening day attraction housed in Fantasyland. It would show old classic Disney cartoons and be a restful place for guests to visit. It was renamed the Fantasyland Theater in 1964. Learn more about the original theater and why it closed.
Read MoreWith the refurbishments to Mickey’s ToonTown in 2023, let’s take a walk down memory lane and learn about how the idea for ToonTown came to be, and what guests could experience during it’s opening in 1993.
Read MoreDisneyland began celebrating Christmas from its opening year in 1955. Though the park was struggling financially, they were able to put together a tree on Main Street USA, create the Disneyland Christmas Bowl for local choirs to sing, and open the Mickey Mouse Club Circus, which was short lived. Learn more about the very first Christmas at Disneyland.
Read MoreCalifornia Adventure’s Superstar Limo was short-lived dark ride in Hollywood Pictures Backlot in 2001. It was the very first California Adventure attraction to permanently close. Learn more about the original idea for this ride, what it was like in 2001, and why it closed.
Read MorePinocchio’s Daring Journey made its debut in Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. It was an idea that was taken off of the shelf after the abandoned Dumbo’s Circus Land idea. It was one of the few dark rides that has remained very close to its opening day format. Learn more about this beloved Disney dark ride.
Read MoreThroughout the Disney parks, there are some incredible animatronics that Imagineers dreamed up. Learn more about some of the most iconic animatronics in Disneyland California, including the Jack Sparrow animatronic, Indiana Jones animatronic, Spider-Man animatronic, and more.
Read MoreTomorrowland and Frontierland were home to some of Disneyland’s most popular restaurants in 1955 - Space Bar, the Chicken Plantation Restaurant, Aunt Jemima’s Kitchen, and Casa de Fritos, home to the invention of the dorito. Learn more about these opening year restaurants.
Read MoreMain Street USA is known for its various gift shops, candy stores, and delicious restaurants. A lot of the buildings that stand on Main Street USA were around during the opening of Disneyland in July 1955, and housed some of Walt Disney’s most beloved dining locations. Learn more about some of the opening day restaurants.
Read MoreThe invention of audio animatronics was done by Imagineers in the early Disneyland California days. Some of the oldest audio animatronics are still around today, including animals in the Jungle Cruise, birds in the Enchanted Tiki Room, and pirates in the Pirates of the Caribbean. Learn more about what still remains today.
Read MoreThe Disneyland mountains have become staple attractions at every Disney park in the world. Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the Matterhorn Bobsleds…out of them all, which was the most expensive for the Walt Disney Company to build? How much would it cost to build them today? Click to read more!
Read MoreBig Thunder Mountain is a beloved Disneyland attraction, but it hasn’t always been a Frontierland staple. The Mine Train rides of Disneyland California began with Rainbow Caverns Mine Train in 1956, and the eventual expansion in 1960 to become Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland. Learn more about these 2 original attractions and how Big Thunder Mountain Railroad came to be.
Read MoreWith the great success of Dumbo in the 1940s, Imagineer Tony Baxter designed Dumbo’s Circus Land to be an extension of Fantasyland in Disneyland California in the 1970s. It was feature Circus Disney, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Casey Jr Circus Train, Mickey’s MadHouse, and a Pinocchio attraction.
Read MoreDisney’s Afternoon Avenue was a temporary land in Disneyland California to celebrate the syndicated Disney TV cartoons. DuckTales, TaleSpin, Chip ‘n Dale’s Rescue Rangers, and Adventures of the Gummi Bears were featured during this 1991 overlay. Learn more about it here.
Read MoreOne of Disneyland California’s first boat rides was the Motor Boat Cruise, which lasted until 1993. Since then, the remnants of the ride have become Fantasia Gardens, and has become a place of a lost, abandoned boat ride. Learn more about the history of the Motor Boat Cruise here.
Read MoreThe Disneyland attraction posters have become a staple vintage collectors item, and the artwork for them evolved over decades as different artists were hired by Disney to create them. Learn more about which posters were there at the opening day of Disneyland, and the various artists who contributed to them after the 1950s.
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