disneyland history speech
... 21, 1954, a meager 12 months before the park was scheduled to open. From that day forward Walt Disney's life would never be the same. Some 160-acres of citrus trees had been cleared and 15 houses moved to make room for the park. The area was in semi-rural Orange County, near a freeway that would eventually stretch from San Diego to Vancouver. When the real designing came around, Walt was met with inevitable questions. How do you make believable wild animals, that aren't real? How do you make a Mississippi paddle ship? How do you go about building a huge castle in the middle of Anaheim, California? So, Walt Disney looked to his movie studio staff for the answers. The design of Disneyland was something never done before. There would be five uniquely different lands. · Walt had planed out all the lands, to every detail. Main Street, U.S.A., the very front of the park, was where Walt wanted to relive the typical turn of the century city Main Street. Walt made Main Street U.S.A the entrance to a "weenie," as he called it. He said: "What you need is a weenie, which says to people 'come this way.' People won't go down a long corridor unless there's something promising at the end. You have to have something the beckons them to 'walk this way.'" · Walt also had planed for an "exotic tropical place" in a "far-off region of the world." Called Adventureland. Walt said, "To create a land that would make this dream reality, we pictured ourselves far from civilization, in the remote jungles of Asia and Africa." · Frontierland was made to relive the pioneer days of the American frontier. Walt said: "All of us have a cause to be proud of our country's history, shaped by the pioneering spirit of our forefathers. . .Our adventures are designed to give you the feeling of having lived, even for a short while, during our country's pioneer days." · Fantasyland was created with the goal to "make dreams come true" from the lyrics of "When You Wish Upon a Star." Walt said: "What youngster. . .has not dreamed of flying with Peter Pan over moonlit London, or tumbling into Alice's nonsensical Wonderland? In Fantasyland, these classic stories of everyone's youth have become realities for youngsters-of all ages-to participate in." Fantasyland would feature a large Sleeping Beauty Castle, and a Fantasy Village. · Tomorrowland was created as a look at the "marvels of the future." Walt said: "Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are opening the doors of the Space Age to achievements that will benefit our children and generations to come. . .The Tomorrowland attractions have been designed to give you an opportunity to participate in adventures that are a living blueprint of our future." Although, Walt had trouble working on Tommorrowland. He said that "right when we do Tommorrowland, it will be out dated." Walt Stayed close to every detail of the Park's Construction, and he visited the site in Anaheim several times a week. Progress went sporadically despite exasperating obstacles. Minor set backs did follow, but progress did continue. Plants were planted throughout the park, emptying nurseries from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Detail was made; if Walt Disney didn't like what his studio designers came up with, he'd do it himself. For example, Tom Sawyers Island. He thought his designers had "misunderstood the idea" so Walt took home the plans and the next d...