Mirror Disneyland Resort - I'm Back! 2024 Edition

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Mirror Disneyland: An Alternate History

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
- Harriet Tubman

***

Inspired by:
“A Dream Called Walt Disney World” (1981), DisneyChris.com, ThemeParkTourist.com, Widen Your World, Ideal Build-Out, “Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real,” Jason Surrell’s Collective Works, “Maps of the Disney Parks” by Kevin and Susan Neary, “The Art of Disneyland” by Jeff Kurti and Bruce Gordon, and "Disneyland - The First Thirty Years"

Dedicated to:
Walt Disney and his Original Imagineers



***
​

I’m baaaaaack.

Well, at least for now.

I have found inspiration (mostly through @DisneyManOne and his fantastic Mirror Walt Disney World, a project I am proud to have helped inspire) to once again blow the dust off my longest running (and incomplete) armchair Imagineering project and reintroduce it to a waiting world.

If interest persists, so will this project.

If you’re new around here, you’re probably unfamiliar with my long running series of “Dream Resorts.” In these, I tackle a series of made-up parks in undisclosed locations, where quite literally, the sky's the limit. No budget, no restrictions, no real location.

It would be wrong to not pay tribute to the great @KingMickey who truly is the father of the original “Dream Disney Resort,” then called the “Ultimate Disney Resort.” Back in our days on Visions Fantastic, the now defunct origin site of modern armchair Imagineering, King created a Disney Resort of his own design, no specific location, no specific rules, just pure magic. It was captivating, and even over a decade later, it still rings in my memory as one of my biggest creative inspirations.

I’ve been doing these on WDWMagic since at least 2010, and the most recent of these projects, “Mirror Disneyland,” is a look at what Disneyland in California might have looked like had Walt received generous financial backing and the blessing of size. Whereas the IRL Disneyland Resort is 500 acres, Mirror Disneyland Resort is 10,000 acres. Likewise - California Adventure was never built. Instead, WestCOT Center came into reality. And, for this final draft of the project, a third theme park will materialize - a park that stands as a more ambitious crossover than Avengers: Endgame.

This project will be my final bow. After this, I am retiring from armchair Imagineering. I am asking you give me time with this project, as it is time consuming and difficult to squeeze out posts daily. Sometimes it might be days or weeks between posts. Sometimes you might get multiple posts in one day. I just need time to get it right. My goal is to actually finish this last draft, and continue working on it until I feel it is as good as done. After, I shall return to the shadows, acting as a silent (or not) supporter of this beautiful community. With that said - cheers. Let’s take one final look into my imagination.

Also, in this alternate timeline, COVID-19 does not exist. In fact, a time traveling Abraham Lincoln accidentally squashed a dung beetle while visiting the Cretaceous Period, thus creating a reality where COVID was never “born.” Anyways…

The Happiest Legacy on Earth

“If we can borrow some of the concepts of Disneyland and Disney World and Epcot, then indeed the world can be a better place.”
- Ray Bradbury

“There’s really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward - opening new doors and doing new things - because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We’re always exploring and experimenting...we call it Imagineering - the blending of creative imagination and technical know-how.”
- Walt Disney ​

Disneyland was never meant to portray the county fair or amusement park that Walt was well familiar with. It was instead to represent a “flight into a dimension beyond the reach of time.” Will Jones of the Minneapolis Tribune wrote, “If it’s an amusement park, it’s the gosh-darndest, most happily-inspired, most carefully-planned, most adventure-filled park ever conceived. No ride or concession in it is like anything in any other amusement park anywhere.”

“Disneyland really began,” Walt said, “when my two daughters were very young. Saturday was always ‘Daddy’s Day’ and I would take them to the merry-go-round and sit on a bench eating peanuts while they rode. And sitting there, alone, I felt that there should be something built, some kind of a family park where parents and children could have fun together.”

​

On August 31, 1948, an important document was shared with Disney Studio artists outlining Walt’s vision for a new kind of amusement park that was to be built on eight acres across from the Disney Studio lot in Burbank, California. The memo detailed how “Mickey Mouse Park” was to be a welcoming place where Guests of all ages could have fun together. It would include a Main Village, a Band Stand, an Opera House, a Stagecoach, and a Western Town. Walt also intended for a railroad to circle the park’s perimeter, and as such, commissioned concept drawings. Soon designs for themed architecture were worked into the plan, and before long, it became clear that eight acres was too small a space to hold all of the dreaming.

By the early 1950s, a relocated “Disneyland,” as it would be called, would require a major amount of capital, and remarkably, the entertainment world stood behind Walt and his bold idea. "It was never a problem to convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible," Walt recalled, "because dreams of this sort offer much collateral and great reward." Walt and his brother Roy not only had more than enough financial backing from investors, but the support of the nation's amusement-park owners and operators. Everyone was on board, and Disneyland was a surefire hit in the making.

​

Walt engaged the Stanford Research Institute to find a property of the right size and location to maximize the new project’s commercial and creative success. Based on their results, Disney would purchase 10,000 acres of orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim, California, and, in the summer of 1954, 150 of those 10,000 acres began their transformation into a “Magic Kingdom.”

The land was flat - no rivers, mountains, castles, or rocket ships - just farmland. How to make believable wild animals, recreate a Mississippi paddle-wheeler, and design a Bavarian castle were questions never before answered by Walt or his staff. Because it had no precedent, there would be no simple solutions in Disneyland's design. Walt realized early on that conventional architects and thinkers wouldn’t cut it - he would need a full-time staff of creative artists and designers to make his dream a reality. And so, on December 16, 1952, Walt founded WED Enterprises (for “Walter Elias Disney”) to design and build Disneyland. These first Imagineers all came from the motion picture industry, and they applied the craft of filmmaking to the emerging concept of the theme park.

Author Ray Bradbury once called the Imagineers “Renaissance people” and indeed many of the early Imagineers were trained in the fine arts. Their common experience, and uncommon talent, was in using skills to tell stories. As one designer recalled, “When we began designing Disneyland, we looked at it just as we do a motion picture. We had to tell a story, or in this case a series of stories. In film-making, we develop a logical flow of events or scenes that will take our audience from point to point through a story.”

​

“If we were to ‘leapfrog’ from Scene One to Scene Three, leaving out Scene Two, it would be like sending the entire audience out to the lobby for popcorn in the middle of the film. When they came back, how could we expect them to understand what was happening? In filmmaking, although we can control the sequence of events, the viewer might walk in late and, through no fault of our own, miss Scene One and never catch up to the story. But in Disneyland, we had more control. We designed the entire Park so that a guest couldn’t miss Scene One or Two. From the moment he entered our ‘theatre,’ that is, our front gate, Scene One would begin for him.”

As Disneyland’s design evolved, two important considerations were always kept in mind - maintaining the theming of each area and ensuring easy access. For decades, world’s fairs and amusement parks had been confusing “nightmares'' of environmental design. Each show or pavilion competed for the visitor’s attention like billboards along a highway. Disneyland’s design, however, was unprecedented. Rather than competing, five distinct areas would compliment each other and contribute to a total Guest Experience. “Scene One'' is Main Street, U.S.A., where turn-of-the-century America is alive and well.

Main Street, U.S.A.
"Main Street, U.S.A. is America at the Turn of the Century - the Crossroads of an Era. The Gas Lamp and Electric Lamp - the Horse-Drawn Car and the Auto Car. Main Street, U.S.A. is everyone's hometown... The Heartline of America."​

At the end of Main Street, fanning out from a central hub like spokes in a wheel, were the other "lands" - easy to find, easy to enter, each a complete thematic experience bringing to life many of Walt Disney's greatest film-making endeavors.

Adventureland
“Here is Adventure, Here is Romance, Here is Mystery. Tropical Rivers - Silently flowing into the unknown. The Unbelievable Splendor of Exotic Flowers…the Eerie Sounds of the Jungle... With eyes that are always watching. This is Adventureland.”

Frontierland
"A Tribute to the Faith, Courage, and Ingenuity of the Pioneers. Here we Experience the story of Our Country's Past. The Colorful Drama of Frontier America in the Exciting Days of the Covered Wagon and the Stagecoach. The Advent of the Railroad...and the Romantic Riverboat."

Fantasyland
“Here is the world of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment, the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn - and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young-at-heart - to those who believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams do come true.”

Tomorrowland
"A Vista into a World of Wondrous Ideas, Signifying Man's Achievements...a Step into the Future, with Predictions of Constructive Things to Come. Tomorrow Offers New Frontiers in Science, Adventure, and Ideals. The Atomic Age. The Challenge of Outer Space...and Hope for a Peaceful and Unified World."​

Over the course of its 65 years in operation, Disneyland has grown to include more "lands" and thematic destinations, all in which find their origin and style in the same fantasy and dedication that first built the Magic Kingdom in 1955.

New Orleans Square
"At the Bend in the River, the 'Gay Paree' of the American Frontier. Here All Sizes and Shapes of Ships Sail - from the Majestic Sternwheeler ‘Mark Twain’ to the Mighty, Three-Masted Vessel ‘Columbia.’ At the Bend in the Mighty River, a New Orleans of Days Gone By."

Folktale Forest
"A Backwoods Refuge to the Great Heroes and Legends of the American Frontier. The myths of John Henry and Davy Crockett establish the romance and allure of the American West. Here is a Sleepy Backwoods Hamlet, a Tranquil Refuge."

Liberty Street
"Here Stirs a New Nation Waiting to be Born. Thirteen Colonies have Banded Together to Declare Their Independence from the Bonds of Tyranny. It is a Time when Silversmiths Put Away Their Tools and March to the Drums of Revolution, a Time when Gentlemen Planters Leave Their Farms to Become Generals, a Time when Tradesmen Leave the Safety of Home to Become Heroes."​

​

There were times when the stumbling blocks inherent to the project appeared insurmountable. One man remembers tagging the orange trees to be saved with strips of red paper, and those to be removed with green paper. As fate would have it, the bulldozer operator was color-blind.

One contractor recalled a moment of pride as water first flowed into the Rivers of America, followed by a feeling of desperation as it promptly disappeared into the sandy soil of the former orange grove. Pressure from more than one investor led Walt to commence the design and inclusion of Fantasy Lagoon, a 100-acre lake for real beaches and watersports, secluded from the gates of his Magic Kingdom. The California Alligator Farm in neighboring Buena Park had reported a missing alligator, which was later discovered in Fantasy Lagoon, placed there by a prankish trespasser.​

But the dream was indeed becoming a reality. Through painstaking attention to detail, the Disneyland decor began to blossom. Walt Disney had become totally absorbed in the project, and when not at the Studio supervising the attractions’ development, he was walking “the site” (as it came to be called), making suggestions and spreading enthusiasm. Disneyland was sealed from the “outside world” for good when a 20-foot earthen berm rose up around the Magic Kingdom. Railroad tracks were laid on the berm to carry 1890-style passenger trains on a grand-circle tour of the property.

​

As Opening Day drew near, the Disney staff worked around the clock to ready this new "show" for its debut. One by one, scenes of the Disneyland show were completed, and finally, Walt’s persistent idea - his new concept in family entertainment - was ready for its world debut. Walt Disney's Disneyland had become a $40,000,000 "Magic Kingdom."

“I think that everyone here will one day be as proud to have been at this opening as the people who were there at the dedication of the Eiffel Tower,” actor Bob Cummings remarked. The actor was one of the many stars of the day who were gathered for the Grand Opening of Disneyland on July 17, 1955. To celebrate, ABC organized the biggest live telecast in history. The number of stars, celebrities and public figures on hand almost seemed endless, including host of the telecast, Art Linkletter. It was a grand premiere unlike anything Hollywood had ever seen.

"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts which have created America...with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
- Walt Disney ​

In its first seven weeks, more than a million people passed through the turnstiles, exceeding attendance projections by 50%! Disneyland was an artistic and commercial triumph. And that could only mean one thing: Disneyland would have to grow rapidly to meet demand, and as Walt went on to promise, "Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world." Although the future holds the promise of even more dreams come true, the first 65 years at Disneyland have marked an unforgettable era, one in which we have only begun to discover.

***
​

CLUE FOR NEXT UPDATE: "Berg."

 

[Solaris Knight]

I'm sad to see you go but excited you're making one whopper of a resort to leave us with!

 

[DisneyFan32]

Mirror Disneyland: An Alternate History

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
- Harriet Tubman

***

Inspired by:
“A Dream Called Walt Disney World” (1981), DisneyChris.com, ThemeParkTourist.com, Widen Your World, Ideal Build-Out, “Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real,” Jason Surrell’s Collective Works, “Maps of the Disney Parks” by Kevin and Susan Neary, “The Art of Disneyland” by Jeff Kurti and Bruce Gordon, and "Disneyland - The First Thirty Years"

Dedicated to:
Walt Disney and his Original Imagineers



***
​

I’m baaaaaack.

Well, at least for now.

I have found inspiration (mostly through @DisneyManOne and his fantastic Mirror Walt Disney World, a project I am proud to have helped inspire) to once again blow the dust off my longest running (and incomplete) armchair Imagineering project and reintroduce it to a waiting world.

If interest persists, so will this project.

If you’re new around here, you’re probably unfamiliar with my long running series of “Dream Resorts.” In these, I tackle a series of made-up parks in undisclosed locations, where quite literally, the sky's the limit. No budget, no restrictions, no real location.

It would be wrong to not pay tribute to the great @KingMickey who truly is the father of the original “Dream Disney Resort,” then called the “Ultimate Disney Resort.” Back in our days on Visions Fantastic, the now defunct origin site of modern armchair Imagineering, King created a Disney Resort of his own design, no specific location, no specific rules, just pure magic. It was captivating, and even over a decade later, it still rings in my memory as one of my biggest creative inspirations.

I’ve been doing these on WDWMagic since at least 2010, and the most recent of these projects, “Mirror Disneyland,” is a look at what Disneyland in California might have looked like had Walt received generous financial backing and the blessing of size. Whereas the IRL Disneyland Resort is 500 acres, Mirror Disneyland Resort is 10,000 acres. Likewise - California Adventure was never built. Instead, WestCOT Center came into reality. And, for this final draft of the project, a third theme park will materialize - a park that stands as a more ambitious crossover than Avengers: Endgame.

This project will be my final bow. After this, I am retiring from armchair Imagineering. I am asking you give me time with this project, as it is time consuming and difficult to squeeze out posts daily. Sometimes it might be days or weeks between posts. Sometimes you might get multiple posts in one day. I just need time to get it right. My goal is to actually finish this last draft, and continue working on it until I feel it is as good as done. After, I shall return to the shadows, acting as a silent (or not) supporter of this beautiful community. With that said - cheers. Let’s take one final look into my imagination.

Also, in this alternate timeline, COVID-19 does not exist. In fact, a time traveling Abraham Lincoln accidentally squashed a dung beetle while visiting the Cretaceous Period, thus creating a reality where COVID was never “born.” Anyways…

The Happiest Legacy on Earth

“If we can borrow some of the concepts of Disneyland and Disney World and Epcot, then indeed the world can be a better place.”
- Ray Bradbury

“There’s really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward - opening new doors and doing new things - because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We’re always exploring and experimenting...we call it Imagineering - the blending of creative imagination and technical know-how.”
- Walt Disney ​

Disneyland was never meant to portray the county fair or amusement park that Walt was well familiar with. It was instead to represent a “flight into a dimension beyond the reach of time.” Will Jones of the Minneapolis Tribune wrote, “If it’s an amusement park, it’s the gosh-darndest, most happily-inspired, most carefully-planned, most adventure-filled park ever conceived. No ride or concession in it is like anything in any other amusement park anywhere.”

“Disneyland really began,” Walt said, “when my two daughters were very young. Saturday was always ‘Daddy’s Day’ and I would take them to the merry-go-round and sit on a bench eating peanuts while they rode. And sitting there, alone, I felt that there should be something built, some kind of a family park where parents and children could have fun together.”

​

On August 31, 1948, an important document was shared with Disney Studio artists outlining Walt’s vision for a new kind of amusement park that was to be built on eight acres across from the Disney Studio lot in Burbank, California. The memo detailed how “Mickey Mouse Park” was to be a welcoming place where Guests of all ages could have fun together. It would include a Main Village, a Band Stand, an Opera House, a Stagecoach, and a Western Town. Walt also intended for a railroad to circle the park’s perimeter, and as such, commissioned concept drawings. Soon designs for themed architecture were worked into the plan, and before long, it became clear that eight acres was too small a space to hold all of the dreaming.

By the early 1950s, a relocated “Disneyland,” as it would be called, would require a major amount of capital, and remarkably, the entertainment world stood behind Walt and his bold idea. "It was never a problem to convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible," Walt recalled, "because dreams of this sort offer much collateral and great reward." Walt and his brother Roy not only had more than enough financial backing from investors, but the support of the nation's amusement-park owners and operators. Everyone was on board, and Disneyland was a surefire hit in the making.

​

Walt engaged the Stanford Research Institute to find a property of the right size and location to maximize the new project’s commercial and creative success. Based on their results, Disney would purchase 10,000 acres of orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim, California, and, in the summer of 1954, 150 of those 10,000 acres began their transformation into a “Magic Kingdom.”

The land was flat - no rivers, mountains, castles, or rocket ships - just farmland. How to make believable wild animals, recreate a Mississippi paddle-wheeler, and design a Bavarian castle were questions never before answered by Walt or his staff. Because it had no precedent, there would be no simple solutions in Disneyland's design. Walt realized early on that conventional architects and thinkers wouldn’t cut it - he would need a full-time staff of creative artists and designers to make his dream a reality. And so, on December 16, 1952, Walt founded WED Enterprises (for “Walter Elias Disney”) to design and build Disneyland. These first Imagineers all came from the motion picture industry, and they applied the craft of filmmaking to the emerging concept of the theme park.

Author Ray Bradbury once called the Imagineers “Renaissance people” and indeed many of the early Imagineers were trained in the fine arts. Their common experience, and uncommon talent, was in using skills to tell stories. As one designer recalled, “When we began designing Disneyland, we looked at it just as we do a motion picture. We had to tell a story, or in this case a series of stories. In film-making, we develop a logical flow of events or scenes that will take our audience from point to point through a story.”

​

“If we were to ‘leapfrog’ from Scene One to Scene Three, leaving out Scene Two, it would be like sending the entire audience out to the lobby for popcorn in the middle of the film. When they came back, how could we expect them to understand what was happening? In filmmaking, although we can control the sequence of events, the viewer might walk in late and, through no fault of our own, miss Scene One and never catch up to the story. But in Disneyland, we had more control. We designed the entire Park so that a guest couldn’t miss Scene One or Two. From the moment he entered our ‘theatre,’ that is, our front gate, Scene One would begin for him.”

As Disneyland’s design evolved, two important considerations were always kept in mind - maintaining the theming of each area and ensuring easy access. For decades, world’s fairs and amusement parks had been confusing “nightmares'' of environmental design. Each show or pavilion competed for the visitor’s attention like billboards along a highway. Disneyland’s design, however, was unprecedented. Rather than competing, five distinct areas would compliment each other and contribute to a total Guest Experience. “Scene One'' is Main Street, U.S.A., where turn-of-the-century America is alive and well.

Main Street, U.S.A.
"Main Street, U.S.A. is America at the Turn of the Century - the Crossroads of an Era. The Gas Lamp and Electric Lamp - the Horse-Drawn Car and the Auto Car. Main Street, U.S.A. is everyone's hometown... The Heartline of America."​

At the end of Main Street, fanning out from a central hub like spokes in a wheel, were the other "lands" - easy to find, easy to enter, each a complete thematic experience bringing to life many of Walt Disney's greatest film-making endeavors.

Adventureland
“Here is Adventure, Here is Romance, Here is Mystery. Tropical Rivers - Silently flowing into the unknown. The Unbelievable Splendor of Exotic Flowers…the Eerie Sounds of the Jungle... With eyes that are always watching. This is Adventureland.”

Frontierland
"A Tribute to the Faith, Courage, and Ingenuity of the Pioneers. Here we Experience the story of Our Country's Past. The Colorful Drama of Frontier America in the Exciting Days of the Covered Wagon and the Stagecoach. The Advent of the Railroad...and the Romantic Riverboat."

Fantasyland
“Here is the world of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment, the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn - and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young-at-heart - to those who believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams do come true.”

Tomorrowland
"A Vista into a World of Wondrous Ideas, Signifying Man's Achievements...a Step into the Future, with Predictions of Constructive Things to Come. Tomorrow Offers New Frontiers in Science, Adventure, and Ideals. The Atomic Age. The Challenge of Outer Space...and Hope for a Peaceful and Unified World."​

Over the course of its 65 years in operation, Disneyland has grown to include more "lands" and thematic destinations, all in which find their origin and style in the same fantasy and dedication that first built the Magic Kingdom in 1955.

New Orleans Square
"At the Bend in the River, the 'Gay Paree' of the American Frontier. Here All Sizes and Shapes of Ships Sail - from the Majestic Sternwheeler ‘Mark Twain’ to the Mighty, Three-Masted Vessel ‘Columbia.’ At the Bend in the Mighty River, a New Orleans of Days Gone By."

Folktale Forest
"A Backwoods Refuge to the Great Heroes and Legends of the American Frontier. The myths of John Henry and Davy Crockett establish the romance and allure of the American West. Here is a Sleepy Backwoods Hamlet, a Tranquil Refuge."

Liberty Street
"Here Stirs a New Nation Waiting to be Born. Thirteen Colonies have Banded Together to Declare Their Independence from the Bonds of Tyranny. It is a Time when Silversmiths Put Away Their Tools and March to the Drums of Revolution, a Time when Gentlemen Planters Leave Their Farms to Become Generals, a Time when Tradesmen Leave the Safety of Home to Become Heroes."

​

There were times when the stumbling blocks inherent to the project appeared insurmountable. One man remembers tagging the orange trees to be saved with strips of red paper, and those to be removed with green paper. As fate would have it, the bulldozer operator was color-blind.

One contractor recalled a moment of pride as water first flowed into the Rivers of America, followed by a feeling of desperation as it promptly disappeared into the sandy soil of the former orange grove. Pressure from more than one investor led Walt to commence the design and inclusion of Fantasy Lagoon, a 100-acre lake for real beaches and watersports, secluded from the gates of his Magic Kingdom. The California Alligator Farm in neighboring Buena Park had reported a missing alligator, which was later discovered in Fantasy Lagoon, placed there by a prankish trespasser.​

But the dream was indeed becoming a reality. Through painstaking attention to detail, the Disneyland decor began to blossom. Walt Disney had become totally absorbed in the project, and when not at the Studio supervising the attractions’ development, he was walking “the site” (as it came to be called), making suggestions and spreading enthusiasm. Disneyland was sealed from the “outside world” for good when a 20-foot earthen berm rose up around the Magic Kingdom. Railroad tracks were laid on the berm to carry 1890-style passenger trains on a grand-circle tour of the property.

​

As Opening Day drew near, the Disney staff worked around the clock to ready this new "show" for its debut. One by one, scenes of the Disneyland show were completed, and finally, Walt’s persistent idea - his new concept in family entertainment - was ready for its world debut. Walt Disney's Disneyland had become a $40,000,000 "Magic Kingdom."

“I think that everyone here will one day be as proud to have been at this opening as the people who were there at the dedication of the Eiffel Tower,” actor Bob Cummings remarked. The actor was one of the many stars of the day who were gathered for the Grand Opening of Disneyland on July 17, 1955. To celebrate, ABC organized the biggest live telecast in history. The number of stars, celebrities and public figures on hand almost seemed endless, including host of the telecast, Art Linkletter. It was a grand premiere unlike anything Hollywood had ever seen.

"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts which have created America...with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
- Walt Disney ​

In its first seven weeks, more than a million people passed through the turnstiles, exceeding attendance projections by 50%! Disneyland was an artistic and commercial triumph. And that could only mean one thing: Disneyland would have to grow rapidly to meet demand, and as Walt went on to promise, "Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world." Although the future holds the promise of even more dreams come true, the first 65 years at Disneyland have marked an unforgettable era, one in which we have only begun to discover.

***
​

CLUE FOR NEXT UPDATE: "Berg."

Pardon me sir, where is Hollywoodland/Toontown? I want to see Roger Rabbit's Runaway Trolley simulator walkthrough!

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

A Universal Appeal

​

On March 15, 1915, filmmaker Carl Laemmle opened “Universal City Studios” to the public, a 230-acre “ranch” offering 25-cent tours of Laemmle’s motion picture production facility. Visitors were encouraged to boo for the villains and cheer for the heroes on the set of the latest live-action feature film. This was shuttered, of course, with the advent of sound in cinema. The not-so-quiet spectators were shut out, and the tour was closed.

Shortly after Music Corporation of America (MCA) took over Universal Pictures in 1962, studio accountants, including Buzz Price of the Stanford Research Institute, the man who selected the land for Disneyland only a decade prior, suggested a revival of the old “Studio Tour” to increase income. On July 15, 1964, a new tour was established and Universal Studios Hollywood was opened. For $2.50, Guests would ride “glamour trams” on the studio’s backlot, with stops including a series of dressing room walk-throughs, looks at actual production, and later, staged events, as well as lunch at the studio commissary. In the years following, additional attractions were added to the tour, including a rockslide, a collapsing bridge, a flash flood, and in 1976, the “Jaws Experience,” in which the 25-foot animatronic shark from the titular film would attack passengers. These additions and more would perhaps evolve into what MCA Universal had most desired: a full-blown theme park - like Disneyland.

Filming on the backlot would often force the glamour trams to reroute, almost constantly. The narrated tram tour, special effects, live shows and exhibits were not enough to compete with the existing tourism industry in Southern California. Attendance was so low in 1979, there were days the studio tour did not operate altogether. The park was quietly closed (and with little fanfare) on July 1, 1981. MCA’s intention for a second Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, fell by the wayside as a result, and the old studio backlot resumed exclusivity to motion picture production.

​

Meanwhile, in Anaheim…

Walt needed a second resort to supplement Disneyland. Though he had purchased 10,000 acres of land for his “magical little park” a few years prior, a little more than 350 acres were in use on the Anaheim property, leaving the rest as vacant farmland and forest. Despite Disneyland’s roaring success, he and his investors were skeptical as to whether or not its success would persist in California for decades to come, therefore leaving the addition of further theme parks or amenities untouched. Market surveys at the time showed that only 5% of Disneyland’s visitors came from east of the Mississippi River, where 75% of the United States population lived. At the same time, kitschy businesses and shoddy motels had sprung up around the perimeter of the 10,000-acre Disneyland site, much to Walt’s dislike. An East Coast expansion was imminent.

In strict secrecy, Walt and Roy purchased 30,500 acres of land in Central Florida, an in-house secret known as the “Florida Project,” which would later become Walt Disney World, what Walt would call “the greatest attraction in the history of Florida.” Walt Disney World would go on to provide a blank (and larger) canvas for what Disneyland and its 10,000 acres could become: a self-contained destination that exists separate from the outside world. But, of course, the story of Walt Disney World is another tale for another time… It was inevitable for Disneyland and its unused real estate to one day follow in Orlando’s footsteps.

​

The 1970s were tumultuous years for Walt Disney Productions. Following Walt’s death in 1966, the “Mouse House” faced numerous challenges, including more than one hostile takeover attempt, even one from MCA. When the smoke cleared, Disney emerged stronger than ever with friendly investors and a new management team: CEO Michael Eisner and President Frank Wells, installed in 1984. In this same time, the Disney Parks faced a period of ambitious design and development, seeing the openings of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971, and EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982, and the company’s first international destination, Tokyo Disneyland on April 15, 1983. Tokyo Disneyland would prove to be a major milestone for the company, laying the groundwork for an international expansion that would later continue into France and twice in China. It proved to Disney Management, including Michael Eisner, that there was a considerable audience (and appetite) for the Disney name.

Eisner and Wells never strayed from a challenge, and one of their first orders of business was to bring some of Hollywood’s greatest entertainers into the Disney fold, something they believed could be done with the overdue launch of a second Anaheim Park. Much of the 10,000 acre site purchased in the early ‘50s had long remained vacant, and to Eisner and WED’s Imagineers, that real estate was a blank canvas in which a masterpiece could be born - one to even rival the larger Walt Disney World.

Eisner challenged the Imagineers at WED Enterprises to create an amazing destination, one that was so incredible, tourism in California would near-exclusively flourish at the Anaheim resort. If the success of a “Second Gate” was felt, then so too would follow the addition of resort hotels, luxury amenities, and a shopping and dining district.

The intent was simple: Utilize the remainder of the Disneyland property to create a multi-day “Vacation Kingdom.”

Disneyland and its namesake Hotel, the 150-acre parking lot, and Fantasy Lagoon were all that held prominence on the massive property, begging for a sister park and further amenities. But just what would this sister park entail?

​

Sid Sheinberg, President and CEO of MCA, had overseen three of Universal’s highest-grossing films: Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Back to the Future, a result of his ongoing partnership with director Steven Spielberg. Their success had only enticed Sheinberg to revitalize plans for a Florida theme park, or perhaps reopen the Hollywood property with a fresh look. Eisner, overhearing rumors of MCA’s intentions, approached Sheinberg in February of 1985 with a unique, if not bold idea. Although it was at first a bit off-putting to Sheinberg, the opportunities that might follow would prove endless. So, in March of that same year, Eisner, Wells, Sheinberg, and filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg vacationed in secret for two weeks in Colorado.

By December 1985, an agreement was made and an announcement followed: Disney and Universal would collaborate and create Disney-Universal Studios in Anaheim, California.

The agreement was unprecedented. Disney and Universal would share the worldwide rights to use one another’s name, including their logo and brand in association with the new theme park. Whereas Disney owned 100% of the Anaheim site chosen for the theme park, both companies would share the ticket sales, 40% to Disney and 60% to Universal. Disney would receive 100% of all merchandising profits from the park, while Universal would receive 100% from concession sales. Likewise, the construction fees and ongoing, year-round maintenance of the park would be split 50% to Universal and 50% to Disney. By contractual agreement, MCA-Universal would not be allowed to build another Universal Studios theme park until 2000, and likewise, Disney would be unable to build another Studios-themed park of their own until 2000. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were hired on to lead WED Enterprises in the incredible design process ahead.

One final arrangement: No Universal characters would appear outside the Studio Park. Woody Woodpecker, Count Dracula and Lucille Ball would never appear within Disneyland Park, nor in any Disney offerings outside the Park. As such, Mickey Mouse and Goofy would never appear in any future Universal Park outside the Anaheim location.

By January 1987, construction had begun on a site not far from Disneyland Park on Disney's Anaheim property, and on June 7, 1990, Disney-Universal Studios opened to an excited public.

“The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and MCA-Universal, and is dedicated to Hollywood—not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was—and always will be.”
- Michael Eisner, June 7, 1990 ​

Like Disneyland before it, the design of Disney-Universal Studios was unprecedented. Rather than competing, the distinctly themed areas would compliment each other and contribute to the total Guest Experience. The audience here does not simply sit before a motion-picture screen. They are to physically experience an adventure, seldom as spectators, but almost always as “participants” in the drama. Here they can “Ride the Movies.” Scene One is Hollywood Boulevard, "The Hollywood 'That Never Was' - or Could Be.”

The Studios Park opened exclusively with four “lands”: Hollywood Boulevard - Manhattan Waterfront - Toontown - Production Backlot. The biggest draw was the “Studio Tour” which consumed much of the 180-acre site. The real Universal backlot, which never closed to film productions, remained in Hollywood, often the birthplace of future thematic additions to the Studio Tour.

​

With a gala fit for Hollywood, Disney-Universal Studios opened to tremendous success and rave reviews. The signature Studio Tour anchored a number of satellite production facilities for films and television shows, a small backlot, and an animation studio used by both Walt Disney Feature Animation and Spielberg’s Amblimation. Though by 1995, contractual disagreements and conflicts of interest would shutter the production facilities and satellite studios altogether.

The Park was a victim of its own success. Parking lots were full by 11:00 AM and the 6:00 PM closing was extended to midnight. Tickets sold out weeks in advance, with the Park’s signature Great Movie Ride and Studio Tour garnering wait times of over six hours! As the years went by, the Park’s design and mission statement evolved. Like Disneyland, the Park would only climb to greater heights, eventually downsizing the Studio Tour and “studio-like” attractions altogether for further flights of fantasy, as well as new “lands,” including:

Jurassic Park
“Time, the Ever-Flowing River. Come with Us Now, to the Time Before Man, when the River Flowed through a Newborn World, and Giants Walked the Earth. Welcome to Jurassic Park!”

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
"The Crossroads of a Galaxy Far, Far Away: The Planet of Batuu. The Past, Present and Future of this Fantastical Realm Coexist Among the Soaring Spacecraft and Alien Creatures of this Thriving Spaceport. Galaxy's Edge Celebrates the Magic and Mystery of George Lucas's 'Star Wars'; Here Imagination Gives Birth to Adventure."

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade & Diagon Alley
“Only Here Can You Ride a Dragon, Sample a Butterbeer, and Experience All the Magic and Adventure of the ‘Harry Potter’ Films and Books. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Envelops You in Wondrous Surprises and Takes You on an Extraordinary Adventure with Harry and His Friends.”​

And that’s not forgetting an additional three lands built in the years following.

- Springfield, U.S.A.
- Super Nintendo World
- Avengers Campus

​

Today, Disney-Universal Studios remains an unusual, but much beloved remnant of the Eisner and Sheinberg era - the unique Park that brought expansion to Disneyland and turned it into the multi-day Disneyland Resort - the Park that brought Universal back into the themed entertainment market, a feat the studio would not replicate until May 2005, when Universal Studios Orlando finally opened, not ironically in direct competition to Walt Disney World.

Even still, the agreement between Disney and Universal remains, a strong connection that has made the “Happiest Place on Earth” a “whole lot happier.” The first 30 years of Disney-Universal Studios have been a landmark in family entertainment and fun, and one that can only continue to grow and evolve at the Disneyland Resort.

***
​

CLUE FOR NEXT POST: Station

 

[DisneyFan32]

I can't wait what Disney-Universal Studios will have attractions.

 

[WillWrambles]

A DISNEY-UNIVERSAL TEAM UP?!?! AMAZING!!!

 

[DisneyManOne]

OH. MY. GOSH.

As sad as I am to see WestCOT go -- needless to say, my Mirror Walt Disney World exists in the same dimension as Mirror Disneyland 2.0 -- I am so excited to see what Disney/Universal Studios has in store. I mean, a full-blown collaboration between two of the biggest theme park companies in the world? Sign me up!

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

I have a thought with Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Studios which of the parks is going to get Percy Jackson and the Olympians unless it’s a summer event.

 

[KingMickey]

LOVE!!! I can’t wait to see what you do with this.

And a Disney-Universal team up is a massive game-changer.

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

OH. MY. GOSH.

As sad as I am to see WestCOT go -- needless to say, my Mirror Walt Disney World exists in the same dimension as Mirror Disneyland 2.0 -- I am so excited to see what Disney/Universal Studios has in store. I mean, a full-blown collaboration between two of the biggest theme park companies in the world? Sign me up!

WestCOT still exists! It's going to be the third gate at Mirror Disneyland Resort. I figured I might as well tackle all three instead of just one or the other.

LOVE!!! I can’t wait to see what you do with this.

And a Disney-Universal team up is a massive game-changer.

I'm so happy to hear from you! It's been such a long time.

 

[JokersWild]

This looks great! Can't wait to see how this turns out.

 

[DisneyManOne]

WestCOT still exists! It's going to be the third gate at Mirror Disneyland Resort. I figured I might as well tackle all three instead of just one or the other.

Really? Wow, that's incredible! However, despite the fact that WestCOT will still exist here, I think I'll still use Mirror Disneyland 2.0 as the Mirror WDW counterpart, given that, the way I've set things up, Universal Orlando and Disney-MGM Studios exist as separate entities, as they do in real life.

I may do an alternate Mirror WDW once Mirror Disneyland 3.0 is complete to showcase how the resort would alter with Disney-Universal Studios and everything. So far, I'm thinking that the Hollywood area is folded into its own land at the Magic Kingdom, like Hollywoodland is in MDL 2.0. And because it would be where New Orleans Bayou is in my current MWDW, I think I'll add it to Port Disney instead. (This MWDW would only have four parks -- Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Port Disney. No DHS, obviously.)

 

[DisneyFan32]

Are you gonna still do walkthrough of Roger Rabbit's Runaway Trolley soon? @MANEATINGWREATH

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Are you gonna still do walkthrough of Roger Rabbit's Runaway Trolley soon? @MANEATINGWREATH

Not soon-soon, but eventually! I promise it will be done somewhere down the road.

 

[Evilgidgit]

You magnificient maniac!

So, you took that weird publicity 1980s stunt encounter between Mickey and Woody Woodpecker and did something insane with it!

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

You magnificient maniac!

So, you took that weird publicity 1980s stunt encounter between Mickey and Woody Woodpecker and did something insane with it!

View attachment 549117

One of my all-time favorite tidbits of theme park lore is that weird crossover event you're mentioning. From what I remember reading, Count Dracula bit Minnie Mouse among other bizarre things that happened that day.

And I should reiterate that I am not the first to do a Disney-Universal Park in the armchair Imagineering realm! The idea was been tossed around these boards well over a decade ago, and was even a quick project in Season Eight of SYWTBAI. It's been awhile since anyone has dared touch it, so I figured...why not now?

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Last post for a day or two!

Yesterland's fantastic article on WestCOT was a big inspiration for this post, particularly in dividing up the guiding factors in WestCOT's introduction to make Disneyland into a Resort. Please check that article out.

Go West, Young EPCOT, Go West

"But the most exciting and by far the most important part of our Florida project…in fact, the heart of everything we’ll be doing in Disney World…will be our Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow! We call it E.P.C.O.T.

​

E.P.C.O.T will be an experimental prototype community of tomorrow that will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems…

And most important of all, when E.P.C.O.T has become a reality and we find the need for technologies that don’t even exist today, it’s our hope that E.P.C.O.T will stimulate American industry to develop new solutions that will meet the needs of people expressed right here in this experimental community."
- Walt Disney

​

Walt knew he would not live to see the completion of his "Florida Project." Still, he would sit in his hospital bed at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, across from his beloved Studio, and there, despite his condition, would plot and map the design of his new Florida property among the ceiling tiles of his hospital room. Later, when Roy would come and visit, Walt would explain the location of the Magic Kingdom and other ideas he was designing, including what he had called his "greatest gift to mankind": EPCOT.

It stood for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and was designed to be an ever-changing laboratory where the greatest minds could come together and resolve the world's problems. It was to also hold a community of nations that would serve as a showcase of harmony and goodwill. At its heart, a 30-story hotel, an evolution of Disneyland’s “Hub,” where like the spokes on a wheel were industrial parks, convention centers, living spaces, and recreational playgrounds - sweeping freeways, PeopleMovers, and a sleek Monorail running throughout.

​

After Walt, then-CEO Card Walker wanted to revisit the EPCOT idea throughout the 1970s, even if Disney’s Board of Directors were wary of the thought, agreeing that Walt's vision for EPCOT would certainly not work in its intended design as a working city. The result of a long-debated compromise was EPCOT Center, Walt Disney World’s second theme park, which opened on October 1, 1982.

"To all who come to this place of joy, hope and friendship, welcome. Epcot is inspired by Walt Disney's creative vision. Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all. May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere."
- E. Cardon Walker

EPCOT Center celebrates the culture, diversity and cutting edge technology focused on our humanity, history, and the world we live in. The original "Epcot" relied heavily on corporate and international sponsorship in the development of its many large-scale pavilions and attractions. The concept, in hindsight, was simple: EPCOT Center was to be a permanent World’s Fair, so named EPCOT Center so that if the park was successful, Walt’s visualized “Progress City” could be built around it - thus being the “Center” of EPCOT.

Installed in 1984, Michael Eisner (as CEO) and Frank Wells (as President) began a revitalization of the Disney name, and what followed the launch of Disney-Universal Studios in 1990 would become the most ambitious project Imagineering had ever conceived: The Disney Decade. The ambitious project would broaden the Disney family of theme parks and hotels internationally and stateside, with such projects as Disneyland Paris and Disney’s Animal Kingdom coming to light. But what would stand out to many as the highlight of the Disney Decade would be the biggest and most beautiful concept ever created by WED Enterprises: WestCOT Center.

​

Eisner's additions to Walt Disney World had lengthened the average "Disney" vacation and dominated the Central Florida travel industry. On the opposite coast at Walt's Disneyland, Eisner saw opportunity - the same multi-day, resort-based model that had transformed Walt Disney World into an overnight success. Though the recent addition of Disney-Universal Studios had brought record attendance and innovative attractions under the direction of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and Disneyland had always been changing, near-constantly "plussed" with new lands and attractions, the remainder of the 10,000-acre property was still vacant, with one hotel, two parking lots, and the always quaint Fantasy Lagoon on the horizon. On June 28, 1991, a little over a year after the debut of Disney-Universal Studios, the Walt Disney Company felt confident enough to reveal that everything would soon change for the Anaheim property.

​

It was announced that a multi-billion dollar investment would transform Disneyland Park and Disney-Universal Studios into the beautiful, full-fledged Disneyland Resort. The expansion would include the next generation of theme parks, several hotels, a shopping, dining and entertainment district, and the state-of-the-art amphitheater, the Disneyland Bowl. The Master Plan would benefit the surrounding streets and commerce of Anaheim in its transformation into the beautiful, eco-friendly Anaheim Commercial Recreation Area. The highly regulated and visually integrated Recreation Area would remove urban clutter, visible electric lines, and mismatched locales and signage. Four decades of unrestrained development - gone. The carefully-crafted environment would boast matching signs, comfortable pedestrian paths, and that signature sense of Disney's showmanship and quality. The project was anchored by seven points.

1. Project Unity created an environmental design experience that is more powerful than its parts. Everything supported everything else. Visual contradictions were eliminated.

1. Integration with the Anaheim Commercial Recreation Area made sure that the entire community benefits, and not just Disney.

1. A Dramatic Entry Sequence provided notable gateways and created a sense of place.

1. Parking on the Perimeter to deal with the tens of thousands of cars descending upon the resort everyday.

1. Transportation Linkages made it easy for people to get around and to be connected with the region.

1. Pedestrian Orientation made the resort a series of unfolding spaces that encourage walking.

1. Diversity of Guest Activities helped to define the project programming by insisting on a wide variety of activities that appeal to a wide range of demographics.

WestCOT Center is arguably the most lasting mark of this historic expansion, an incredible celebration of our cultural diversity, humanity, future, and history. WestCOT tells the story of Earth’s greatest resource - its people. People from the past, present, future, and across the globe, are showcased in this tribute to our planet and the achievements of mankind. The Pavilions of WestCOT's "Future World” include the Wonders of Life, Wonders of Earth, and Wonders of Science. Beyond Future World: the picturesque Seven Seas Lagoon, surrounded by the Four Corners of the World - The World of Africa, The World of Asia, The Old World, and The New World. These are the “Seven Wonders of WestCOT.”

WestCOT is a natural sibling to the original EPCOT Center in Florida. Only, in the case of WestCOT, the Park is a definite improvement in comfort and layout - "user-friendly and easy to walk," as Eisner put it. The Seven Seas Lagoon, shaped like an hourglass, divides "WestCOT East" and "WestCOT West." The visitor is able to quickly access either of the two facets of the Park at entry, as opposed to EPCOT Center, where one travels some distance through one area to get to the other. WestCOT East is Future World - WestCOT West is the Four Corners of the World - Spacestation Earth and the Seven Seas Lagoon are in the middle, a thematic divide.

​

WestCOT Center opened on December 2, 1998. The new Disneyland Resort welcomed a number of celebrities, humanitarians and scientific thinkers alike to welcome to the world a “second Epcot.” Unlike Disney-Universal Studios in 1990, WestCOT Center was built adjacent to Disneyland - right across the esplanade of Disneyland Plaza.

As it stands today, the Disneyland Resort includes:

Disneyland Park - 230 Acres
WestCOT Center - 330 Acres
Disney-Universal Studios - 240 Acres
Discovery Bay Water Park - 90 Acres
The Disneyland Bowl - 65 Acres
Disney Boardwalk & Hotel District - 210 Acres
Fantasy Lagoon - 100 Acres
Fantasy Lagoon Beaches - 50 Acres
Grand Californian Hotel & Spa - 75 Acres
Disney’s Boardwalk Resort - 75 Acres
The Disneyland Hotel - 80 Acres
Fantasy Lagoon Hiking Trails - 200 Acres
Disneyland Resort Campground, Cabins & Forests - 600 Acres
Wilderness Lake - 150 Acres
Wilderness Lake Beaches & Horseback Trails - 75 Acres
Roads, Parking Lots & Parking Structures (Combined) - 750 Acres
Team Disney Anaheim Administration Building - 60 Acres
Disneyland Warehouses & Storage - 100 Acres
WestCOT Warehouses & Storage - 100 Acres
Disney-Universal Studios Warehouses & Storage - 100 Acres
Disney Boardwalk & Hotel District Warehouses & Storage - 50 Acres
Expansion Space & Undeveloped Areas - 6,270 Acres

*IRL, Anaheim, California is 32,560 acres, a few thousand acres larger than Walt Disney World. In this reality, Anaheim is instead 42,560 acres, so 10,000 of those acres belong to the Disneyland Resort. Therefore, 32,560 acres of Anaheim remain for the public and other properties. And with so many acres left unused for Disney...there’s plenty of room to grow in the future.

*** ​

 

[DisneyManOne]

One of my all-time favorite tidbits of theme park lore is that weird crossover event you're mentioning. From what I remember reading, Count Dracula bit Minnie Mouse among other bizarre things that happened that day.

And I should reiterate that I am not the first to do a Disney-Universal Park in the armchair Imagineering realm! The idea was been tossed around these boards well over a decade ago, and was even a quick project in Season Eight of SYWTBAI. It's been awhile since anyone has dared touch it, so I figured...why not now?

I remember that project! I even developed my own custom logo for that project back in the day.

Also, just to clarify things, where exactly is Disney-Universal Studios? Is it on the "Future Expansion" space listed on the WestCOT map (what is now the Toy Story Parking Lot)?

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Also, just to clarify things, where exactly is Disney-Universal Studios? Is it on the "Future Expansion" space listed on the WestCOT map (what is now the Toy Story Parking Lot)?

It's hard to say right now. 10,000 acres is a lot of land. It's a third of WDW in size, but that's still a ridiculous amount of land. In fairness, that blueprint I shared of the real-life WestCOT masterplan wouldn't really be canon for Mirror Disneyland considering just how big the overall property is. That blueprint is roughly 500 acres, so multiply that size by about 20 and you have yourself a Mirror DLR.

Next update coming soon! Teaser: Plaza

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

And for today's update...

***

Disneyland Plaza & The Boardwalk District

"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing... That it was all started by a mouse."
- Walt Disney

​

Today is July 17, 2020. It is the 65th Anniversary of Disneyland.

Our adventure begins amidst the color and excitement of Disneyland Plaza, gateway to the Disneyland Resort. The former Disneyland Parking Lot, Disneyland Plaza arrived in 1995, three years before the opening of WestCOT. “Project Unity” called for a seamless transition from adjacent Harbor Boulevard to the Resort proper, and Disneyland Plaza was the answer - an accessible esplanade of arrival and transportation. The air is filled with atmospheric music of the Disney canon; sweeping instrumentals and familiar vocals. Gardens, fountains, and trees set an inspired threshold to the Main Gate of the Magic Kingdom. The Plaza is a suited compliment and entrance from the ACRA (Anaheim Commercial Recreation Area) that surrounds the Resort.

In the center of the Plaza is a large, meticulously-tiled Compass, aptly shaped around the silhouette of Mickey Mouse’s head. To the north, we find Disneyland Park, to the south, WestCOT Center. Headed west - the Disney Boardwalk & Hotel District nestled along the forested shores of Fantasy Lagoon, with Disney-Universal Studios and all other resort amenities further in west. The state-of-the-art Disneyland Bowl, a world-class amphitheater, looks over Harbor Boulevard from Disneyland’s southeast. The Monorail, moving walkways, and electric Trams offer simple, yet sophisticated transportation through the Resort and onto the streets of Anaheim, a free accommodation for all resort guests - save those who wish to explore by foot.

Ticket booths dot the landscape, Victorian in style, friendly in character. The Monorail Station and Transportation Center are held beneath a great, glass canopy - an “arcade,” if you will, almost reminiscent of a large Victorian greenhouse. Disneyland Plaza is home to the expected number of security and baggage checkpoints, as well as the usual rideshare and taxi zones, bus stops and shuttle pickups. As Disneyland and WestCOT both sit to the easternmost edge of the Resort property, Harbor Boulevard is close in proximity to Disneyland Plaza. In fact, it is the last “urban” sight many guests will see before fully immersing themselves into this magical realm.

​

As we journey west of the Plaza, we find a beautiful set of walking trails and forests that look to the shores of Fantasy Lagoon, a 100-acre staple of the Resort since 1955.

As the legend goes, one of Walt’s original investors, rumored to be Cornelius Vanderbilt (strange, considering Vanderbilt died in 1877), pressured Walt into the inclusion of Fantasy Lagoon, stating that a real beach and fishing hole would be a natural companion piece to his so called “Mickey Mouse Park.” Walt wasn’t interested. The unknown investor became furious, and threatened to withdraw his funds, which would leave Walt without the budget for building his “Jungle River” ride. Seeing it now as essential, ground was broken on Fantasy Lagoon not long before Disneyland’s debut, and the real beach and fishing hole that the investor had so demanded opened on July 17, 1955, though to smaller fanfare than Disneyland.

This gorgeous lake is home today to these same real beaches and water sports; fishing, parasailing, and water skiing (to name a few), along with quite the colorful nighttime spectacular…

​

In 2010, World of Color debuted on the surface of Fantasy Lagoon, a “free-to-the-public” nighttime spectacle that brings to life, on a vivid veil of mist, the stories of Disney and Pixar. Water, fire, light and music weave together to celebrate the magic of Disney storytelling through brilliant color and dazzling effects. The astounding spectacle sweeps across the water, lighting up Fantasy Lagoon and the Boardwalk District with scenes and music from beloved Disney and Pixar films - displayed on well over 19,000 square feet of water.

Introduced as means to bring interest to Fantasy Lagoon, World of Color has been a Resort standard for an entire decade, and has introduced two seasonal variations: World of Color - Season of Light (2016) and World of Color: Villainous (2019).

As to not harm the local marine life that has come to inhabit the lagoon since 1955, World of Color’s infrastructure is in a “lagoon” all its own, wherein concrete barriers and a high-tech filtration system separate the show mechanics from the “natural show” that surrounds it.

The mountainous forests and hills that surround Fantasy Lagoon started as saplings and mounds of dirt in 1955. Today, these saplings and mounds stand the size and scale of full-grown trees and hills. It didn’t take long for the Southern Californian wildlife to move in, and by the early 1980s, one could find various fauna on site if strayed too far from the path.

​

Not far ashore, the Boardwalk & Hotel District looks to the lagoon’s surface, an eclectic amalgamation of shopping, dining and recreation. Inspired by the charming village of Lake Arrowhead, California, we discover a rustic paradise tucked amongst the serenity of a secluded wild; a great forest of the Pacific Northwest under the warm Californian sun.

The Boardwalk District is of historic origin, inspired by the since-defunct Pleasure Island of Walt Disney World. Merriweather Adam Pleasure, renowned oceaneer, founded the former “Pleasure Lake Village” that we visit today. Each building in the district once held an operation of Pleasure in this lakeside retreat for world travelers and explorers. A plaque placed at the entrance to each location recollects the structure's former use, whether Pleasure once used the site as a pony stable (in the case of the current Coach store) or an art studio (in the case of WonderGround Gallery). At the entrance to the district, a plaque at the base of a statue, built in Pleasure’s likeness, reads:

Pleasure Lake Village
Founded 1915

A living monument to “the wise fool, the mad visionary, the scoundrel, the scalawag, and the seeker of enjoyment,” Merriweather Adam Pleasure, who discovered Fantasy Lagoon and this inexplicable Southern Californian oasis in the spring of 1915. His charitable success with Pleasure Island of Lake Buena Vista, Florida inspired him to craft a retreat here for his closest comrades on the West Coast. Here they would discuss, discover and experiment in the exotic, the supernatural and the unexplained.

Known as the Grand Funmeister, Pleasure vanished during his 1941 circumnavigation of the Antarctic. His daughter, Mary Sue, took over the Lake Village and its assets. Her management came to an end after an ill-fated run-in with a stubborn dachshund in 1955; thereafter, the old Pleasure Lake Village was abandoned.

In 1994, archaeologists uncovered the site and its remnants, and as the same had been done with a rediscovered Pleasure Island in 1987, a large-scale reclamation project into Disney’s Boardwalk & Hotel District had begun. By 1995, the old Lake Village was reopened and dedicated to the life and legacy of its vanished Lord & Master.

“Fun for All, and All for Fun”

Placed here by the Pleasure Lake Village Historical Society

​

Merriweather A. Pleasure was, of course, a renowned member of the Society of Explorers & Adventurers, more famously known as S.E.A. The Society was founded on August 12, 1538, dedicated to the continued exploration of the world’s oceans and exotic lands. So it feels all too fitting that, in the heart of the Boardwalk District, stands a 19-foot Balinese Temple, odd, considering its exotic facade when compared to the rest of the rustic shopping district.

This is, fittingly, the bizarre, exotic, and neurotic Adventurer’s Club.

​

It’s 1937. The walls inside the club are covered to overflowing with artifacts and photographs from various explorations; trophy heads, decorative masks, weird fossils, ancient idols. It’s a private club for S.E.A. members, and one in which patrons are either welcomed as guests, given a fake name and “recognized” as fellow adventurers, or simply tossed aside and referred to as “drunks.” A hybrid theater, bar and restaurant, this nightclub has seen it all. The Adventurer’s Club was built by Pleasure as a personal museum for his large collection of antiquities, though later used to entertain his fellow members of the Society. Every night is celebrated here as New Year’s Eve, 1937.

“It came out of our collective, shared love of the world of the pith helmet and all that circled around it. It was the place we always wanted to go, but it didn't exist.”
- Craig McNair Wilson ​

Greeted by Colonel Critchlow Suchbench, Club Glee Meister, we are invited to explore all the exhibits and displays, with each room themed and named for a various realm of adventure: the Main Salon, the Relic Room, the Creature Room, the Library, and the Zebra Mezzanine. Old relics and artifacts throughout allude to past adventures and treasure hunts, some successful, others, such as one expedition to the Matterhorn, quite unsuccessful. “Mystery of the Lost Expedition,” as detailed in the Creature Room, recalls the following tale through recovered, but decimated artifacts and preserved photos:

“The remains of the ill-fated Matterhorn Mountain Expedition of 1928. The only clue to the disappearance of the entire party may be contained in these photographs, recovered from a shattered camera found at the ruined campsite. But don’t believe everything you read.”​

​

In the club’s elevator - adorned with paintings that recall the adventures of the wicked Harrison Hightower III - the unhappy ghost of Hightower himself will often materialize, (apparently) bound to the Shiriki Utundu idol that is stored in the Relic Room. The Clubhouse Stage in the Library is often host to vaudevillian melodramas and musical acts as performed by an oddball cast of explorers and adventurers, each with a built-in backstory. Other club residents include the Yakoose, a witty trophy(?) head, Babylonia, a talking stone head, Fingers Zambezi, a haunted organ that plays itself, Verne, a giant squid who lives above the bar to pour shots, and Marcel, an unknown man prancing around in an ape-suit. As with most establishments, there are house rules at the Adventurer’s Club:

“House Rules! Please Read:​

1. Blow Dart Guns Are Not to be Used as Drinking Straws​
2. Do Not Touch Cursed Artifacts!​
3. *This rule is crossed out*​
4. Do Not Provide Alcohol to On-Duty Jungle Cruise Skippers! NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!​
5. Call Bartender if Schweitzer Falls​
6. No Poison Dart Games or Wild Animals on Premises​
7. Management is Not Responsible for Loss of… ​
8. Headhunting is Strictly Prohibited!​
9. If Marcel the Ape-Man is Spotted, Call Management at Ext. 7119​
10. Do Not Look Into the Eyes of the Idol!”​

In design, the Boardwalk & Hotel District is a welcoming, comfortable space where families can enjoy time together and instantaneously feel right at home. A relaxed, entertaining, and unique collection of shops and world-class dining; a timeless, vibrant place that celebrates the immersion and creative design of WED Enterprises, and the peculiar lore of Merriweather Pleasure. The story begins with the Adventurer’s Club and how this “settlement” came to be. From there, Pleasure’s operations grew into various warehouses and laboratories, and later into three distinct neighborhoods: Pleasure Landing - Market Shore - Curious Cove. As Imagineer Dave Hoffman later said of Disney Springs at Walt Disney World, “Each neighborhood reflects its function and [the fictional] time period when it was developed.” The district is bordered by Fantasy Lagoon to the north and WestCOT, parking garages and surface lots to the south.

Pleasure Landing
Pleasure Landing is located nearest to Disneyland Plaza, as marked by the statue of Merriweather A. Pleasure. The Landing houses many shops and restaurants designed in the early 20th Century Arts & Crafts architecture, showcasing the once-dominant architectural style of California. The luxury Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is located at the Landing.

Market Shore
Market Shore depicts the former Lake Village’s business district and bazaar, with Spanish Revival architecture from the 1920s. Market Shore also features the district’s exposition center, having been developed to showcase Pleasure’s oddities and amusements.

Curious Cove
Curious Cove is the former Lake Village’s transportation hub and marina. It features nautical-themed restaurants and shops, including Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar - an aviation-themed dive bar based on the character from the ‘Indiana Jones’ films. Disney’s Boardwalk Resort is located here, inspired by the Victorian era beach resorts of the late 19th Century. ​

In total, the Boardwalk & Hotel District includes:

Shopping

1. Alex and Ani
2. American Eagle Outfitters
3. Anthropologie
4. Apple
5. The Art of Shaving
6. Bath & Body Works
7. Build-a-Bear Workshop
8. Chapel Hats
9. Claire’s
10. Coach
11. Coca-Cola Store
12. Columbia Sportswear
13. Compass Books & Café
14. Cotton On
15. Department 56
16. Disney Dress Shop
17. Disney Home Store
18. Disney Pin Traders
19. ESPN Zone Collection
20. Forever 21
21. Fossil
22. Free People
23. Goofy’s Candy Company
24. House of Blues Gear Shop
25. Kate Spade New York
26. Lacoste
27. Lefty’s - The Left-Hand Store
28. The LEGO Store
29. Levi’s
30. Lululemon
31. M&M’s
32. Museum Store
33. Pandora Jewelry
34. Rainforest Café Retail Village
35. Sanuk
36. Savannah Bee Company
37. Sephora
38. Shoe Palace
39. Star Wars Trading Post
40. Sugarboo & Co.
41. Sunglass Icon
42. Super Hero Headquarters
43. Things From Another World
44. Tommy Bahama
45. UGG
46. Under Armour Brand House
47. Universal Studio Store
48. Vera Bradley
49. WonderGround Gallery - The Art of Disney
50. World of Disney

Dining

1. The Adventurer’s Club
2. AMC Disneyland Resort 24 Dine-In & MacGuffins
3. Ballast Point Brewing Company
4. Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer
5. Blaze FastFire’d Pizza
6. The Boiling Crab
7. Bubba Gump Shrimp CO.
8. Chicken Guy!
9. Coca-Cola Store Rooftop Bar
10. Crepes De Paris
11. Dog Haus Biergarten
12. Earl of Sandwich
13. ESPN Zone
14. Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop
15. Gideon’s Bakehouse
16. House of Blues Restaurant & Bar
17. Jamba Juice
18. Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar
19. Johnny Rockets
20. La Brea Bakery
21. Naples
22. P.F. Chang’s
23. The Polite Pig
24. Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant
25. Rainforest Café
26. Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen
27. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
28. Salt & Straw
29. Splitsville Dining Room
30. Sprinkles
31. Starbucks at Curious Cove
32. Starbucks at Pleasure Landing
33. Tortilla Jo’s
34. Voodoo Doughnut
35. Wetzel’s Pretzels
36. Wolfgang Puck Express

Attractions & Entertainment

1. AMC Disneyland Resort 24
2. The Boardwalk Stage (Live Music)
3. Curious Cove Carousel
4. House of Blues Music Hall
5. Splitsville Luxury Lanes
6. The Walt Disney Family Museum
7. World of Color

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Though originally intended for a location in San Francisco, California, the Walt Disney Family Museum opened at the Boardwalk District on October 1, 2009 in a building formerly occupied by the “Jessica Rabbit Dance Floor,” a short-lived nightclub of the ‘90s and early ‘00s. Perhaps surprisingly, the Museum is formally owned, operated and funded by the Walt Disney Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Disney heirs, including Diane Disney Miller, Walt’s daughter and founder of the museum.

Walt Disney might have done more to touch the hearts and minds of millions of Americans than any other man in history. He brought joy, happiness, and a universal means of communication to people of all nations. Certainly, our world shall know but one Walt Disney.

The Walt Disney Family Museum is a stirring attraction that offers the newest technology and historic materials and artifacts to bring Walt’s achievements to life, with interactive galleries that include early drawings and animations, rare film footage, listening stations, priceless memorabilia, and a 12-foot diameter model of Disneyland - as Walt last envisioned it.

In the main lobby are 248 awards that Walt won during his career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and several Academy Awards - including the honorary award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which consists of one full-sized Oscar alongside seven miniature ones. Nearby, Walt’s actual formal and working offices are on display. All the furnishings were transported from here from the Burbank studio intact, displayed just as Walt had left them.

In all, there are ten permanent galleries, starting with Walt’s ancestral history and ending with his death on December 15, 1966.

“It's a collection of ideas and documents, a diverse array of archival, filmic, and pop-cultural texts that historicizes Disney's work and compels us to think twice about how we appraise it. The museum energizes the fascinatingly charged scholarly debate that the Disney phenomenon has provoked, shaking the worn, staid, sometimes cynical images we have of Disney and his empire, bringing to them renewed color and motion."
- Randy Malamud, Chronicle of Higher Education

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