WHY THERE SHOULD BE A
DOCUMENTARY ON
By: Lani Adamson
 Disneyland, the original California park, was groundbreaking in every
possible way.
 Prior to Disneyland’s creation, amusement parks were, by and large,
dirty, dangerous places aimed almost exclusively at teenagers. Parents
didn’t go on rides, they sat on benches while the kids played.
 As an animator, Walt Disney had already earned a reputation as a
maverick, a rebel genius who was able to sell adult audiences on
feature-length cartoons, something his peers had claimed would never
work.
 Disneyland was the culmination of many of Walt’s big dreams, a
different kind of park, where parents and children could have fun
together. Walt Disney told stories, and Disneyland allowed guests to
become a part of those stories.
 Although its 1955 opening day was fraught with problems, Disneyland
was an immediate smash success, welcoming its one millionth guest
only seven weeks after opening.
 1964: As part of the “Florida Project,” Walt Disney secretly starts purchasing 27,433 acres of
swampland in Central Florida for approximately $180 an acre.
 1969: Construction begins on Disney’s Magic Kingdom, including Main Street U.S.A. and the
189-foot-high Cinderella Castle.
• Disney’s Magic Kingdom first opens its doors on October 1 for approximately 10,000 visitors
with the following attractions: Cinderella’s Golden Carousel, Country Bear Jamboree,
Diamond Horseshoe Revue, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Frontier Shooting Gallery, Hall of
Presidents, Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Mad Tea Party, Mickey Mouse
Revue, Mike Fink Keel Boats, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Skyway, Snow White’s Adventures, Swiss
Family Treehouse, Tiki Room, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway and Walt Disney World Railroad.
•
•
1971:
The Liberty Square Riverboat opens along the Rivers of America on October 2, the day after
the grand opening of Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
•
Adult admission to Disney’s Magic Kingdom costs $3.50, while a seven-ride attraction ticket
book costs $4.75 and an 11-ride attraction ticket book costs $5.75.
•
Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort and Disney’s Fort Wilderness
Resort & Campground all open at Walt Disney World Resort.
 1979: Construction begins on Epcot with an initial budget of $600 million.
• 1982:
• Epcot (originally known as EPCOT Center) opens on October 1 as the second
theme park at Walt Disney World Resort with Future World pavilions that include
The Land, Spaceship Earth, Universe of Energy and World of Motion, as well as
nine World Showcase pavilions (USA, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Mexico,
Germany, Italy, China and Japan.
•
A four-mile stretch of the Walt Disney World Monorail System is completed from
the Ticket and Transportation Center to Epcot.
 1985: Walt Disney Productions signs a licensing agreement with MGM/UA
Entertainment, paving the way for the development of a third Disney theme park,
Disney-MGM Studios.
 1986: Construction begins on Disney-MGM Studios, Walt Disney World’s third
theme park
 1989:
• Disney MGM Studios opens on May 1; Michael Eisner dedicates the new theme
park 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.”
•
Typhoon Lagoon water park opens at Walt Disney World Resort with one of the
world’s largest wave pools.
•
Pleasure Island, an immense entertainment complex with eight eclectic nightclubs,
opens its doors at Walt Disney World Resort.
 1995: Blizzard Beach, billed as the “ Coolest Water Park in Central Florida,” opens
at Walt Disney World Resort on April Fool’s Day.
 1998: Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens as the fourth theme park at Walt Disney
World Resort on April 22.
 2008: Disney-MGM Studios changes its name to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Epcot
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Downtown Disney
Blizzard Beach
Typhoon Lagoon
• Times Square deserves a documentary.
There are several reasons for this. It has a lot
of history behind it, it has many fun places to
visit, and do not forget about all of the
interesting characters that you will see in
your travels. If you give me the chance to
make a documentary about this unofficial
wonder of the world, I will not disappoint
you. Thank you for your time.
• To retrieve additional information on why
Walt Disney World should have a personal
documentary:
• http://www.orlando-florida.net/walt-disneyworld/resources/timeline.htm
• http://disneyworld.orlandovacation.com/artic
les/history-of-walt-disney-world.php
• http://www.youtube.com
“My only hope
is that we never
lose sight of
one thing, that
it was all
started by a
mouse.”