Disneyland Resort celebrates seven happy decades.
“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 that have created America — with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” — Walt Disney’s opening day speech, July 17, 1955
The year 1955, a big one in history and culture, was rumbling by as Walt Disney spoke those words.
Just 10 years removed from World War II, Dwight Eisenhower was president. The polio vaccine was approved, Elvis Presley made his local TV debut and Little Richard released “Tutti Frutti.” Jim Henson introduced Kermit the Frog on a kids’ show, the first franchised McDonald’s opened, the Cold War ramped up with the formation of the Warsaw Pact of Eastern European Communist nations. The Civil Rights Movement also gained momentum with Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat and the murder of young Emmett Till. Meanwhile, the first Guinness Book of World Records was published.
Kevin Costner, Eddie Van Halen, Chief Justice John Roberts, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Whoopi Goldberg, John Grisham, Bruce Willis, Reba McEntire and Robert Prevost, the man who would later become Pope Leo XIV, were born. Albert Einstein died and James Dean was killed in a car crash.
And then, there was Walt Disney. He was a well-known animator, producer, studio head and weekly host of his own TV show. But he was risking it all for an amusement park in farmland south of Los Angeles. It was called Disneyland. Admission was $1.
Things have changed a little, but a big anniversary party is in full swing for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary and you can bring the family. There is new food, merchandise, parades, nighttime shows and a new opportunity to watch Walt tell you the story of the making of the park, in person. Eh, well, via cutting-edge animatronics.
The Food
Food now draws many people to the park and the anniversary inspired both new and nostalgic takes on some long gone park classics.
Chef Esther Alonzo says a lot of her favorites are actually influenced by the past.
“Hook’s Gallery tuna melt is inspired by what used to be the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship restaurant. Back in the day, we used to serve a tuna melt and we wanted to bring that classic dish back, and it’s an open face tuna sandwich,” Alonzo says. “The chili cheese baked potato and chili cheese corn dog are an homage to Walt himself, whose favorite food when he came to the park was the famous Walt’s chili.”
But she also likes the fried tamale walking taco, a dish she says is “an homage to what used to be the Casa de Frito. There were two fan favorites, the fried taco and the Frito chili pie. We wanted to mash those up and make this new dish.”
She also likes to finish off the meal with a “beautiful” banana split or banana split shake. “Actually inspired by when the park first opened. At Carnation Cafe, we served a classic banana split. We just wanted to bring an homage to that classic split.”
But families on a budget need to make their food dollar stretch a little further when at the park. Alonzo recommends things like the cowboy fries or the grilled Tahitian ribs, each are sharable servings. “Another budget-friendly item I’d recommend is the chili cheese baked potato. A baked potato is nice and hardy and it comes with the corn bread on top.”
The Merchandise
Kim Wilson, retail optimization manager at the park, was careful to explain a new toy, the Key to Disneyland. “It’s the best, most exciting thing coming to Disneyland Park for the 70th anniversary,” she says. “It’s required to unlock the magic in nine of our lands throughout the park. When you get the key, you turn it on and hear a little bit of Walt Disney’s opening day speech.
“Guests will go through each land and look for a lock station. You’ll put your key in the different locks, and the stations will have either music, lights, sounds or bubbles. And you’ll unlock all the different icons [on the key]. When you’re done, take your key to the grand finale lock station on Main Street and enter the key, and it unlocks the hidden chamber that will feature one of nine special pins for the Disneyland 70th.”
Other items include brightly colored new shirts featuring lots of detail and embroidered elements, retro recreations of popular past shirts, specially-designed Loungefly bags and backpacks, and specially designed R2-D2 and Spider-Bot 70th anniversary toys.
Some adults and older kids might like the Nostalgia Collection, various items that park spokesperson Claudia Duron Burke says “looks like something Walt would even have in his office.” Like a retro-style briefcase, a tray and coffee mug, but also a highly detailed commemorative pin.
The Parades and Shows
A new “World of Color” show at Disney California Adventure Park, as well as the return of “Wondrous Journeys” at Disneyland make their debuts this summer, along with dazzling parade “Paint the Night” that will run concurrently with the continuing “Better Together.”
“One of the things that I think is really special about the 70th is that we have a lot of new, exciting offerings, but also have listened to the fans and brought back those classics that not only our guests but cast members truly love,” says Jennifer McGill, executive producer for Disney Live Entertainment. “We’ve added a few extra bits of pixie dust to it, and a few extra nods and things to make it unique to the 70th anniversary celebration, but it’s the classics that make it special.”
The seventh “World of Color” show explores “Happiness!” — featuring Pixar characters, but starts with a pre-show by The Muppets.
“What is happiness?” McGill says the creative team had to ask as they put the show together. “We realized our friends at Pixar had created the perfect team to tell that story, with the cast from ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Inside Out 2.’ But it quickly became apparent to us The Muppets were actually celebrating their 70th anniversary as well, so we reached out and asked if they wanted to play with us. It was a resounding yes. We sat with them and they said they had a very special message.”
Showing visitors a good time for such a big party seems a daunting task, but according to David Caranci, manager of Creative Development, the creative teams had the luxury of falling back on a couple of things they can always rely on.
“It goes back to tradition. In Imagineering, we honor Walt,” he says. “We still talk about Walt as if he was still here with us, and look at the philosophies of Walt. We also read everything that is written [about us] and we want to bring the best party ever to Disneyland for the 70th.”
By Shawn Price
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