People and Places: Disneyland, USA

“Its purpose is enlightenment; its product is happiness.  Disneyland could only happen in a country where freedom is a heritage, and the pursuit of happiness is a basic human right.”  This description comes from an episode of People and Places called “Disneyland, USA.”  People and Places was a show that aired from 1953-1960 and highlighted various places around the world that had been visited by Disney and filmed.  The show explored these locations in order to give the public a taste of what it might be like to visit far off places.  The Disneyland episode aired in 1956, only a year after the park first opened in 1955.  Clearly, this episode was meant not only to give a tour of Disneyland but also to act as a publicity device to entice guests to make the trek to Anaheim to visit this new theme park.  I viewed this show on a set of DVDs called “Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland Secrets, Stories, & Magic.”  This is a wonderful DVD set for any Disney history fan. There are interviews with imagineers both past and present as well as other historical footage of Disneyland from its early days.

The “Disneyland, USA” program is my favorite part of this collector set because it shows what Disneyland looked like during its early existence.  This film shows the park when it was very young.  All of the foliage in the park is brand new, and you can see that various rides have not even been created yet.  1956 comes before the introduction of many rides such as the Matterhorn, the submarines, and many other current Disneyland staples.  The film is narrated by Winston Hibler, and as part of your journey through Disneyland, you are able to visit the Disneyland hotel, ride the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland, the Disneyland Railroad, the Jungle Cruise, as well as the Storybookland Canal Boats.  You can see so many aspects of Disneyland that do not exist anymore by viewing this film.  Fantasyland is still in its original state before its 1983 re-do.  You even get to see Walt Disney and Fess Parker lead a parade through the park.  My favorite part of the film involves the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland.  This ride was multi-faceted and formerly took up the space that is now occupied by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  There was of course a mine train, but there were also donkey rides, stagecoach rides, and a brief shoot-out in Rainbow Ridge, which was small town.  This town can still be seen as a part of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 

Being a part of the past even virtually makes this video a must-have for any serious Disney history fan.  You get to view the park in its infancy and truly see the excitement that the visitors experienced upon their first visits to Disneyland.  Imagine how thrilling it must have been to see an audioanimatronic for the first time or visit an entire park devoted just to making people have a good time with their families.  Disneyland was something that had never been created before; it was something totally new and risky that has become intrinsically part of what it means to grow up in America. The energy in the park is palpable, even though I am watching this film so many years after is was created.  It still does its job; it makes me want to go to Disneyland.  So, if you have the chance, search for this film and make it a part of your Disney library so that you can experience the happiest place on earth when it was still just a small theme park out in the orange groves in some little town called Anaheim.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!