Over 60 years ago, one man's dream became a reality in the then unknown Anaheim, California. Amongst farmland--mostly Orange Groves--Walt Disney and the Walter Elias Disney Company (which would later become the Disney Imagineers) built a Magic Kingdom. In a little under a year, 160 acres was transformed into an immersive experience that none would forget. Opening day was no less spectacular. Often referred to as "Black Sunday," the park ran into an unthinkable amount of problems and delays that many thought would doom the park. As we celebrate the opening of the twelfth Disney theme park this week in Shanghai, China, take a journey back in time to one of the few things that was perfect at all Disney park openings: Opening speeches.
1. Disneyland, California
“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.”
-Walter Elias Disney, July 17, 1955
These famous words echo throughout entertainment history. Today they can be found in "World of Color-Celebrate!" and the "Disneyland Forever" fireworks that celebrate Walt's Original Dream.
2. Magic Kingdom, Florida
“Walt Disney World is tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney … and to the talents, the dedication, and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney’s dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place … a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn – together.”
-Roy O. Disney, October 25, 1971
In this touching tribute to the man who started it all, Roy Disney dedicated the park to his brother and echoed the famous words Walt had said nearly 20 years earlier. In those mere 16 years, Disneyland had grown from a small park in the middle of farmland to an international phenomena; a spectacle to the world. Magic Kingdom is the last park that Walt Disney personally planned.
3. Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo
“To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Here you will discover enchanted lands of Fantasy and Adventure, Yesterday and Tomorrow. May Tokyo Disneyland be an eternal source of joy, laughter, inspiration, and imagination to the peoples of the world. And may this magical kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the great nations of Japan and the United States of America.”
– E. Cardon Walker, 15 April 1983
E. Cardon Walker, then CEO of the now huge Disney Company, opened the very first international Disney park in 1983 with a careful tribute to the man who began it all. Not only this, but also echoed plaques that are set above the opening gates of Walt's Original Disneyland-"Here you leave the world of Today and enter the world's of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy." Disney magic had now expanded to three Magic Kingdoms and had already touched millions of lives less than 30 years after the opening of Disneyland.
4. Euro Disney, Paris
“To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Once upon a time … a master storyteller, Walt Disney, inspired by Europe’s best loved tales, used his own special gifts to share them with the world. He envisioned a Magic Kingdom where these stories would come to life, and called it Disneyland. Now his dream returns to the land that inspired it. Euro Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart … with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration for all the world.”
– Michael Eisner, April 12, 1992
In his first of two dedication speeches, Michael Eisner called about the words of the great Storyteller himself in a special way to remind us all that Disneyland and all its brothers around the world are to help us stay forever young. Bracketed with Walt's original words, this speech opened a Disney park that set Disney in 3 continents, 3 countries, and hundreds of cultures.
5. Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong
“To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Many years ago, Walt Disney introduced the world to enchanted realms of fantasy and adventure, yesterday and tomorrow, in a magical placed called Disneyland. Today that spirit of imagination and discovery comes to life in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart – with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration, and an enduring symbol of the cooperation, friendship and understanding between the people of Hong Kong and the United States of America.”
– Michael Eisner & Donald Tsang, September 12, 2005
Eisner, now a pro of dedication speeches, delivers another touching reminder that in the end it all started with a mouse. Hong Kong Disneyland marked not only the fifth Magic Kingdom, but also the healing and truly universal nature of Disney magic as an unprecedented cooperation between governments led to its development. A cooperation that would only be topped by:
6. Shanghai Disneyland, Shanghai
"To all who come to this happy place, Welcome. Shanghai Disneyland is your land. Here you leave today and discover imaginative worlds of Fantasy, Romance, and Adventure that will ignite the magical dreams within all of us. Shanghai Disneyland is authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese. It was created for everyone, bringing to life timeless characters and stories in a magical place that will be a source of joy, inspiration, and memories for generations to come."
-Robert A. Iger, June 16, 2016
In perhaps the most grand opening of all time, two countries, two vastly different cultures, and hundreds of thousands of imaginative minds came together to form the most innovative Disney park of all time. Opened mere days ago, Shanghai Disneyland is already being heralded as the best theme park of all time, the most progressive of anything the Disney company has done before.
The future lays before us, distinctly and firmly in our grasp. Experiences await, dreams long to be fulfilled; your story is waiting to be told. As the man that started it all would say, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
