At first, Disney wanted to build his Magic Kingdom in Burbank, California, near his production studio, but realized that the site was too small. He instead decided to build in Anaheim on a 160 acre site. Construction started in 1954 and ended in 1955. Opening day, July 17, 1955, was recorded to be a minor disaster. Many of the rides were not ready, thousands of uninvited guests managed to sneak in, whether knowingly or not due to counterfeit tickets being sold, traffic was backed up, and there were many problems with the broadcasting system (Admin). Despite all of those challenges, Disneyland was still a huge success.<\/p>\n
On July 18, 1955 Disneyland was officially opened to the public. Crowds started forming at the gates at 2 in the morning for the chance to buy a ticket. The public was interested in everything Disneyland had to offer. Disney tried to encompass all of the different lands that he had developed in his show The Disneyland Show<\/em>, \u201cFantasyland,\u201d \u201cFrontierland,\u201d \u201cAdventureland,\u201d and \u201cTomorrowland\u201d (Dunar 245). One of the iconic elements of the park was Sleeping Beauty\u2019s Castle, located in the middle of the four lands.The show itself helped to promote Disneyland, peaking interest in young viewers. The park was one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United States. It was designed to \u201cengage people\u2019s interest, move them efficiently through the park grounds and convey a consistent set of values\u201d (Dunar 247). Workers were trained thoroughly to be friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Disneyland was clean and new, giving guests a sense of what once was and what could be.<\/p>\n Despite Disneyland\u2019s huge success, it had gained several critics. People discussed the issue of guests waiting in hour long lines, and the vibe of consumerism that the park gave off. Others in defense said the Disneyland represented the culture of the 1950s in America, showing a capitalist culture with a mix of family entertainment and technology. Today, The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest and most successful business operations throughout the world. Disney owns several channels on the television, they have hundreds of movies and television shows that have been produced since the 1930s, and there are now 11 Disney parks opened around the world (Admin).<\/p>\n When Walt Disney first opened his park in 1955, he had no idea of how popular and successful his idea would become. He did not realize how his ideas would evolve into something that is loved and cherished by children and adults worldwide.<\/p>\n
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