Disneyland's Grand Canyon Diorama Turns 55

The Disneyland Railroad Pass Through The Grand Canyon Diorama
A Disney Parks Blog Photo

Happy Easter everyone. As mentioned in Disney Parks Blog (link) today, March 31st, marks the 55th anniversary of the opening of the Grand Canyon Diorama display as part of the "grand circle tour" of the Disneyland Railroad. Fans of the railroad and diorama celebrate. Mrs. DisneylandTraveler does not. As I hear on each and every trip when we pass through the dioramas - "I hate this thing. It's so.....old". I can't say has a blame her too much. When we go to Disneyland (like we are 2 weeks from today), we take the train....a lot. It's not just a ride, it's much welcomed transportation for those of us not as young as we used to be. So Mrs. DLT has probably passed through the Grand Canyon Diorama and the adjacent Primeval World Diorama (which came a few years later) a hundred times or more over the course of her life. Yes, the diorama is old but it is part of Disneyland history and tradition and something Walt was quite proud of.

Disney Parks Blog also published a series of photos of Walt Disney at the opening of the Grand Canyon Diorama (link) in 1958. One is tacked on to the bottom of this post but I will include the rest with my Photos of Walt Disney section of this blog. Every time you see a photo of Walt in Disneyland, the man is absolutely brimming with pride. He should be. The man with Walt is Fred Gurley who has a train named after him that runs around Disneyland to this day. Fred was chairman of the Santa Fe Railroad and a friend of Walt's and a Disneyland sponsor.

Walt Disney With Fred Gurley

Walt Disney and A New Years Sentimental Journey

Walt Disney - Grand Marshall of the 1966 Rose Parade with Mickey
A Disney Photo

You get a lot of fluff with the various Disney Twitter feeds - mostly self-serving promotional material. Once in awhile you get a gem, like today, when the @Disneyland feed tweeted out this photo of Walt Disney and Mickey serving as Grand Marshals of the 1966 New Year's Day Rose Parade in Pasadena. Walt would not live to see another New Years Day passing away in December of 1966. Kind of sad. Kind of thankful for all that he left behind and continues to delight and entertain millions of people. What a legacy.

A Thought About Walt Disney

Walt Disney's Last Official Disneyland Photo
A Disney Parks Blog Photo

Disney Parks Blog re-posted the above photograph of Walt Disney and Mickey at Disneyland. They originally posted it last December commemorating the 45th anniversary of Walt's passing. It is the last official photograph of Walt taken at Disneyland and dates to the fall of 1966. Walt Disney died December 15th of that year after being diagnosed with lung cancer about 6 weeks prior to his death.

Do you know what I think when I see that picture of Walt? I see a man who loved his park and loved his life. You can see the pride bursting through him. He loved imagining, creating, and bringing childhood memories to life and was pleased to share his creations with others.

A MiceChat reader posed a simple poll question on its forum a week or so ago. Paraphrasing, the question simply asked "Is Disneyland better now that it ever has been?" Sure it is. There's more to see, more to do, all the while keeping Walt's commitment to detail and making sure his park was fun for people of all ages. No, the park isn't perfect. There have been plenty of missteps along the way even when Walt was alive but the park continually refines itself to where it is a place that never gets old, even after almost 60 years of existence. 

But there is a BUT...... Walt Disney loved his park. It was a personal achievement of the grandest kind. I doubt that you could apply the word "love" to corporate Disney and the people that run it. Disneyland (and the Disneyland Resort as a whole) is a revenue stream, a small piece of a very large media corporation, a place designed to reach out a grab as much money as it can from the people who visit. 

Not that Walt Disney did not want his park to make money. It had to or fail. But making a profit kind went hand in hand with dreaming, imagining, creating, developing, and building. Today, Disney accountants set a dollar figure and the people that run the park are primarily in charge of seeing what they can do to reach it. Blue Sky Disney has been replaced with the color of money.

Do yourself of favor on your next visit to Disneyland. Try and look for the Disneyland that Walt Disney loved and try not to reach for your wallet so much.

Walt Disney and Toys For Tots - A Christmas Story

In  Los Angeles, CA back in 1947, a woman named Diane Hendricks hand crafted a Raggedy Ann type doll and asked her husband Bill to it donate to a charity where it could be given as a gift to a needy child at Christmas. As the story goes, Bill told Diane that he was unable to find a charitable organization that was set up to do that sort of distribution. Diane told Bill that maybe he should start one and so Bill Hendricks set up Toys for Tots but he needed help. Bill was a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He had a ready made work force of hard working (but big hearted) volunteers - namely the U.S. Marines who were in the reserves. 

Being a reservist in the Marine Corps was Bill's weekend job. Monday through Friday, Bill Hendricks was Director of Public Relations at Warner Bros. Studios. Bill knew some well known celebrities and entertainers who he could enlist as supporters for his Toys For Tots project and one of those he sought some support from was Walt Disney. Walt designed the original Toys for Tots logo that is still used to this day and ever since Walt's initial support for the Toys for Tots charity, the Walt Disney Company has continued to be a major proponent of this most worthy charitable foundation.

What began locally in Los Angeles in 1947 grew nationally in 1948, distributing toys to thousands of needy children in every community where the Marine Reservist were based. Toys for Tots has continued to distribute toys to children every Christmas since 1948 at to date has distributed more than 450 million toys to children.

Toys for Tots sits extremely high as a worthy and reputable charitable organization by those who watch where charities distribute their donations. It has never wavered from its original purpose for distributing toys to those in need at Christmas just as Bill and Diane Hendricks wished. So like Walt did many years ago, support the U.S. Marine Corps and their Toys for Tots Christmas drive. You will be glad you did. Giving to others, especially those less fortunate than ourselves, is kind of what Christmas is all about.

A Walk Around Disneyland With Walt - 2012

Disneyland is the only Disney park Walt ever set foot in. It was his baby. He lived for the first twelve years of the park's existence. But now its almost 60 years later since Disneyland first opened its turnstiles and welcomed the first guests. Walt was there to greet them. 

I wonder what Walt would think of his park today. I don't know of course but I can pretend. Let's meet Walt out on the esplanade and take a walk with him through Disneyland and listen in on some of the things he might say....

"It costs how much to get in here!"

"You got rid of the ticket books? I kind of liked those."

"Ah yes, Train Station, Main Street, all pretty much like how I remember it."

"And Abraham Lincoln is still here. Great. Our greatest president, you know. Why is everyone just walking by without going in?"

"You kept my apartment as it was? Please tell me you at least got rid of all that ghastly red furniture - Lillian isn't coming back."

"What do you mean I can't smoke here."

"I really didn't want any statues of myself in the park, but I gotta say it sure looks nice."

"Jungle Cruise, one of my favorites. Thanks for keeping that one. You really should get a better microphone and loudspeaker though. I couldn't understand half the things that captain was saying."

"Indiana Jones? Who's that?"

"I built Pirates of the Caribbean you know. It sure turned out to be a great ride. Who was that one pirate that kept popping up and in the last scene of the ride? I don't remember him."

"Wait a minute, this isn't the Haunted Mansion I remember drawing up..... Haunted Mansion Holidays? ... not sure about this idea. Not sure about it at all...."

"I hope the guy that built Splash Mountain got a nice bonus. Most impressive."

"This Winnie the Pooh ride is kind of nice and colorful but shouldn't it be over in Fantasyland? I liked those singing bears that were here"

"The Mark Twain boat ride. I'm sure proud of this one. Whatever happened to the keel boats? Your kiddin' - shut down because one tipped over?"

"I sure had a lot of fun in the Golden Horseshoe back in my day. Nice to see it looks pretty much the same even if the show has changed."

"Another mountain? Thunder Mountain? I like it! But the rest of Frontierland seems kind of weak to me."

"You guys really fixed up Fantasyland pretty nice. I can see why its so popular. A lot of its pretty much how I remember."

"it's a small world, I've got to be honest, by the time I left this world, I was pretty sick of that song."

"ToonTown? Seems colorful and a good idea but other than Mickey's house and that spin ride, there doesn't seem to a lot going on."

"What did you guys do with my subs? This is a cartoon"

"What's a Pixar?"

"This isn't the Tomorrowland I remember. This is...... I don't know what it is. I'm not liking what I see at all."

"Buzz Lightyear? Star Tours? Captain EO?  Your killing me here."

"I still see the People Mover track but I haven't seen a People Mover yet."

"I just need to sit down and think about all this... Darn, forgot you don't let people smoke where they want anymore. Causes cancer? Sure wish someone would have passed that piece of information on to me."

"Well I have to say, people still seem to be having a good time, a lot of the park is how I remember it. And like I always said, there will always be something that needs to be done. Starting with Tomorrowland here. This sure got butchered from its original concept over the years"

"Gotta go now. Maybe I'll come back this weekend for another visit. It's Gay days? Isn't every day a gay day at Disneyland....  Oh....."

Is Walt Disney Being Marginalized?

Here is my preface to a few thoughts about Walt Disney and is status within the company he founded. A few years ago Mrs. DisneylandTravel and I went to the Carnation Cafe for the very first time. The wait to get in was short and we were hungry on this particular day. We hadn't gone to the Carnation Cafe before because, well, not sure but it may be because it is the very first place to eat when you get into the park. Maybe it was a little to far up front. Anyway, we enjoyed our meal thoroughly to the point where we make it a point to go to the Carnation Cafe on every one of our trips since that first visit. So during our first Carnation Cafe meal we got a visit from the Chef. His name was Oscar. He asked how our meals were and if we were having a good day and enjoying our time at the park. We felt honored and privileged to be visited by the Chef and watched as he visited other tables. 

In this particular year, we went back to the park about a month later for our next trip and visited the Carnation Cafe once again. I think it was December and a nice bowl of the baked potato soup would do nicely. Once again Chef Oscar came out to ask if everything was good and how we doing. ????? That Chef sure seems to spend a lot of time with the dining guests. On that trip when I would pass Carnation Cafe I would take a look, most of the time I would see Chef Oscar charming the guests. So I read up about the Carnation Cafe and Chef Oscar when I got home and found out that the nice man was Disneyland's longest tenured cast member (now at something like 55 years of service). He really wasn't a Chef at all. Of course he wasn't a chef, the Carnation Cafe with its limited menu selection is just like any other food place in Disneyland, its meant to serve food quickly without a lot of time and preparation. And the more I thought about it, Chef Oscar, with white coat and tall white chef's hat, could be considered a host or greeter but more than that, he was a character just like any of the many who roam the streets of Disneyland. He is part of the atmosphere, part of what make Disneyland special. But Chef? He may have been, but not anymore.

Has Walt Disney become a version of Chef Oscar? Walt Disney gave his heart and soul to the company he founded. He provided imagination, talent, and vision in the creation of his characters. He built an entertainment company for all to enjoy. He had money problems on and off for almost his entire career only because he continued to reach where no one in Hollywood had tried to reach before. He needed his brother Roy's help to run the company but together the succeeded in building the Walt Disney Company.

And he built Disneyland. He had to beg, barrow, and probably steal to get it done but he did it and charted new territory in the theme park business by providing a place that could be enjoyed by young and old equally. Walt opened Disneyland in 1955. He had a hand in every ride, every attraction, every show, every character, every restaurant that went into the park until his death in 1966 just before Christmas. He had help with a staff of "imagineers" that continued his work and vision in both Disneyland and the new Walt Disney World long after his death. Those parks will built on the ideas and imagination of Walt Disney. But are the now?

The imagineers left over from Walt's time have either retired or passed on. There are very few left in the company. Well, "company" may not be the right word. Disney is the largest media corporation in the world covering the spectrum from network and cable television, films, theme parks, gaming, cruise ships and resorts, and consumer merchandise. There's probably a few more enterprises Disney is in. 

Disneyland is now run by a real corporation. It's not run on imagination or creativity or vision so much anymore. It is run as a business with the theme park just an extension of all the other Disney brands and franchises. Disneyland continues to change, grow, delight, and prosper just as it did in Walt's time and just as Walt wanted but somehow, when taking a step back you see the work of corporate executives and accountants. Disney is a very profitable company and the theme parks need to hold up their end of the company pie.

You see Walt Disney as you walk around the park. There's the firehouse that contains the apartment he and his wife Lillian lived in while the park was under construction. You see Walt's statue in the Main St hub. You can ride on the rides and see some of the attractions he personally saw brought to life. And Walt appears in company artwork, and advertising, in books, on DVDs. Come see Walt, the man who built the Walt Disney Company and Disneyland. But somehow I get the feeling that the corporate executives that run Walt's company never ask the question, "What would Walt do?" anymore.

Now dead for 45 years, and none of the Disney family involved with the running of the company anymore, it seems that Walt has been reduced to the status of a character, a historic icon that actually has some financial value to the current Disney company. Walt still sells even if Walt isn't doing the selling. 

Some think that the way the current company operates would have Walt rolling over in his grave. I don't think so. Walt may have some argument with some of the direction the company is headed. He may have some issues with how a much of the imagination and quality once associated with Disney have been removed from various aspects of the company. He may have a little different vision for the future but overall, I think he would be happy with the outcome. Most of all, Walt wanted his company to be a successful innovator. And on that count, Disney has succeeded big time. 

What about the executives and accountants that now run the company? Well, Disney first sold stock on the New York Stock Exchange 10 years before Walt died. Walt and Roy sold stock off market even years before that as means to stay out of debt and finance future projects. The fact is that Disney is the best at what they do would probably please Walt even if he is being portrayed as every bit the iconic founding character as his Mickey Mouse.

Chef Oscar and Walt Disney. The visible surface of things is one thing, the reality is another.

The Tiki Room Is Not An Excuse To Eat Ice Cream

So, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I are at Disneyland.  It's getting mid-afternoon, lunch was a few hours ago, the temperature is warming up, the feet are getting tired and then one of us will say 'Do you want to go to the Tiki Room?".  "Sure!" the other one of us that didn't ask the question will say.  There seems to be a lot of code words that float around Disneyland. Say "Tiki Room" first thing in the morning might not mean anything at all.  It probably doesn't even get said.  Say "Tiki Room" in late afternoon and it can mean only one thing for me and Mrs. DLT:  let's go get some pineapple ice cream - a whip for Mrs. DLT and a float for me.  

I don't believe Mrs. DLT and I have ever gone to the Dole pineapple stand without going in to see the show in the Enchanted Tiki Room.  I don't believe we have ever gone to the Tiki Room show without getting ice cream.  The two seem to go together so well.  It's tradition. On our trips, we usually end up seeing the animatronic bird show two, sometimes three times.  "Don't you ever get tired of seeing that show?" one might ask.  "Nope, doesn't matter, I got my float and I'll finish it off while seeing the birds perform and all will be right with my Disney world".  This is what Disneyland is all about.

But there's another reason for my love for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room and it has nothing to do with ice cream at all.  My parents passed away long ago as did an older sister and brother.  The places we lived and shared our lives together are a distant past.  But there is a room a little over 400 hundred miles away from where I write this where we went in together to see birds that could talk and sing.  It is the same now as it was many, many years ago.  Sitting in the Enchanted Tiki Room now connects me with a place I sat with my parents and my brother well over 40 years ago and with my sister 10 years ago.  They are no longer around, but my Disneyland memories with them have not faded.  It's so special, magical, and powerful.  We all have Walt Disney to thank for that.  He knew these things.

Walt Disney and Jose at the Tiki Room - A Disney Parks Blog Photo

Fifty-Six

Disneyland opened 56 years ago today with this simple dedication speech from Walt Disney. In a ceremony around the flagpole today at 2:30, Mickey and friends will replay the speech. It will be heard throughout the park. Speaking for the fans, we say "Thank You" for all the memories through the years.

On a personal note, the DisneylandTraveler himself turns 56 in about 11 days. Much of my life can be traced through visits to Walt's park.

Below is the dedication plaque as it sits today beneath the flagpole.