'The Happiest Place on Earth' celebrates turning 70
The summer-long festivities in southern California include the opening of "Walt Disney – A Magical Life", a show featuring a lifelike animatronic of the company's founder that debuts on Thursday and also marks Disneyland's official anniversary.
Walt Disney's vision of creating a getaway for families revolutionised the amusement park industry with immersive attractions featuring robotic figures and holographs and shows and characters appealing to children.
The park's emphasis on storytelling and attention to detail is still evident today in theme parks across the world.
Disneyland now ranks as the world's second-most visited theme park, closely behind Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida, which opened in 1971.
According to the Themed Entertainment Association, Disneyland drew more than 17 million people in 2023, bouncing back from an unprecedented 13-month closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The park was built on what was once orange groves in Anaheim, just outside Los Angeles, opening on July 17, 1955 - a year that also saw Ray Kroc start his first McDonald's restaurant and Jim Henson introduce his original version of Kermit the Frog.
Disneyland's first day was famously a disaster, all broadcast on a live television special.
The park simply wasn't ready for its big day, attractions broke down, there weren't enough restrooms, food and drinks were in short supply, traffic backed up for kilometres and the shoes of the first guests sank into freshly paved asphalt.
Among the original rides still around today are the Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan's Flight and Jungle Cruise.
The cost to get in that first year was $US1 ($A1.5) for adults and 50 cents for children, although tickets for most rides were an additional 10 to 50 cents.
Today, a one-day ticket starts at more than $US100 ($A154) and on some days can double that.
Over the years, the park has hosted US presidents, kings and queens, and countless celebrities.
A few even got their start at Disneyland - Kevin Costner was a skipper on the Jungle Cruise and Steve Martin worked at a magic shop where he learned about being a performer.
The Walt Disney Company now has six resorts with a dozen theme parks worldwide.
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