Disneyland Informative Speech

There is no arguing Walt Disney practiced what he preached. In fact, he did what he did so well that people continue to bring others to see what he did to this day, that being Disneyland. First, we’ll start by learning about the background history of Disneyland. Next, we’ll compare Disneyland from when it first started to what it has developed into. And finally, we’ll explore all the eight parks and what they have to offer.

Now that we know what we’ll be learning about, let's jump right into the history of Disneyland. The idea for Disneyland began when Walt Disney visited Griffith Park with his daughters Diane and Sharon. He envisioned building a tourist attraction where adults and their children could go and have fun together. According to

the article Construction of Disneyland on desigingdisney website accessed on Novemeber 16 2015, “He was also influenced by the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 which his father worked for.” This exposition displayed several different rides that inspired Disney such as the ferris wheel and a wild west show. The earliest documented draft of the park was sent to Dan Kelsey who is a studio production designer. It was sent on August 31, 1948 where it was referred to as a Mickey Mouse Park. Construction began on July 16, 1954 and cost $17 million to complete. As stated in the article Disney Opens on the history website accessed on Novemeber 16 2015, “The park was opened one year and one day later on July 17, 1995.” The opening day had several mishaps. It was 101 fahrenheit, the asphalt was poured the morning of and so when people walked on it their shoes sunk in, there was a gas leak in Fantasyland caused Adventureland and Frontierland to close that afternoon, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride overloaded the park's power grid. After the extremely negative press from the opening day, Walt Disney invited people back the second day to experience Disneyland properly.

Now that we’ve focused on the history, let’s compare the differences between Disneyland then and now.

When it first opened, there was moderate controversy over the lack of African American employees. Since 1963, civil rights activists have pressured Disneyland to hire people of different races to make the park more diverse. Back then Disneyland had a number of temporary rides and shows that passed through rather quickly. This was because the park only had about half the number of attractions it has now. When Disneyland first opened guests were charged separately for admission to the park and attraction tickets. According to the website mouseplanet accessed on November 16 2015, “Adults could get into the park for $1 and rides cost between 10-30 cents.” Since its opening, Disneyland has undergone a number of expansions and major renovations. This includes the addition of New Orleans Square in 1966, Bear Country in 1972, and Mickey's Toontown in 1993. As stated in the article Then and Now on the pbs website accessed on November 16 2015, “Tickets to enter the park now cost around $85.00.” Since the opening the park has restored many classic attractions such as Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, and the Haunted

Mansion.

Now that we’ve compared the differences between Disneyland then and now, let's take a walk through all eight of the parks.

According to the website dreamsunlimitedtravel accessed on November 16 2015, “The park opened with 5 original parks. Those parks are Main Street U.S.A, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland.” The idea for Main Street, U.S.A is derived from a typical Midwest town of the early 20th century. It’s suppose to reflect the Victorian era with a train station, emporium, double-decker buses, and horse-drawn streetcars. Adventureland is designed to recreate the feel of an exotic tropical place in a far-off region of the world. Frontierland recreates the setting of pioneer days along the American frontier. And finally, the Fantasyland was originally styled in a medieval European fairground fashion, but its 1983 refurbishment turned it into a Bavarian village. There have been 3 new parks added to Disneyland since opening day. These new parks include New Orleans square, Critter Country, and Mickey's Toontown. New Orleans Square is based on 19th-century New Orleans, opened on July 24, 1966. Critter Country opened in 1972 and formerly was the area home to Indian Village, where indigenous tribespeople demonstrated their dances and other customs. Mickey's Toontown opened in 1993 and was partly inspired by the fictional Los Angeles suburb of Toontown in the Touchstone Pictures' 1988 release Who Framed Roger

Rabbit.

Now that we’ve explored all the parks, let's conclude. First, we learned about the history of Disneyland like how the idea came about, the construction that went into it, and opening day. Next, we compared Disneyland from when it first opened to what it has developed into today. Finally, we ventured into the eight parks at Disneyland and explored what each has to offer. All these reasons is what makes Disneyland the “happiest place on earth.”