My Dearest Disneyland,
It is hard to believe that you opened your doors for the first time, today in 1955. Your opening day was a mess. The newly laid streets were still soft and ladies high healed shoes got stuck in the asphalt. The heat was high and water fountains weren’t working. Much of your land was bare, and dare I say, even ugly in spots. Many of your most iconic rides that we associate with you today wouldn’t open until years later. But somehow, though you were dubbed by the press as “Walt’s folly,” you succeeded and became the cornerstone of one of the worlds most successful and well loved companies.
Today, 53 years later, you are alive and well and entering perhaps the better half of your life. You are filled to the corners with highly detailed and well themed lands and attractions. Nearly every available inch of space being used to create a magical pallet which touches a sentimental nerve. You also have a large and growing family of siblings and children. Though you have sisters in Orlando, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Paris, none will ever replace you in the hearts and minds of your adoring fans. I know you are burdened by your daughter who has yet to fly on her own, but don’t worry, I’m sure that she is merely an ugly duckling who will someday be a swan capable of flying on her own.
You are the ultimate survivor. The 50’s were a very different time. Changing tastes and attitudes and many tough economic conditions destroyed many of your peers - but did not ruin you. On occasion, budget cutting executives with short-sighted goals have tried to rob you of your magic. But sentiment has always brought those who love you most to the rescue. Today, you are brighter, bigger, busier, and have more potential than ever before. You are an undisputed beauty queen. You are also an innovator, unafraid to try new technologies and ways of doing business. That has kept you fresh and from becoming a living memory of a bygone era.
But for all that remains the same and all that has changed, you are still the quintessential place where people of all ages can live for a moment as a child - flying high above London town in a pirate ship or plunging headlong into a rabbit hole. Be they 9 or 90, for those who are unafraid to live out the dreams in their imaginations, you will always provide a home.
Happy birthday to the park that has touched my heart, lifted my spirits in times of trouble, and been a source of so much joy and happiness to millions of guests throughout your 53 years. May the decades ahead be filled with wondrous new dreams and imagination. May you be blessed with caretakers who see the big picture and understand the character for which you have become famous. And may the word “Disneyland” forever be associated with magic and possibility.
Much love and best wishes always,
The Dusty Sage of MiceChat.com
Related Link: View The Al Lutz Photo Tribute To Disneyland
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