The Happiest Place on Earth

I still feel like a kid on Christmas morning when I go to Disneyland.


Disneyland is fascinating. With no spectacular roller-coasters, no celebrity shows/attractions, no alcohol (or even gum), and a gigantic mouse as the front-lining Host, it is a wonder what makes Disneyland so magical.

I have long since been enamored with Disneyland, and Walt Disney himself. Walt Disney's first step in the direction of the Dinsey Empire was taking art classes in high school. He focused his cartoons on patriotic themes and WW1, and dropped out of High School to join the Army, which rejected him for being underage.

Mickey Mouse was born after Walt had tasted success, lost it all, and found himself alone and needing a new character. The famous mouse was based on a pet he had in the past, and Walt shaped the personality of the cartoon, even being the Mouse's voice-over, giving it "soul".

Walt won an Academy Award for the Mouse, developed Donald, Pluto, and Goofy, and then set his ambitions higher: the first feature-length animated film in America and Technicolor he would call "Snow White." The film industry coined this project "Walt's Folly" certain it would fail and take down Walt's company in the process (someone underestimated the appeal of the princess to little girls all over the country!). Walt ran out of money mid-project, got a loan from Bank of America to finish it, and at the opening premiere the film received a standing ovation from the audience. The film earned over $8 million dollars. This ushered in the Golden Age of Animation for Disney Studios, where Fantasia, Peter Pan, and others would follow.

During WW2 Walt promoted cartoon shorts to boost moral. Walt also contracted with Lockheed to design a bird's eye camouflage to make 550 acres of its WWII aviation production facility seem to disappear early in 1941, allowing it and other U.S, aircraft manufacturers to meet wartime quotas undeterred.

Eventually he set his sites on Disneyland, saying, "I first saw the site for Disneyland back in 1953, In those days it was all flat land - no rivers, no mountains, no castles or rocket ships - just orange groves, and a few acres of walnut trees." Disneyland, with it's castle, simple rides based on beloved cartoons and films, reflects something patriotoc, imaginative, ideal, and hopeful in the hearts of people all over the world. The Disney Empire makes billions of dollars a year, continuing, as is stated as the Disney employee slogan, to "Make Magic Happen."


"I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse." -Walt Disney



Dan & I went to the park because of Disney Parks' Give a Day, Get a Disney Day volunteer program in which Disney encouraged people of all ages to volunteer with a participating Disney Charity and receive a free Disney Day at either the Disneyland Resort in California or the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. On March 9th, 2010, Disney announced that it has reached its goal of one million volunteers and ended the promotion to anyone who had not yet registered and signed up for a specific volunteer situation.


Things that make Disneyland Magical:
1) Hidden Mickey's. If you ever go to Disneyland or World buy the book on Hidden Mickeys -- there are camouflaged Mickey's, Pluto's, Donald's, and Goofy's all over the park. I have found 4--in the Haunted mansion when overlooking the dining room scene, all the dining sets on the table are standard, except for one placing, which has a main plate with two saucers attached to the upper rim, forming a Mickey face. Another is in The Pirates of the Caribbean--when traveling through the cannonball scene with the ships aiming across the way at each other, look to the right. The brick wall has cannonball holes which form a Mickey head. On Big Thunder-Mountain Railroad look on the left--a large wheel with two smaller wheels attached to it makes a Mickey head. The most exciting one I have seen is on the Peter Pan ride--after circling the Big Ben Clock, look over your left shoulder and find the top right smallest window on the 3D Clock--a tiny silhouette of Mickey is in the window.

Dan likes to think these flowers are Hidden Mickeys:


2) Leaving a Light on for Walt. When Disneyland was being constructed Walt Disney wanted to be able to stay nearby to supervise. Anaheim where Disneyland is located was about an hour away from where he lived so Disney had an apartment built above the fire station on Main Street where he could spend the night.

Everyone knew when Walt was there because of the light left on in the window of the apartment. After Disney died a light has been left on in the apartment window in his memory. The apartment has been left the same way it was when he died but it isn't open for public viewing.

3) It's all in the Details. Walt Disney wanted each of land areas to be separate fantasies and made sure that as guests traveled from one land to another that they were transported to a totally different experience. Part of this transformation includes the changing of the color, texture and shapes of everything from one land area to another. For instance the ground in New Orleans is cobblestone but in Fantasyland the ground is green asphalt.

The trash can colors and shapes also change and so does the background music.

4) Free coffee refills and balloon replacements. Order a cup of coffee, then present your empty cup to any vendor throughout the day to get a free refill. Show the remains of a popped balloon and get free balloons.

5) Birthday VIP treatment. Tell City Hall on Main Street that it is your birthday and you will receive a pin to wear. Upon seeing the pin, staff will often sing to you, orchestras will play "Happy Birthday," bakeries will give you a free treat, and so on.

6) Can you Smell That? Disneyland pumps certain scents to create a more immersive experience. For instance, on Main street they pump the smells of peppermint, vanilla, fudge, and cotton candy.



Captain EO is back!




Dan's face on Space Mountain is priceless


Eating the AMAZING FOOD at The Blue Bayou




A wonderful day comes to an end; riding the tram to the parking lot.