By Gavin Boyle
Disney CEO Bob Iger explained how Disneyland continues to embody the vision Walt Disney had for the theme park as it celebrates 70 years since its gates first opened.
“[Disney] wanted people to ‘leave their daily frets behind,’ as he said…and come experience, you know, the wonder of fantasy and adventure,” Iger told ABC News’ Will Reeve. “He had very specific ideas in mind in terms of how people could enjoy this place. And one of those ideas was to be in a place that didn’t exist in the real world, and by leaving the real world behind, I think it gave people — it liberated people, really, into having experiences like this.”
Though the 70th anniversary occurred on July 17, Disneyland has been celebrating this milestone since May. While the company remains focused on the future, many of the celebratory events nod to Disney’s past. These include the “Celebrate Happy Cavalcade” which feature legacy characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Daisy Duck, Snow White and Pocahontas. The nightly show, “Tapestry of Happiness” also pays homage to the past by featuring the park’s most iconic rides.
“We don’t live in the past, but we honor the past,” explained Scott Damien Arroyo, the stage show director for Disney Live Entertainment. “We really are always looking backwards as we move forwards.”
“You look closely and you can see in Mickey’s jacket, there’s some nods to Sorcerer Mickey in there, as well as the pixie dust motif throughout those designs,” added Jennifer Magill, when explaining how the 70th anniversary costumes of the characters point to the past. “And they’re just so fun and contemporary and I think our guests are really going to enjoy seeing them.”
Unfortunately, despite the company’s insistence that it continues to honor Walt Disney’s vision, it has notably strayed from this path in recent years. Perhaps most obviously occurred when a famous speech from the founder was removed from the Disneyland Park anniversary celebration in 2022 that promoted traditional American ideals.
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“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Thank you,” Disney said in 1955 on Disneyland’s opening day.
While Iger has since admitted the entertainment company made some mistakes in the projects it supported in recent years, it is nonetheless frustrating to see the company claim to follow the vision of Disney when that is simply not true. Hopefully it will continue to turn away from its recent trends and root itself in Disney’s vision once again.
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