How Disneyland Makes Us Feel

I included the list in the book because the ever-increasing frequency of our trips illustrated that something very important was happening.

We were falling in love with Disney but weren’t really aware it was happening. Just like “falling in love” with anyone or anything happens. Before we know it, we’re there.

But there’s one year in that list unlike all the others.

2016.

What sets it apart?

Well, that year, we were taking our daughter, Alexandra, to visit art schools around the country, and we wanted her to see CalArts in Santa Clarita, California, the school formed by main benefactor Walt Disney and his brother, Roy, by bringing together Chouinard Art Institute and the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. Of course, being a “Disney family,” we also set aside time to visit Disneyland.

Now, of course, you and I don’t believe in ghosts, 999 of them notwithstanding, but I’ve got to say that, when we stepped onto Main Street U.S.A. there for the first time, I swear I felt Walt’s presence.

And why wouldn’t I? After all, the park is the direct descendant of the vision he had while sitting at Griffith Park in Los Angeles one day, watching his daughters ride the carousel, envisioning a place families could have fun together.

As we walked down Main Street, welcomed by the classic ragtime music and turn-of-the-century American architecture, I imagined Walt walking the same street in the early mornings, almost 70 years ago now, inspecting his laboress of love, wanting to make sure that when the guests arrived, she looked her very best.

And I can’t wait to go back again.

Of course, I have a feeling that, by the look in your eyes, you feel the same way, too.

I also know this because many of the people I interviewed – including Disney fans, authors, former Imagineers, and more – felt that same way. And that same passion for the park came through their words, like these (paraphrased excerpts) from the book below:

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“Growing up in Southern California, I went to Disneyland pretty much every year with my family,” said Nathan Eick, Disney historian and a former Disney Cast Member, and current senior writer for a financial counseling and education company. “On the first trip, I fell in love with it almost immediately. Through its sense of space and design, the park transported me to other places and times.

“Later, I got a part-time job at the Merchandise division at Disneyland, then joined Guest Relations, and led some of the park’s guided tours. I loved giving the Walk in Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps tour the most. Because of my extensive knowledge of Disney, I was asked to contribute to a rewrite of the script.

“Still later, I even got to write for Bill Rogers and Camille Dixon, the ‘voices’ of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, respectively.

“When my wife, Lauren, and I had our daughter Penelope in 2019, we took her to Disneyland when she was just three weeks old! As we sat on the King Arthur Carrousel on the bench with her, I was so excited. Even though she slept through it, I would remember it forever.”

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“As a boy, I loved amusement parks,” said Richard Snow, Author, Disney’s Land, among many other books, and former Editor-in-Chief of American Heritage magazine. “As a boy, we got our first television set and Walt Disney appeared on it and started telling me about Disneyland. So, when I was 12, I whined my parents into sending me out to my aunt and uncle in Los Angeles, and they took me to Disneyland.

“Disneyland surpassed every expectation I had. After we had gone on several rides, my aunt and uncle turned me loose! And everything was wonderful, including the Peter Pan ride, the Jungle Cruise – even the teacups.

“But the thing that stayed with me most was, right at the end of the day, back on Main Street, when it began to get dark, and the lights started coming on along all those gingerbread buildings. There was a horse car clapping quietly by and I could hear the whistle of the steam train as it pulled into the station, and suddenly it was twilight on a
tranquil American small city street in 1908. And I suddenly thought, ‘I want to stay here forever.’

“Then, in a way, I managed to do just that, in that it got me interested in American history, particularly at the turn-of-the-century, which expanded into a fascination with all American history.”

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“I was pixie dusted from a very early age. Though, at the time, it never occurred to me that someone could make a career at Disney,” said Paula Dinkel, Former Principal Show Lighting Designer, Walt Disney Imagineering; featured in Women of Walt Disney Imagineering: 12 Women Reflect on their Trailblazing Theme Park Careers; and current Lighting Design Consultant.

“Later, I applied to Disney as a lighting designer and interviewed with Rolly Crump, an important name in Imagineering. He was putting a team together to keep Disneyland bright, beautiful, and magical, while many others at the company were getting EPCOT ready to open. A week later, I was an Imagineer.

“The importance of lighting can be seen in the parks as day turns into night. In fact, the parks actually seem to take on a different personality then. I worked at Disneyland for 10 years, and on days when I needed a little extra pixie dust in my life, I’d go to Main Street and watch people watch the lights come on.”

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“I remember being six, watching the TV on Sunday nights with my family to watch the Disney show,” said John Pogachar, author of Mom & Dad, Ten Things I Want You to Know Before I’m One Week Old!, Personal Life Coach, and Founder of the Love on Every Billboard international movement. “Walt Disney would open a book and talk about a fairy tale that his team had brought to life.

“I didn’t go to Disneyland until I was 21 but it was wonderful to see it myself, and through the eyes of my children. There was so much wonder everywhere. We all ran for the rides. That day, I felt like I’d turned back into that little kid who always wanted to go but didn’t have the chance.”

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“I was 4 years old when Disneyland opened. Prior to that, we had been watching the Disneyland television shows regularly and, one day, my father said, ‘Ok, we’re going to save up and go!’ which took us about 4 years,” said Mark Rhodes, Former Senior Show Writer, Director, and Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, Author, and Owner, President, and Creative Lead, Rhodes to Imagination, Inc.

“When we got there, we spent the whole day at the park. My favorite rides were Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I also remember having a great time on Tom Sawyer Island with my brother. After that, we visited Disneyland regularly. Though I never thought of it as a place where you could work!

“Later, my brother and I worked at Disneyland. He went into finance, and I worked at Club 33. It was there I worked with Kevin Rafferty, another former Imagineer and now a life-long friend.”

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Learn More

• Visit http://www.howdoesdisneydothat.com and submit your story for future books in the series
• Purchase How Does Disney Do That?: How Disney Makes Us Feel and Why It Matters
• Join the HDDDT Facebook group
• Join the HDDDT LinkedIn group
• A portion of the proceeds from the book go to Give Kids The World Village® in Kissimmee, Florida, founded in partnership with Walt Disney World, which provides free week-long vacations for critically ill children and their families.