The Magic World of Disneyland

Disneyland is the place of make believe and imagination and my heart, as much as any child's, pounds with excitement on a visit to this magical wonderland. Walt Disney's dream came true when he opened Disneyland Park in California. In his own words, the secret of making dreams come true is curiosity, confidence, courage and constancy. And Disneyland is all about dreams. And for this reason, Disneyland should be no less an exciting pace for adults as it is for children.

Disneyland was started by a mouse debuting as Steamboat Willie. Mickey Mouse didn't appear until 1928. In 1937, Walt Disney produced Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and later went on to produce Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi. Walt Disney's name is synonymous with imagination and creation. In his own words, 'nothing is impossible'.

On one of our recent visits to this fairyland amusement park, with grandchildren in tow, although Bambi wasn't in evidence, Dumbo flew around Fantasyland carrying happy, laughing children and their parents and/or grandparents. On a ride through the forest we visited the home of the seven dwarfs and witnessed the 'happily ever after' story of Snow White. And in Toontown Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney's first loveable cartoon character meets and greets visitors to the park along with Goofy and Donald Duck.

Disney worked endlessly in the early years to perfect the art of animation. Technicolor was first introduced to his animations in his production of Silly Symphonies. On Paradise Pier, the Silly Symphony swings now take guests for a spin over the boardwalk. Also in this area of California park, the World of Color display of colored dancing lights over the water, with animated characters, are no doubt in memory of Disney's Wonderful World of Color production of 1961.

A visit to Disneyland is, as Disney planned, an exciting adventure for both adults and children alike. Among my favorite rides are Pirates of the Caribbean, the haunted mansion and It's a Small World which are older adventures and the more recent addition of Soaring Over California. This adventure takes riders on a hang glider flight over the Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe and the San Diego harbor to name some of the sights you will see, realistic in that you can feel the breeze caressing your face and the wind blowing in your hair as you glide over the scenes far below you. Other favorites are Grizzly River Run, the Jungle Cruise and Peter Pan's Flight. The Tower of Terror, however, you could not pay me enough to venture onto.

Disneyland and California Adventure Parks are a combination of adventure, magic and dreams. The results of Walt Disney's dreams are where every adult can be a child again and every child can believe in the impossible.