Disney had been considering constructing a theme park for numerous years. When he took his girls to Griffith Park in Los Angeles, he wanted to be in a pristine, un-spoilt park where both children and their parents could enjoy themselves. He went to the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was blown away by the cleanliness and layout of the park. He got zoning approval to create a theme park in Burbank, near the Disney studios, in March 1952. This location proved to be too small, so a larger parcel was purchased in Anaheim, 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of the studio.
The making of Disneyland theme park
Construction of Disneyland began in July 1954 and the theme park was opened in July 1955, with a 70 million-plus audience watching the opening ceremony on ABC. The park was created as a variety of themed lands connected by the center Main Street, United States of America – a recreation of Marceline’s main street. Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland were the four themed sections that were connected. ABC’s funding was conditional on Disney television shows.
On Christmas Day 1950, the studio was part of a successful television show about the making of Alice in Wonderland. Roy estimated that the program increased box office receipts by millions of dollars. In a letter to shareholders dated March 1951, he stated, “For us, television may be a very effective selling tool along with a source of revenue. When we do join television, it will most likely be on this concept.” Following the agreement on Disneyland funding, ABC transmitted Walt Disney’s Disneyland, an anthology of animated cartoons, live-action pictures, and other content from the studio’s collection, in 1954.
His interest in television series
Cinderella, Disney’s first animated picture in 8 years, was released in early 1950. It was well-received by critics and theatergoers alike. It was produced for $2.2 million and made approximately $8 million during its initial year. In 1950, due to his participation in Treasure Island, his initial live-action feature, which was shot in Britain, as did The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men; Disney was less involved than he had been with prior films (1952). Following that, live-action films were made. Many of these live-action films featured patriotic themes. Walt Disney quotes also sought the great interest of the people.
He also proceeded to make lengthy animated films, such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Although he was always present at story sessions, he started devoting less attention to the animation in the early to mid-1950s. As a result, a majority of his operations were assigned to the top animators. Rather, he began to focus on other endeavors.
