To visit the attractions of Disneyland is the dream of every child who loves fairy tales and cartoons. The first Walt Disney Company theme park appeared in 1955, and it was it that embodied the thoughts of the famous animator about what an entertainment venue for children and adults should look like.
What is famous for the series of parks?
Children and adults love Disneyland attractions because they give you the opportunity to plunge into a fairy tale for at least a few hours. Parks are large entertainment complexes where you can not only ride various carousels and eat sweets, but even stop for the night if you come from afar. The magical atmosphere prevailing here makes many forget about all the existing problems and concerns - this is one of the main reasons why the flow of visitors here never weakens.
As of 2019, there are six park areas, two of which are located in the United States (Anaheim and Orlando), two in China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), and one each in Paris and Tokyo. Each of them is annually visited by about 20 million people, and the number of guests is constantly increasing, so the creators of the parks are seriously thinking about building a seventh recreation area.
How did Disneyland parks appear?
The idea of ââcreating a Disneyland amusement park came up with Walt Disney while traveling with his family in Los Angeles, where he visited the famous Griffith Park. The animator immediately in his head imagined a place where children and adults could come in order to have fun. For many years, this dream did not leave Disney, but he decided to create his own park only in the early 1950s. Fans of the animator sent him letters asking him to visit his studio, but he perfectly understood that there was little interesting in it, so he began to look for a suitable place for the construction of a separate park.
Since there was not enough money at the initial stage, Walt Disney entered into an agreement with ABC and Western Publishing. The construction of the very first park in California began in 1954 and was completed 366 days later. The official opening day is July 18, 1955, but every year on July 17, all employees of this park put on special badges indicating the age of the California recreation area. The reason for this is very prosaic - the day before the opening, Disney organized an open day for the press, which failed miserably due to organizational flaws.
What unites parks?
All existing âDisneylandâ were built according to a single concept - each of them is divided into several parts (âcountriesâ). All of them are built around the symbol of the film studio - Sleeping Beauty Castle, which can be seen on the screen saver in any cartoon created at Walt Disney's studio. Upon entering each country, the guest falls into the appropriate thematic surroundings, he does not hear what is happening outside this part of the park. The famous animator required builders and designers to create rides at Disneyland so that the visitor could be completely distracted from all their affairs and succumb to the atmosphere of magic.
In parallel with countries in each park, there are so-called backstage areas, which include office space, as well as shops, cafes and other areas where visitors are not allowed. Recreation areas are built in such a way that these "backstage" most often remain invisible to guests, and do not spoil the atmosphere with their industrial landscape.
Disney's first ever park
The first-born of the animator became a recreation area located in the small California town of Anaheim. The main value of this âDisneylandâ is the attractions, the description of which will not be able to fully convey the magical atmosphere of a fabulous park. Walking along Main Street, reminiscent of an ordinary town from Westerns about the Wild West, the visitor will be taken to Central Square, where the famous castle from animated screensavers is located. From it you can go to the âWorld of Adventuresâ, which houses the âEnchanted Walt Disney Tiki Roomâ - it used robotics in combination with animation for the first time in the 1960s, which for those times was evidence of incredible progress. Also here you can find the âTemple of the Forbidden Eyeâ, created in the style of films about Indiana Jones, will be pleasantly surprised by the âTarzan Houseâ, designed in such a way that you can feel like in a real jungle.
In the list of attractions, âDisneylandâ in California, a special place is occupied by âPirates of the Caribbeanâ, which was so loved by the audience that on its basis a whole series of films of the same name was created. Visitors sail in boats past a restaurant on the island, after which they descend into the grotto and become witnesses of a storm and shipwreck. In the next scene, viewers see a real battle between the fort and a pirate ship, during the collision you can see Jack Sparrow, who is actively involved in the action. At the end of the ride, Blackbeard and Davy Jones invite guests to visit him again.
Another popular American Disneyland carousel is the Haunted Mansion. According to legend, 999 characters live in the mansion, which are obliged to cause fear in anyone who enters there. All of them were either borrowed from various literary works or invented by the creators, some of them appear only once, while others several times. Visitors move around the house in small carts, while various robots try to scare them. A similar attraction is also in Tokyo Park, slightly modified options are available in Paris, Shanghai, as well as in the second American Disneyland.
French park
Despite the fact that the American recreation area appeared earlier, the Disneyland Paris is still the most popular, the attractions here are located on an area of ââalmost 2000 hectares. It consists of five parks surrounding a fairytale castle, each of them has a specific theme. The most popular of these is Adventure Country, where carousels such as Adventure Island, Indiana Jones, and the Temple of Danger, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean, enjoy success.
In general, copying an American park is a hallmark of Disneyland Paris, the attractions here are the same, but they are adapted for the European visitor. Another mini-park is âMain Street of the USAâ, built taking into account the peculiarities of American life that reigned in the United States at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. The main carousels here are walking passages - you can ride a car of the corresponding era, as well as narrow-gauge trains that run around this part of the mini-park. It is also here that various parades take place and fireworks are held.
Fans of science fiction should definitely visit Disneyland in Paris. Photos of attractions from the Discovery Country mini-park send visitors to the works of Jules Verne, where he predicted a bright and unique future. The most popular carousels here are Utopia (karting with gasoline cars), Star Tours (computer flight simulator), and some visitors come here to watch the musical The Legend of the Lion King, based on the popular cartoon.
When describing the Disneyland attractions in Paris, many often make a mistake, considering the Walt Disney Studio Park a separate recreation area. He appeared here in 2002 and is designed so that viewers can look behind the scenes of an entertainment place. Here are the latest carousels based on the animated films âCars,â âFinding Nemo,â âLilo and Stitch,â as well as several cinemas that broadcast only Walt Disney's studio paintings.
Things to do in Hong Kong
The list of attractions of Disneyland, located in this Chinese city, is relatively small and for the most part repeats those located in other parks. The Hong Kong recreation area opened in September 2005, its total area is 27.4 hectares, which is hundreds of times smaller than Paris. There are hotels and restaurants in the park, which mainly serve Chinese dishes, European food will be quite problematic to find here.
By tradition, the following âcountriesâ exist here: âMain Street of the USAâ, âCountry of Adventuresâ, âCountry of Fantasyâ (similar to the Paris âCountry of Discoveriesâ). The main difference between Hong Kong's Disneyland is the presence of Toy Story Land - a mini-park created on the basis of the Toy Story animated series, in 2013 an analogue of the American Haunted Mansion appeared here. Despite its small area, the park enjoys steady popularity among residents of Hong Kong and nearby cities.
Holidays in Japan
Tokyo Disneyland, whose photo of rides is significantly different from pictures from other parks, appeared in 1983 and became the first park that was built outside of America. In all the buildings erected here, a unique oriental flavor is felt, and the fabulous atmosphere here seems a little different than in other recreation areas. Disneyland is located on an area of ââ465 hectares, includes a number of shopping complexes, hotels and an additional recreation area Tokyo DisneySea, which is not officially part of the network.
In total, 47 merry-go-rounds are located on the territory of the Japanese park, some of them are copies of those that are located on the territory of the American recreation area - âHaunted Houseâ, âCinderella's Castleâ, etc. If we talk about the attractions in âDisneylandâ âTokyo is the most popular, it will primarily be about Splash Mountain - a trip on a wooden boat through a tunnel with fairy-tale characters, about Big Thunder Mountain - a trip on a steam train in an abandoned mine and aboutâ Cinderella's Castle â- a house where guests are invited to find out more about the story the poor girl and even see how her beggarly outfits turn into magnificent dresses.
American Chinese-style entertainment
In 2016, Disneyland opened its doors to visitors in Shanghai, after five years of construction, many thought it was a real miracle - even fans of the studio did not believe that the park would be completed to the end. As of 2019, there are seven mini-parks in this recreation area, as well as a large number of restaurants, hotels and hotels. Seats in the latter must be booked in advance, as the number of people wishing to visit here is increasing year by year.
Shanghai âDisneylandâ, the photo of the attractions of which somewhat resembles a park in Hong Kong, begins with âMickey Avenueâ - a long street dedicated to the classic heroes of the film studio - Mickey Mouse, Chip and Dale, Donald Duck, etc. Next, you can go to the mini Park âFantasylandâ, dedicated to Disney cartoons - âThe Little Mermaidâ, âAladdinâ, âBeauty and the Beastâ, etc. Here you canât do without âTreasure Bayâ - a port town with attractions of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The newest mini-parks here are Tomorrowland (the attractions of Star Wars and Buzz Lightyear are popular here) and the âToy Story Landâ, which opened only in 2018.
Disneyworld in the USA
Since the park in Anaheim was cramped enough for everyone, Walt Disney thought about building another place for a family vacation. So Disneyworld appeared in Orlando, as of 2019, its area is about 100 square kilometers, it has 4 "countries", a couple of water parks, cafes, restaurants, hotels and other entertainment places. If we talk about how many attractions in Disneyland have existed since the opening, then there are about 15 of them, and all of them are part of the very first mini-park - The Magic Kingdom.
The most popular in this case is the âcountryâ called Epcot, dedicated to technological innovations and cultural interaction between different countries. It is divided into two zones: âThe Future Worldâ and âShowcase of the Worldâ, in the first one you can visit the best Disneyland attractions related to space exploration - âUniverse of Energyâ, âSpaceshipâ Earth â,â Test Track â. Pavilions are located in the second zone, allowing you to get acquainted with the culture of 11 currently existing countries, which occupy a leading place in the world economy.
A distinctive feature of the park in Orlando is the presence of a large transport system for serving guests. Visitors can ride on 11 monorail trains, a water taxi, and there are absolutely free shuttle buses that run from one part of Disneyland to another.
The future of magical worlds
As the attractions of Disneyland continue to enjoy wildly popular, the likelihood of building new parks is very high. Currently, Australia, Latin America and Africa remain undeveloped, therefore it is precisely these regions that the owners of entertainment zones can turn their attention to. It is worth noting that the cost of admission is quite high, as of 2015, it was about $ 100 for an adult. Since 2018, it has increased to $ 109 (although this is in the so-called low season, but in general on peak days it is $ 129). For this price, the visitor gets unlimited access to attractions, with the exception of paid shooting galleries, which is very convenient. The park administration has repeatedly raised questions that the cost of the admission ticket is quite high and not everyone can take advantage of the attractions, however, it still remains unchanged.
The administration of the parks notes that most of the visitors are adults, who come to the parks several times a year to ride on the merry-go-round enough. With the help of special techniques used in the construction, the guests have the full feeling of falling into a fairy tale, from which they donât want to return to reality at all, thatâs why the children and adults of the whole planet love Disneyland.