A Magical Place

An Amazing Mouse

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse!

On November 18, 1928 Mickey Mouse made his grand debut. The cute little mouse, dreamt up out of desperation took the world by storm, taking his creator to places he had only imagined.

The children of the world instantly embraced this spunky little mouse who paved the way for a worldwide Disney empire. It truly all started with a mouse.

Even babies who know nothing of Walt Disney or DISNEYLAND are drawn to the lovable Mickey Mouse. He's still the most recognized star in the world, just the way his father dreamed.

"Think beyond your lifetime, if you want to do something truly great.”

-Walt Disney

Mickey Mouse Park

Mickey Mouse was always near and dear to Walt Disney's heart. No matter what amazing projects Mr. Disney embarked on, Mickey was always a part of them. That's why when Mr. Disney began to dream about a magical theme park built across the street from his Burbank studio, the first name he thought of to grace the modest plan was "Mickey Mouse Park."

The small eight acre parcel would have a train, a small town, a lake and of course, Mickey Mouse. Mr. Disney's original plan was to place statues of Mickey and friends that guests could pose next to for pictures. The centerpiece of the park, however, would be the Mickey statue.

Walt Disney's dreams soon grew, however, and it became obvious that he would need much more land. His mere park had become a Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom soon found a new home many miles south and would have a new name- DISNEYLAND. Despite this new name, the park would still feature Walt's famous friend. And to leave no doubt as to who ruled over this Magic Kingdom, Mickey Mouse's smiling face would welcome the millions of guests who would make the trek to DISNEYLAND from around the world.

Mickey's First Film

After Walt Disney lost Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Universal Pictures, Walt came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse and sat down with the only animator he could trust- Ub Iwerks- to animate the first Mickey Mouse cartoon.

That cartoon would be- Plane Crazy. Ub had animated about 2/3rds of the film before Walt Disney came upon the magic of sound. Since Plane Crazy had been envisioned as a silent cartoon, he chose to scrap everything and come up with an idea for a cartoon that would feature sound. That cartoon was Steamboat Willie. 

Steamboat Willie was a sensation, catapulting Mickey Mouse to superstardom. Despite the fact that Walt's brother Roy was against it, Walt was proven right when Steamboat Willie broke every record. Afterwards, Plane Crazy was reworked with sound and Mickey Mouse became a worldwide celebrity.

Disney Quote Weekends

"Mickey Mouse is always there-he's part of my life. That really is something not everyone can call their claim to fame."

-Annette Funicello

Disney Quote Weekends

"I'm Mickey Mouse. I hope you've heard of me. I hope."

The Story of DISNEYLAND: Growing Pains

With its creator gone, DISNEYLAND settled in for the long haul. Walt Disney had setup an organization that he was certain would continue to pursue his dreams. Meanwhile, Roy Disney canceled his brother's plans for the Florida project and planned out his own vision of a "vacation kingdom". The resulting changes required Imagineering to shift its efforts to Florida. While DISNEYLAND's staff felt neglected, the park continued to operate as before, bringing in needed funds that were diverted to Florida. When the Florida park faltered at first, DISNEYLAND's importance was increased as its profits were used to prop up the Florida resort until it found its bearings. It is interesting to note that if DISNEYLAND had suffered the same initial attendance issues as Florida's Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney likely would have gone bankrupt.

The first attraction "imported" from Florida was the Country Bear Jamboree. Originally created for a project Walt Disney planned to build in Mineral King, California, it was wildly successful in Florida and given its own new land in DISNEYLAND. The arrival of the Country Bears was highly anticipated.

The next big addition to DISNEYLAND was also influenced by the Florida park. To save money, Roy Disney had under built attractions in Florida. When the park began to become successful, it soon needed any new additions it could muster. The Carousel of Progress was eyed as a natural addition to Florida's Tomorrowland and the attraction was packed up in Anaheim and sent out to Florida. Taking advantage of the existing infrastructure, Disney Imagineer Marc Davis proposed a salute to American music performed by animatronic animals. DISNEYLAND's America Sings opened just in time for America's bicentennial.

As the decade continued, DISNEYLAND would continue to be affected by its younger sibling in Florida, but that would soon end.

Theme Park Thursdays: The Silver Lake Sisters

Guests at Disney California Adventure head to the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe each morning for Starbucks Coffee and delicious Disney food. The location has become one of the busiest Starbucks locations in the world, as millions of DISNEYLAND Resort guests start their day there each year.

The comfortable, inviting location appears to be named after Walt Disney's famed pigs, but the story doesn't end there. According to legend, Mr. Disney was inspired to make the cartoon after seeing the famous "Silver Lake Sisters"- Dotty, Dolly and Ethel. The famous sisters retired and opened up this magical cafe to serve their fans and Buena Vista Street guests.

Weird Wednesdays: Wacky Weather

When Walt Disney was looking for a site to build his city of the future, he wanted a location far enough from DISNEYLAND so that it wouldn't compete with his beloved Magic Kingdom and also a place with cheap, somewhat usable land. He also wanted a place that could theoretically allow year round operation like Southern California. Far, cheap and the need for year round operations led him to the swamps of central Florida. Orlando was chosen for its relatively hurricane-free weather, though as the company would find, the weather was far from ideal.

Florida's humid summers and frequent torrential storms would make park operations a challenge. Florida's Space Mountain is a copy of DISNEYLAND's Matterhorn, built indoors because Imagineers didn't think the ride system would work outdoors in Florida. A close look at various landmarks throughout the Florida parks reveal a complex series of lightning rods, carefully hidden so as not to alarm guests. The most prominent lightning rod at Disney's Hollywood Studios is actually Mickey himself.

Mickey's left ear is a lightning rod, designed to take the brunt of any possible lightning strike. A lightning strike on Mickey might create nightmares for the thousands of children in the park who witness it, but at least it will keep them safe.