Fantasyland is a sort of love/hate thing for many people. It contains some of the most wonderful rides, and yet it is so packed all of the time.  Taren digs deep into this polarizing section of Disneyland, and brings us ...

The History of Fantasyland

In the land of princes and princesses, flying elephants and boat-guzzling whales, of mad tea parties and endless songs, we leave the familiar world that we know and understand and move into the wondrous mind of Walt Disney.

Many have said that Fantasyland was Walt's favorite land. In his initial concept for Disneyland, Fantasyland was at the center of everything.  As is generally the case, Walt's attention to detail is part of what makes this land so special--from the fact that each horse on the King Arthur's Carousel is jumping (Walt didn't want stationary horses) to making sure that the Casey Jr. Train looked identical to the one in Dumbo (even when this caused extensive logistical problems), to plating the spires of the castle with 22 karat gold (much to Roy Disney's chagrin).

The Fantasyland of 1955 was very different than what we see today--although, most would argue that what we see today is much closer to Walt's original vision. It didn't always have the beautiful European "Storybook" facades that we know and love, these only came after a major renovation in 1983, when the "New Fantasyland" opened, which also brought us a better layout of the land, new rides, new restaurants and important upgrades to the existing rides.

  

 

Come with us on a journey from the past to the future in the History of Fantasyland! And make sure to stay tuned for our Fact of the Show--you'll love keeping this one in your back pocket to impress your friends!