Walt Disney World turns 50. Look at the historical photos and what the celebration will be like

(CNN) – He changed hectares and hectares of orange trees. Orlando changed. Florida changed. He switched to an already legendary company. And it changed the entire theme park industry.

Walt Disney World Resort opened its doors on October 1, 1971. And on its 50th anniversary, it continues to be one of the world’s leading motors of travel, overcoming major changes in tourism trends, the famous Florida hurricanes and a pandemic.

In 1971, there was only one theme park, Magic Kingdom, along with a couple of adjacent golf courses and resorts.

Since then, three other large parks have been added: Epcot in 1982, Hollywood Studios in 1989 and Animal Kingdom in 1998. In addition, the water parks were added. Typhoon Lagoon (1989 and temporarily closed) and Blizzard Beach (nineteen ninety five).

And Disney has now 12 parks in six different complexes on three different continents.

The Florida park was actually the second baby of the Disney group. It came 16 years after Disneyland, in Southern California, which opened on July 17, 1955.

But brother number 2 was not left in the shadows.

The influence of Walt Disney World

“Obviously, WDW has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world in its short 50-year history,” said Martin Lewison, associate professor of Business Management at Farmingdale State College in Long Island, New York, in an interview. via email.
Known in theme park circles as the “Professor Roller Coaster“He said that Walt Disney World is a dominant force in the world attractions industry.

“Just as the opening of Disneyland in California in 1955 convinced other entrepreneurs that theme parks were a good investment … the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 sparked another wave of theme park construction in the United States,” he said .

Lewison pointed out some of the major amusement parks that opened soon after: Kings Island in Ohio in 1972, Carowinds on the North Carolina-South Carolina border in 1973, Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey in 1974, and Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens in Virginia in 1975.

“WDW has led the industry in many areas: attraction design and technology, entertainment, resort development, transportation systems, special events, dining experiences, ticket pricing, queue management products, marketing [y] conservation, “Lewison said.

Professor Lewison is scheduled to visit the park for the first time since 2019 in November for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attraction Expo (IAAPA).

His favorite attractions include classics like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion and some of the newer attractions like “Avatar Flight of Passage.”

Lewison says she can’t wait to get on the “Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway,” among others, for the first time.

Changes and traditions in the park

Many things have changed in the Florida park since 1971. The most important additions came years and decades later: “Space mountain“(Inaugurated in 1975),”Splash Mountain”(1992) and the“Seven Dwarfs Mine Train” (2014).

Despite all the changes and advances that 50 years have brought, some of the original attractions from 1971 they remain today.

Among them are some of the most beloved, such as “Country Bear Jamboree”, “Dumbo the Flying Elephant”, “Haunted Mansion” and “Tomorrowland Speedway”. “Jungle Cruise” is recently renewed at Disneyland and Disney World to address racial insensitivity stereotypes.

And, of course, the emblematic structure of the park, the castle cinderella castleIt has been there from the beginning, although it has undergone some renovations over the years.

How Disney will celebrate the anniversary

Disney’s 50th anniversary party kicks off this Friday, but it’s not going to be a one-day affair.

It will be an 18 month party. And the celebrations will take place not just at the Magic Kingdom, but at the resort’s three other theme parks.

This Friday the show begins “Beacons of Magic“, in which the emblematic structures of each park will be specially illuminated: The Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom, Spaceship Earth in Epcot, the Hollywood Tower Hotel in Hollywood Studios and the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom.

At Magic Kingdom, a nightly show called “Disney Enchantment” will offer music, enhanced lighting, fireworks and immersive projection effects from Cinderella Castle to Main Street, USA

Being Disney, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Click here for more information on the amusement park celebration.