Part II: Financing a Dream
Our Story So Far: Walt Disney is planning on building a theme park dedicated to family fun and Disney. When the original site in Burbank, CA proved too small for the project, Walt began looking at other parcels of land that would be able to hold his vision. After searching all of Southern California, his research team has finally settled on a orange grove in the sleepy farming town of Anahiem, CA. Now comes the challenging part: Making this dream..a reality.
Walt knew that there was NO WAY his dream would get off the ground without money. His brother, Roy O. Disney who basically took care of the money side of the Disney Empire, had only allowed Walt to use $10,000 for the development and construction of Mickey Mouse Park. Of course, that amount was nowhere near the amount he would need to build and complete the newly dubbed "Disneyland" project in Anahiem. Roy however, was not convinced that Walt's theme park would prove to be financially feasible, and refused to allow Walt to use anymore of the company's funds. Walt would have to look elsewhere for money.
One group that initially helped Walt out was the "Disneyland Backers and Boosters". This group, made up entirely of Disney Studio employees, chipped in money to help Walt with start up costs. As more and more employee's started contributing, Roy began to take notice and the more people began to take Walt's project seriously, the more he began to reconsider his original opinion of the park being a failure.
Even with his modest employee only fund, Walt knew that the details he wanted to include in his park-that would make it different from other parks-wouldnt come cheap. The problem was he needed some sort of visual refrence to show the accountants that his park was feasible and unique.
On the morning of Saturday, September 26, 1953 Walt Disney placed a call to noted artist (And former Disney employee) Herb Ryman. Ryman, who at the time was working at 20th Century Fox, was surprised to be getting a call from Walt Disney himself. Walt asked Ryman if he would come down to the Disney lot and discuss a project with him. Ryman agreed and headed down to meet Walt.
Once he arrived and settled in, Walt began talking to Ryman about his vision for Disneyland. As Herb recalls, "I asked 'So what does this have to do with me?' and he said 'Well Herbie, my brother Roy is going to New York on Monday morning. He's meeting with the bankers for financing of this park. Roy's got to take this stuff back and show them what this is going to look like. You know bankers, no imagination whatsoever. They have to see something before they back it.' and so I got excited and said 'Well gee, I'd like to see it too.' and he said 'You're going to do it." Ryman's first reaction was "No I'm not." But after Walt agreed to stay with him the entire weekend to help him out, Ryman relented and agreed.
With Walt describing what the park was to look like, Ryman set to work sketching out Walt's ideas. "It should have a castle and a railroad track circling the park." Walt said to Ryman. Walt wanted each area of the park to have a theme. The castle itself would be the icon of the park and the orienting point for guests. Many people wonder why the original castle is much smaller than the castles that have followed Disneyland's construction. There are two stories as to why that is. The first is that Walt didnt want the castle to be large and imposing like most castles of the middle ages. While the second story is that their simply wasnt enough money to make the castle any bigger. We may never know for sure.
So after working through the weekend and throwing idea's around the first official plan for Disneyland was created
Walt literally took the finished plan off the drawing board, rolled it up in a shipping tube and handed it to Roy to take with him to New York.
Walt also had a booklet describing the park written for the presentation of the plan. The introduction read:
The idea of Disneyland is a simple one. It will be a place for people to find happiness and knowledge.
It will be a place for parents and children to share pleasant times in one another's company: a place for teacher and pupils to discover greater ways of understanding and education. Here the older generation can recapture the nostalgia of days gone by, and the younger generation can savor the challenge of the future. Here will be the wonders of Nature and Man for all to see and understand.
Disneyland will be based upon and dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and hard facts that have created America. And it will be uniquely equipped to dramatize those dreams and facts and send them forth as a source of courage and inspiration to all the world.
Disneyland will be something of a fair, an exhibition, a playground, a community center, a museum of living facts, and a showplace of beauty and magic.
It will be filled with the accomplishments, the joys and hopes of the world we live in. And it will remind us and show us how to make these wonders part of our own lives.
This description was the basis for the opening day dedication (Which we'll talk about later).
So with Herb Ryman's drawing and Walt's booklet describing the park in hand would it be enough for the bankers to front Walt the money? Unfortunately, despite Walt's success with movies and his reputation as a showman, the banks simply weren't convinced of the possibilities of a true theme park.
This should have put an end to Walt's plans, but he was determined to see his dream through. He sold one of his vacation homes and cashed in his life insurance. Even with this though, he still didnt have enough to cover the costs of the park. Luckily for Walt, one company DID have faith in his idea. And agreed to kick money into the park. What company was crazy (according to industry experts) enough to throw money away on a theme park?
You'll find out in part III
DQ
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