Pictured from Left to Right: Diane Disney Miller, Bob Iger, Michael Eisner, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Art Linkletter.
On this day in 2005, 50 years to the minute that Walt Disney first spoke these words at the opening of Disneyland — “To all who come to this happy place. . . welcome!” — Disneyland celebrated its 50th anniversary in unforgettable style. Footage of Walt’s original dedication speech was broadcast on large monitors around the resort, including one located in Town Square near where Walt originally stood 50 years earlier to make his historic proclamation. The speech was shown in its entirety followed by a video montage of historic Disneyland footage, set to the music of LeAnn Rimes singing “Remember When.”
To all who come to this happy place . . . welcome!
Earlier in the day, Disney and celebrity luminaries, including then Disney Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner, then President and Chief Operating Officer Bob Iger, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Diane Disney Miller, attended an official rededication ceremony hosted by Disney Legend Art Linkletter, who celebrated his 93rd birthday that day and spent his 43rd birthday hosting the original televised opening day festivities.
In his original speech, Walt stated that at Disneyland, “age relives fond memories of the past,” and that perhaps was never more true, as many guests, wearing golden Mickey Mouse ears presented to them at the park’s entrance, were seen with happy tears in their eyes.
Andrae Rivas and Becky Phelps, 2005 Disneyland Ambassadors, were on hand for the historical day, and Becky told D23, “The entire 18-month 50th Anniversary Celebration was truly one of a kind, but for me nothing will ever top the actual anniversary day. The air was electric! As soon as I entered the Park I was overwhelmed by the sheer joy I saw on every single face I passed. I still get goosebumps just thinking about the endless sea of Gold Ears covering Main Street and shimmering from Sleeping Beauty Castle all the way to Town Square. Everywhere I turned stories were being shared — stories of laughter, adventure, love, friendship, and joy. I believe this is exactly what Walt envisioned for his little park back in 1955. It was an incredible honor to be a part of the golden celebration and to share it with the thousands of guests that gathered from all over the world on that magical day.”
Today, Disneyland continues to remain, as Walt Disney had hoped, “a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
