Up, up, and away! This episode of the Disneyland series took to the skies with helicopter views high above “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Walt Disney takes viewers through the history of aviation and entertains them with an insider’s look at the Disneyland attractions that send guests soaring over the park. Portions of the episode combine highlights from the Walt Disney Studios’ 1943 film Victory Through Air Power, which was based on Russian-American aviation pioneer Alexander de Seversky’s book—also titled Victory Through Air Power. Walt, continually fascinated with aviation and eager to support America’s war efforts, illustrated Seversky’s aviation strategy in animated form for the film. A 1961 rerun of “Man in Flight” replaced some of the first-run footage to provide a preview of The Absent-Minded Professor. And whether you saw it the first time or as a rerun, it certainly was one of the highlights of the Disneyland series.
