When Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, the Canal Boats of the World began sailing daily in Fantasyland. Just a couple months later, the attraction was closed for revitalization, offering more for guests to enjoy. As the first anniversary of the park approached, Walt Disney personally supervised $1.5 million dollars worth of improvements to the park, an investment that included the Canal Boats attraction. In May 1956 when author Bob Thomas strolled with Walt for an article he was writing, he witnessed craftsmen meticulously creating the miniature villages from classic Disney films and observed firsthand as Walt helped to guide the process. “Isn’t that Dutch village too low to see from the boat?” Walt asked the supervisor. The man adjusted the platform to simulate the boat level. Walt sat on it and assured himself the village was high enough, yet added, “But raise that bridge or it’ll be too much under the water.” The newly named Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction opened on this day in 1956, complete with the bridge at perfect height. The attraction, which remains at Disneyland today, is particularly special given Walt’s personal fondness for miniatures. Disney Legend Harriet Burns of the legendary Model Shop helped create the attraction’s miniature replicas of buildings from Disney’s animated films. Shortly before her death in 2008, she told D23’s Scott Wolf, “We did tremendous detail at that time because of Walt liking models. Later when I went through it I thought, ‘You don’t see the 380 pieces of lead on the stained glass church windows!'” Although scenes from more current animated films have been added over the years, such as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, the attraction remains very similar to how it appeared in 1956, including the church, with Harriet’s 380 pieces of lead in the real stained glass window.