Disneyland on a Deadline: The Race to Opening Day | HISTORY This Week

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March 1, 1951. Two Texas horse trainers sit down to lunch with Walt Disney. They assume he wants to use their animals in a movie. Instead, Walt leans in and tells them about something that doesn’t exist yet. Not a carnival. Not an amusement park. Something movie-like in the real world. And if he’s going to build it, he’ll need horses. At that moment, Disneyland is just an idea in Walt’s head. But within a few years, he’ll clear 160 acres of orange groves in Anaheim and attempt to build that dream in barely twelve months. The budget will balloon. The rivers will drain into the soil. The rides will be welded together overnight. And Walt will stake his company — and his personal fortune — on opening the gates on time. Why was Disneyland such a gamble? And how did Walt essentially invent a whole new form of live entertainment? Special thanks to our guests: Leslie Iwerks,  director of Disneyland Handcrafted; Mark Catalina, producer of Disneyland Handcrafted;  Becky Cline, director of the Walt Disney Archives; and Tom Fitzgerald, chief storytelling executive and senior creative executive  at Walt Disney Imagineering. Credits: Corinne Wallace | Producer Sally Helm | Host/Producer Tyler Morrisette | Sound Designer/Mixer Ben Dickstein | Executive Producer Liv Fidler | Executive Producer Eli Lehrer | Executive Producer Get in touch: historythisweek@history.com Follow on Instagram: @historythisweekpodcast Follow on Facebook: ⁠HISTORY This Week Podcast⁠ To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-this-week/id1493453604 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2YFm0ezrXmMqLXbxgZpkmd?si=9a84fadee11447d4 Audacy: https://www.audacy.com/podcast/history-this-week-71b4d Subscribe for more HISTORY: http://histv.co/SubscribeHistoryYT Check out exclusive HISTORY content: History Newsletter - https://histv.co/newsletter Website - https://histv.co/History Facebook - https://histv.co/Facebook TikTok - http://bit.ly/4kZKjXi HISTORY® is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network’s all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, premium documentaries, and scripted event programming.