ENSIKLOPEDIA WALT DISNEY
WALT DISNEY WORLD Walt Disney World, opened in 1971 near Orlando, Florida, was a dramatic extension of the amusement and fantasy theme park of Disneyland, built by animator and moviemaker Walt Disney in Anaheim, California, in 1955. Both parks were radical breaks from the tradition of the early-twentieth-century amusement parks at Coney Island and elsewhere in America. Situated in rural and suburban locations, both Disney sites relied on links to highways and private automobile access instead of streetcars and subways to attract crowds. Further, both Disney parks created entirely artificial fantasy environments, completely independent of natural attractions (like the seashore or forest). Finally, both Disneyland and Walt Disney World promised an experience free from the dirt and danger of the carnival world of freaks, barkers, and thrill rides common in the traditional amusement park. Both attracted a predominately white, middle-class crowd, often in family...