Disneyland's State of the Resort
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Soon it was time for the crowd to move to the more spacious quarters in the Hyperion Theatre. Familiar background music played as people greeted old friends and found their seats. Spotted in the audience were faces from the past, the present, and even a few who would doubtless be leading the Disneyland Resort in the future.
Disneyland Resort President Matt Ouimet greeted all from the stage at the Hyperion Theatre.
The lights dimmed, and a sprightly chorus of “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah�? filled the air. Matt Ouimet took the stage to a round of applause. As the clapping subsided, he smiled and said, “Welcome to the happiest place on earth! And how many people can get away with saying that?�? He then acknowledged the presence of various community leaders, both elected and those involved in charitable and business enterprises. He also acknowledged two very special “former cast members,�? Ron Dominguez and Jack Lindquist. Dominguez was actually born on the Disneyland property previous to 1955, and worked his way through the ranks to become a company executive. Lindquist is the former President of Disneyland. Both have been honored with windows on Main Street USA.
Former Disney executive Ron Dominguez was in
attendance.
Ouimet prefaced his formal presentation by noting, “This is the theater where Aladdin shows Jasmine a whole new world.�? He then assured the audience that by the time he was finished, he would show us the state of the Disneyland Resort world. As Disneyland Park launches its fiftieth birthday celebration, he said, it is important to understand the deeper impact of the entire Disneyland Resort on the Orange County community.
Disneyland started rather simply, Ouimet pointed out, in the mind of Walt Disney. Walt dreamed of creating a place where parents and children could have fun together. Sunday afternoons spent sitting on a bench, watching his daughters ride the merry-go-round gave Walt the resolve to create such a place himself. Because of his background in the entertainment industry, Walt did more than just dream; he hired a team from the film industry and charged them with the task of making Disneyland a reality. According to Walt, the look, the feel, even the smells had to reinforce the experience. “Jack knows this well,�? said Ouimet, referring to former Disneyland President Jack Lindquist. “Walt obsessed over details.�?
According to Ouimet, Walt knew the secret to Disneyland’s success was in creating memories. And on July 17, 1955, Walt was able to share his dream come true with a limited number of invited guests. Unfortunately, Ouimet ruefully noted, over 30,000 people showed up that opening day, many with forged tickets! But, he added, “Everything went off without a hitch.�?