Walt Disney
Disneyland Dedication >
To all who come to this happy place...welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past...and here youth may savour the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America...with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
To all who come to this happy place... welcome!
Walt Disney's dedication of Disneyland rang out across America as he showed off to the world what he and his team of imagineers had brought to life amidst the Californian orange groves — the world's first theme park. Disneyland was unique because it was a truly immersive environment that told a story, allowing each and every guest to participate in the drama.
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As Walt was a great patriot, the story he told in his park was a distinctly American one, in which various episodes of the nation’s past were depicted as he understood it: the fond memories of the American Main Street; the excitement and promise of the Frontier. For the past 65 years, Disney have continued to incorporate history into their theme parks, with numerous historically inspired attractions that have delighted and amazed guests for decades.
Disney vs. the Historians
Many historians have been critical of the company’s use of history for entertainment. Some have belittled it as "Mickey Mouse history", expressing the view that Disney is not qualified to present the subject and any attempt it does make to do so is intrinsically bad.
As a historian myself, I fundamentally disagree with such opinions. Walt Disney was once called the greatest teacher of all and, considering the massive influence the Parks exert on millions of visitors every year, I have to agree. From personal experience, my passion for history stems from the happy times I spent at the Disney Parks as a child, as I left with a desire to dig a little deeper into the history that I had encountered, a desire that never waned as I am now a public historian. Whilst not everyone will have the same experience that I have had, I am certain that the Parks will continue to spark historical interest in guests, some of whom will pursue it further after their visit. This is where Distory comes in.
What is Distory?
Distory aims to explore the history that inspires the magic of Disney. The website is intended as a historical resource for Disney Parks’ guests to utilise in order to learn more about the history that they may encounter during their visit. By supplementing Disney’s historical content instead of rallying against it, I hope to disseminate historical knowledge to a wide audience with a genuine interest in the subject, which surely should be the goal of any self-respecting historian.
About Me
I'm Tom Farrell, a 22 year old public historian with a passion for all things Disney. My love for the Disney Parks was originally nurtured by many family holidays to Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World Resort, where I was fortunate enough to spend many happy days during my childhood. In the summer of 2019, as a part of the Disney Cultural Exchange Program, I travelled to Florida and worked as a Walt Disney World Cast Member, gaining invaluable insight and experience of working for the company.
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Whilst at university, my interest in Disney has heavily influenced my academic work. I have developed a particular fascination for how Disney incorporates history into many of their attractions, making the experience simultaneously entertaining and educational. In 2019 I authored my BA History dissertation entitled '"Disneyland is Your Land": The Use of American History at Disney Theme Parks to Create Spaces of National Communion since 1955.' I have since agreed to expand this work into a book in collaboration with the Theme Park Press.
MA Final Project
This website is a project for my Public History MA for which I am studying at Royal Holloway, University of London. All content used is for academic and non-profit purposes.
A word on copyright...
Every effort has been made to contact the creators of certain images to secure copyright permissions where necessary. However, if you are the owner of an image and have not been contacted, please get in touch at distoryofficial@yahoo.com
About Me
Hi, I'm Tom Farrell, a public historian and former Walt Disney World Cast Member.