Over one weekend in 1953, Walt Disney sat down with artist Herb Ryman and put down on paper his ideas for an ambitious new family attraction. Now, 64 years and 11 global theme parks later, the hand-drawn sketch that depicts the original Disneyland concept is up for auction. The ink-and-pencil drawing goes under the hammer on 25 June and is expected to fetch as much as $1m, according to auctioneer Mike Van Eaton.
The drawing depicts the trademark princess castle, as well as a pirate ship, a railway station and a main square, with a hot air ballon floating above the park. Though it differs from how the park looks today, the map was drawn primarily to help attract investors. It’s clear something struck a chord.
Speaking to the Associated Press, collector Ron Clark, who acquired the drawing in the 1970s from a former Disney employee who was friends with its founder, said the map had a “special aura”.
“It just kind of puts you in awe that this is the piece that came out of Walt Disney’s mind and this is what came about: this park, these parks worldwide, the passion people have for it today and the happiness of hundreds of millions who have graced these lands.”
Now Clark, who holds an annual pass to Disneyland and boasts 20 “Disney-fied” granchildren, wants to find a new permanent home for the map. He is hoping it will somehow be returned to Disney, though a spokesman for Disneyland would not confirm whether it would be bidding.
The original Disneyland (now called Disneyland Park) opened in Anaheim, Los Angeles, on 17 July 1955. Since opening it has been visited by over 650 million people.
House of the mouse: facts about Disneyland Park, California
- Even though 50,000 peopled attended, Disneyland’s opening day was so disastrous that Walt Disney dubbed it “Black Sunday”. The park couldn’t handle the crowds, hot weather melted the pavements, food ran low and toilets couldn’t cope with the number of visitors.
- Around 200 stray cats are looked after by staff at the park; there is a feeding station at the Hungry Bear restaurant.
- The only location in Disneyland to serve alcohol is Club 33, an exclusive adults-only members club with a waiting list of over around 14 years.
- Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle has a fully functioning drawbridge, though it has only been used publicly twice.
- The last ride that Walt Disney oversaw the construction of was Pirates of the Caribbean. It opened in 1967 and contains a real human skull.
