History of Walt Disney World

On November 15, 1965, this press conference was held at the Cherry Plaza Hotel, by Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida after the Orlando Sentinel published an article on October 24 revealing that it was Walt Disney who was the mysterious bidder buying up the land in Florida. Walt Disney, Roy Disney Sr, and Florida Governor Haydon Burns announce the project that would become Walt Disney World and EPCOT Center. They answer questions about its scope, investments, and effect on tourism in the state. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

On Oct 27, 1966, Walt Disney made this film meant to present his ideas for EPCOT and his Florida Project to the state legislature and American industry investors. When Walt made the deal to build EPCOT he had to agree to build the state of Florida their very own Disneyland. In exchange the state of Florida gave Walt's organization special rights for the property. Walt wanted these rights to build his Experimental prototype Community of Tomorrow. In this film, you can see what walt had in mind and it's VERY different from the EPCOT that was built and even more different from the EPCOT that exists today. The Reedy Creek district was exploited by Woke Disney for a city that was never built. Those privileges should have been forfeited decades ago. This film was one of two that were the final footage of Walt that was ever shot. He died from lung cancer a few weeks later. Had Walt not been an avid smoker, he may have lived to see the completion of EPCOT as he'd envisioned. This is one of the tragic lessons we can learn from his life and what the world lost from his passing. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

In the 17th season of Walt's TV show, his comedy film The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin aired over three weeks. To fill out the run time of the third and final installment, this progress report on the soon to open Walt Disney World aired. It was sort of a trailer for the coming theme park and this short film gives the viewers an overview of what this theme park was going to be. This rare footage shows some of the drawings and models used to build Walt Disney World and then we get to see some of the construction itself. The building of Walt Disney World in a Florida swamp is a modern marvel, and this is a historic glimpse of it. Near the end of the film, we're shown the assemble of some of the attractions that were being built for Walt Disney World as WED Enterprises. Highlights include Small World, the Hall of Presidents, and the Country Bears Jamboree. Walt Disney World opened that October and this film excited Americans for that impending event. It's been rarely seen since. Original airdate January 31, 1971 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

Whicker's World was a BBC TV News Magazine that ran from 1959-1994 hosted by British journalist Alan Whicker. Each season would be a series of shows about the exploits of Alan Whicker in a different region of the world. In 1971 he did a season in the Caribbean and ran this episode on the soon to be opened Walt Disney World. It's a bit of a hit-piece and condescending of American culture and Walt Disney, however, we have included it in this archive because it shows what both Florida and Walt Disney World looked like before it opened. This rare footage is historical and invaluable even though this broadcast is negative toward Americans, Walt Disney, and Walt Disney World. It just goes to prove these negative types have always existed. There are still glimpses at what Walt Disney Productions was like at the time. It would have been interesting to have followed up with some of these Florida residents a few decades later and see if any had changed their tune. If you can look passed the snark you'll see a few things you hadn't before. Original airdate July 19, 1971

Walt Disney World opened October 1, 1971. A fall opening was selected because of what a disaster the opening of Disneyland had been in mid July at the height of the tourist season. few weeks after opening, this TV special was filmed as aired on NBC. This is the Grand Opening of Walt Disney World as it was originally broadcast in 1971 complete with the commercials that aired during the show. The show is written by Walt Disney right hand producer Bill Walsh who was writer and/or producer behind most of Walt Disney's major live action films, the Mickey Mouse Club TV series, the Mickey Mouse Club comic strip, and more. This special followed the variety show format that was quite popular at the time. Stars included singer Glenn Campbell, Disney Legend Julie Andrews, entertainer supreme Bob Hope, bandleader and composer Meredith Wilson (most known today as the creator of the musical The Music Man), conductor and composer Arthur Fielder, and others. Buddy Hackett also appears in a segment with Herbie the Love Bug. Both had been stars in the still recent hit film The Love Bug. This was the most successful Walt Disney Productions film up to that time and this is the only time Hackett ever acted with Herbie again although he plays himself and not the character he portrayed in the film. (Buddy would later voice Scuttle the seagull in the animated feature, The Little Mermaid in 1989.) Comedian Johnathan Winters also appears in a running gag of vignettes about a husband taking his burnt out wife to Walt Disney World to relax with little results. Other segments feature the Walt Disney World's new attraction Country Bears Jamboree, the Hall of Presidents (with Liberty Square being described as the heart of Walt Disney World), the Mickey Mouse Revue, and more. All of these attractions were personally started by Walt himself but completed after his death. Bob Hope gives a poignant speech about Walt Disney and America and we get to see what he meant but the glimpses of Walt Disney World when it was new. Not only is America's history embraced but so is Walt Disney history. In one of her segments, Julie Andrews sings When You Wish Upon a Star then sees clips from the majority of films from the Walt Disney animation canon including Song of the South. Then she heads to the street to sing the Oscar winning song Zip-a-dee-doo-dah with backup singers of every race from the Walt Disney World group Kids of the Kingdom. This song is performed two more times during this broadcast proving just how integral it was to Walt Disney's legacy. The commercials included in this broadcasts all have a Walt Disney World theme. They're for the camera company GAF (one of which features a young Jodi Foster who'd already starred in a few Walt Disney Production films by this point.), US Steel (who'd built much of Walt Disney World), and Eastern Airlines. They are included for historical purposes. This TV special reaired a few times on The Disney Channel decades later in edited form. This is the complete, unedited 1971 broadcast. Original airdate October 29, 1971 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

The Magic of Walt Disney World is a theatrical featurette that revealed to the world what was at the resort when it first opened. Actor Steven Forrest narrates this film and we get to see what the park and hotels looked like when they first opened. This is an incredibly historical film capturing a snapshot of Walt Disney World as it was originally built and not what it became. Several of these attractions, such as Liberty Square and the Hall of Presidents, were planned by Walt for Disneyland and work began under his supervision. It's interesting to see what attractions are focused on when this park was built as opposed to today. Many of these places no longer exist and none of them exist as originally built. Whereas the construction of Disneyland was oversaw by Walt, Walt Disney World was over overseen by Walt’s brother Roy. In many ways, this was how Roy dealt with his grief over the loss of his brother. Admiral Joe Fowler was in charge of building each of these parks. Both are modern marvels. This featurette was released with the comedy film Walt Disney Productions’ Snowball Express and was expanded into an hour version in 1974 with new narration for Walt’s TV show. Original release date December 22, 1972 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company

This is the TV version on the Magic of Walt Disney World. It had originally been released in 1972 as a featurette with the comedy film Walt Disney Productions’ Snowball Express. It was expanded into an hour version in 1974 with new narration for Walt’s TV show as Space Mountain was about to open. The new narration is by actor Andrew Duggan. A TV episode like this worked much like similar Disneyland episodes that would get potential guests excited to visit the resort. This expanded version shows several attractions not included in the theatrical version of this film. This is an incredibly historical film capturing a snapshot of Walt Disney World as it was originally built and not what it became. Several of these attractions, such as Liberty Square and the Hall of Presidents, were planned by Walt for Disneyland and work began under his supervision. Many of these places no longer exist and none of them exist as originally built. Whereas the construction of Disneyland was oversaw by Walt, Walt Disney World was over overseen by Walt’s brother Roy. In many ways, this was how Roy dealt with his grief over the loss of his brother. Admiral Joe Fowler was in charge of building each of these parks. Both are modern marvels. Original airdate March 31, 1974 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

Space Mountain was an attraction Walt Disney started in the 1960's that the technology couldn't build until after his death. When it finally opened in 1975 at Walt Disney World, this broadcast TV special was created. TV specials centering around the latest attractions at Disneyland were a staple when Walt was alive and this tradition continued well into the 21st century. Sometimes the broadcasts aired as stand alone TV specials, other times, like this one, they aired as an episode of Walt's TV show. These broadcasts now serve as time capsules into the past to see what the parks were like in the past. This TV special is hosted by Lucie Arnaz. She was the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Both she and her brother Desi Arnaz Jr were regular figures in 1970's TV projects. Others in the special include Tommy Tune, Lyle Waggoner, and The Rhodes Kids. Tune was a well-known Broadway star and stage actor at the time. Waggoner was a regular on the Carol Burnett Show. The Rhodes Kids were a popular family group of performers that appeared in many venues in the 1970's. The majority of this broadcast follows the variety show format but the highlight it the dedication of Space Mountain. Among the dignitaries present included several real NASA astronauts. The pageantry of the festivities include some elements purged from history including the balloon releases that both Disneyland and Walt Disney World used to do. Original airdate March 23, 1975 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

Christmas at Walt Disney World was a 1978 Christmas special that aired on NBC and used the still recently opened theme park as a backdrop for this variety special format program. Similar TV specials with the variety show performance format were the only kinds of new episodes being filmed in the parks at the time. A Christmas in Disneyland special had been produced two years prior and some view Christmas at Walt Disney World as a companion piece to that. There is no over all plot to these shows. They just showcase then contemporary talents performing in the parks. In this case, it's made up of different segments with a Christmas theme. Many of these focus on the husband and wife mime team Robert Shields and Lorene Yarnell. They had met on a Sid and Marty Kroft production, married, and quickly became a popular act at the time who appeared on several TV shows in the 1970’s. They divorced in 1986 but still periodically continued to perform together. Shields went on to be Director of Clowning for the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus while Yarnell was the live actress for Dot Matrix in Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs. Pop/Rock band Pablo Cruise performs a song. Popular comedian Phyllis Diller appears in a segment inspired by Cinderella. She was in a lot of variety shows in the 60’s and 70’s often referencing her fictional husband "Fang." She went on to portray the Queen in Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. Child actress Danielle Spencer appears in this segment. She was a co-star on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!! Sterling Holloway narrates an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. He had been in several Walt Disney animated productions as a narrator but is perhaps best known as the original voice of Winnie the Pooh. This was one of his final performances for Walt Disney Productions before his retirement. Comedian Avery Schreiber portrays Geppetto. He’d been part of the comedy team Burns and Schreiber with comedian Jack Burns. Burns was Don Knotts' replacement on the Andy Griffith Show and was co-creator of The Muppet Show. Shchreiber was often in Burns' projects and for decades he appeared on a lot of different TV shows for both children and adults. Children of the 1990's may best remember him as the grandfather in the Hanna-Barbera series Wake, Rattle, & Roll (later reran as Jump, Rattle, & Roll.) Broadway actress Andrea McArdle is the showcase in the final sequence of this special and that sequence really makes the whole thing. McArdle originated the role of Annie on Broadway the year before and has enjoyed a robust Broadway career. In this special’s grand finale she joins the Walt Disney characters in singing several Christian hymns referencing Christ which is something we would never seen done today. Christmas at Walt Disney World is a snapshot of what the park was like shortly after opening and enjoyed an afterlife being rerun on the Disney Channel until the late 1990’s. In fact, for the first few years of that network, it was part of its annual Christmas eve broadcast evening. It was never released to VHS or DVD and hasn’t been seen on TV in over two decades. This is an important record of Walt Disney history demonstrating how Walt Disney Productions continued to adhere to Walt and Roy's values after both were gone (their widows were still around.) Original airdate December 10, 1978 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

In the 1950's Walt Disney started an annual Nativity Pageant in Disneyland. The Matterhorn mountain, the highest point in the park, eventually became the home to the Star of Bethlehem so the 3 Wisemen could find the Christ Child. For many years that star rotated. When Walt Disney World opened after Walt passed away, the Nativity pageant was brought there as well. This video is a home movie of the living Nativity Show, performed at Walt Disney World Village, in 1983. The show was called the Glory and Pageantry of Christmas and was performed as a living Tableau, with three performances nightly for about a ten day period during the Christmas season. The incredible background vocals were performed by the amazing A Cappella group known as The Regeneration Carolers, under the direction of Derrick Johnson, who also served as the Innkeeper character and provided the narration. What is not included in this video is the pre-show performance by The Regeneration Carolers, which included a collection of Christmas Carols. The Glory and Pageantry of Christmas was discontinued by the Eisner regime some time in the early 1990's. If a guest had not recorded this home movie there would be no evidence that this event was once a Christmas tradition at Walt Disney's the Magic Kingdom and is part of Walt Disney history. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.