California 31st State

California

With Sleeping Beauty Castle rising in the background, Mickey Mouse welcomes his guests to Disneyland - the happiest place on Earth! © Disney

Once upon a time, a man named Walt Disney had a dream.... Actually, he had LOTS of dreams. Walt Disney wanted to make movies. He wanted to create things that had never been done before. He wanted to entertain and teach.

When he was a very little boy, his mother taught him to always give his audience more than what they expected. He learned this lesson well and throughout his life he surprised even his closest friends with his accomplishments. What others believed was impossible, didn't stop Walt Disney from turning something into a reality. Most importantly, Walt Disney believed in himself, he never let others discourage him and... he always learned from his mistakes or failures.

In 1955, Walt accomplished one of his biggest dreams... to create "an amusement enterprise where the whole family can have fun together". The very first Disney theme park was Disneyland in California. Today, in addition to the many cartoons and movies that are known the world over, there are 11 Disney theme parks in four different countries (the United States, Japan, France and Hong Kong, China). Walt wanted everyone to remember: "It all started... with a mouse." Mickey Mouse is that mouse.

You can learn more about Walt Disney at the Walt Disney Family Museum.