From the very beginning, Walt Disney envisioned a world of entertainment built on the foundation of his characters. He worked in secret to amass large quantities of land in both California and Florida for two theme parks. In July 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, just 36 miles from Disney Animation studios, and quickly became a popular tourist destination.

Walt Disney World opened in 1971 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida as a 107-acre park with plenty of room for expansion. The Magic Kingdom, which refers to the original park in Florida, is now one of four theme parks on the 42,000-acre property. The Florida location also includes 34 resorts and hotels, two water parks, and five golf courses, plus numerous retail and other attractions.

At Disney Parks and Resorts, cast members dress in costume to portray various Disney characters from feature films. They often perform in special shows and make appearances throughout the park, providing guests with opportunities to interact and get photos with their favorite characters. Rides and attractions bring the animated films to life by incorporating artwork from the film into their design, such as the Mad Tea Party, which is based on the tea party scene in Alice in Wonderland.

International Expansion

In the last 30 years, Disney has expanded its kingdom beyond North America.

• Tokyo Disney Resort opened in April 1983 and was the first Disney park to open outside of the United States. It is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, which has a license from Disney to use characters and likenesses throughout the resort.

• Disneyland Paris, formerly known as Euro Disney Resort, opened in April 1992. Though the first few years were financially difficult for the resort, Disneyland Paris has become the top visitor attraction in Europe and the United Kingdom.
• Hong Kong Disney opened in September 2005. It has the lowest daily capacity of all the Disney parks, yet it is the 14th most visited theme park in the world.
• Shanghai Disney is scheduled to open in December 2015 and will be the first Disney park in mainland China. Preliminary plans reveal that popular Disney stories and characters will be combined with new attractions designed to appeal to Chinese audiences.

Cruise Lines

In addition to its parks and resorts, Disney also offers travelers the opportunity to see the world from the comfort of one of its four ships. Launched in 1996, Disney Cruise Lines offer on-board activities and shows that incorporate Disney characters and stories, and provide opportunities for guests to interact with characters.