(CNN) — It changed acres and acres of orange groves. It changed Orlando. It changed Florida. It changed an already legendary company. And it changed the entire theme park industry.
Back in ’71, there was just the one theme park, Magic Kingdom, along with a couple of adjacent golf courses and resorts.
The Florida park was actually the second baby in the Disney bunch. It came 16 years after Southern California’s Disneyland, which opened on July 17, 1955.
But sibling No. 2 didn’t stay in the shadows.
Walt Disney World’s influence
Guests board Runnamuck Railroad as part of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which opened in 2020.
The Walt Disney Company
“Obviously, WDW has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world in its short 50-year history,” said Martin Lewison, an associate professor of business management at Farmingdale State College on Long Island, New York, in an email interview.
“Just as the 1955 opening of Disneyland in California convinced other entrepreneurs that theme parks were a good investment … the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 led to another spurt of theme park building in the USA,” he said.
Lewison noted some of the major amusement parks that followed soon after: Kings Island in Ohio in 1972, Carowinds on the North Carolina-South Carolina border in 1973, Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey in 1974 and Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens in Virginia in 1975.
“WDW has led the industry in many areas: ride design and technology, entertainment, resort development, transportation systems, special events, dining experiences, ticket pricing, queue products, merchandising [and] conservation,” Lewison said.
Professor Roller Coaster plans to visit the park for the first time since 2019 in November for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attraction Expo.
His favorite rides include the classics such as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion and some of the newer rides such as Avatar Flight of Passage.
He said he’s looking forward to his first ride on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, among others.
Changes and traditions at the park
Guests take a spin on Dumbo, the Flying Elephant at Magic Kingdom Park. This signature ride has been with the park since its open in 1971.
Handout/Disney
How Disney will celebrate the anniversary
Disney’s 50th anniversary party starts on Friday, but it’s hardly going to be a one-day affair.
This is going to be an 18-month party. And celebrations will be held not only in the Magic Kingdom but at the other three of the resort’s theme parks.