Category: Design

Mad Tea Party

Early concept drawings for the Mad Tea Party attraction by artist Bruce Bushman included a number of features that were ultimately not included in the final attraction.

Walt Disney’s first concept to build a park wasn’t called Disneyland and wasn’t located in Anaheim. This concept drawing depicts the Mickey Mouse Park Walt initially wanted to build on land next to the Disney Studio in Burbank.

Old Trees for a New Park

One of Walt Disney’s many challenges in building Disneyland was taking an orange grove and landscaping themed lands in a way that made it appear like they’ve been there for a long time. The man in charge of that unenviable task was Disney Legend Bill Evans.

The Little Engine That Could

Disney artist Bruce Bushman drew these Casey Jr. Circus Train concept art pieces in 1954. At the time, Bushman - who was a longtime studio employee specializing in art direction - was tasked with developing attraction concepts based off of Disney’s film catalogue.

The Man With A Plan

Here is an early Disneyland plot plan drawn by Disney Legend Marvin Davis.

The First Lady of Imagineering

Disney Legend Harriet Burns is famous for being the first female Imagineer and the tremendous style she brought to the many attractions she worked on.

Blue Sky Sessions with Walt

These photos show Walt Disney and Disney Legend John Hench reviewing early layout designs for Disneyland.

Studio Artists Playing Ride Designers

In the photo below, Disney Legend Ken Anderson and artist Ralph Hulett are working on the design for Peter Pan’s Flight, highlighting two themes that run throughout the building of Disneyland.

Walt’s Affinity for Scale Models

Walt Disney often appeared on his ABC Disneyland television show displaying models, like this one of the Mark Twain steamboat, as a way to give viewers a glimpse of what he was building.

Designing a Disneyland Icon

Herb Ryman’s concept drawing of Sleeping Beauty Castle from 1953 is one of the earliest sketches of what would become the most iconic Disneyland landmark.