2009 D23 Expo Guidebook

2009 D23 Expo Guidebook by Marcio Disney

Disneyland Guest Count

The 1 millionth guest to Disneyland in California was on September 8, in the year of 1955. The name was Elsa Marquez.

10 Millionth Guest: Leigh Woolfenden December 31, 1957

25 Millionth Guest: Dr. Glenn C. Franklin April 19, 1961

50 Millionth Guest: Mary Adams August 12, 1965

100 Millionth Guest: Valerie Suldo June 17, 1971

200 Millionth Guest: Gert Schelvis January 8, 1981

250 Millionth Guest: Brook Charles Arthur Burr August 24, 1985

300 Millionth Guest: Claudine Masson September 1, 1989

400 Millionth Guest: Minnie Pepito July 5, 1997

450 Millionth Guest: Mark Ramirez March 15, 2001

“I’m completely stunned and speechless!” said Mark Ramirez of Texas, Disneyland’s 450 millionth guest to pass through the turnstiles and step into Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom. “I’m so excited, I’m shaking!” he laughed. “This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to us.” Ramirez was on vacation with his wife, Donna and their three daughters Nina, Ariana, and Alexandria when his milestone entrance granted him a celebration ceremony, a lifetime pass to the Disneyland Resort, a stay at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and a merchandise gift pack. And the best gift of all was that he became a part of Disneyland history. Ramirez got to officially change the attendance sign on the Disneyland Train Station from 400 million to 450 million.

500 Millionth Guest: Australian Bill Trow January 12, 2004

Disney Studio Store

Following the success of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney saw a need to increase the size of his studio. Using the profits from Snow White, Walt made a deposit on 51 acres of land in Burbank, California in 1940 and began work on a modern studio specifically designed for the making of animated films. 

Walt was personally involved in every aspect of the studio’s conception and he ensured that the studio would be a self-sufficient facility that provided everything his team would need for the entire production process.

There was the Animation Building in the center, which housed the artists and animators, the Inking and Painting buildings across the way, and the Camera buildings next door, where the completed artwork was photographed. Walt had a number of the buildings linked together by an underground tunnel so that even in bad weather, the production process would not be interrupted.

This new Burbank studio would be the production site of several of Disney’s most prominent animated features, including Bambi, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan.

On October 15, 1995, Walt Disney Studios welcomed its very own Disney Store to the lot, named the Studio Store. This Disney Store was created with the intention of providing Cast Members with a home store to purchase the exclusive and unique products Disney offers in Stores everywhere. Located next to the Hyperion Bungalow, an original building from the studio’s first location in Hollywood, the Studio Store was redesigned in 2011 to display a beautiful new interior design of a Disney historical timeline, featuring the major milestones and famous characters that define the extensive history of the Walt Disney Company.

To learn more, visit Liz, the Official Disney Store Blogger: http://blog.disneystore.com/blog/2012/03/flashback-friday-disney-studio-store-history.html

 
Liz