Birth of Disney's dreamland

Documentary shows labour and love behind iconic theme park

- BY HANNAH BRITT

When "the happiest place on earth" opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17, 1955, its proud creator Walt Disney declared: "Disneyland is your land.

The 900 million visitors who have enjoyed its rides, shows and Disney characters ever since clearly agree.

Disneyland Handcrafted, a new documentary film, tells the story of the world's favourite theme park, which still attracts around 18 million visitors annually.

Director and producer Leslie Iwerks, 55, is the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks, the designer of Mickey Mouse.

Explaining the impact Disneyland made in an uncertain era, she says: "At a time when there was so much strife in the world - the Korean War had just ended and the Cold War was looming - Walt created this place for people to come and enjoy and be happy.

"Despite the fact that amusement parks had been done before and were dying, because they were dirty and unpopular, Walt believed in his soul that this could be created at a higher level, in a much more experiential and immersive way that had never been done before."