From napkin search to dreamland

HAPPY RETURNS Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, turns 70 today

- BY CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN US Editor

When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true... or at least, they do when you're Walt Disney.

Seventy years ago today, the movie pioneer opened the doors to his most ambitious vision yet, in Anaheim, California.

What began with a sketch on a napkin became a 160-acre reality branded "the happiest place on Earth" - Disneyland theme park.

Walt himself, already an icon thanks to Mickey Mouse and Snow White, had stood proudly alongside the park's creators in Los Angeles in 1954, poring over his pencil drawn dreams. In one photo, he was seen waving a baton over sketches of Fantasyland, Adventure-land and Tomorrowland.

The following summer, Disneyland welcomed a capacity crowd of 28,000 guests, though the day was famously chaotic.

the corner, Apache Ambush actress Adelle August posed with the fortune teller machine and tried a car ride, adding to the spectacle.

Among other guests that day was future US President Ronald Reagan, who joined fellow Hollywood figures in christening the park.

Walt showed two more VIP guests around on a train California governor Goodwin J Knight and railroad tycoon Fred Gurley.