When you wish upon a star: Walt Disney's dream of a theme park in which guests could immerse themselves in fairy tales is celebrating its golden anniversary

"TO ALL THOSE who come to this happy place: Welcome," announced Walt Disney on July 17, 1955, as he greeted more than 28,000 guests and visitors at the opening of his new adventure park, Disneyland. That day was a dream come true for the legendary innovator, as he unveiled a new medium in which he could tell and retell the stories of princesses, fairies, pirates, and ghosts. To him, visiting Disneyland was like "Alice stepping through the looking glass ... entering another world." Until his death in 1966, Disney continued to express the belief that, "as long as there is imagination left in this world, Disneyland shall never be complete."

Although Disneyland faced--as to be expected for such a huge new venture--some early trials and tribulations, its creator did not wait long before setting out to build an even bigger park, one that would have enough land so that it could grow, both in the short and long term. So, Disney shrewdly--and secretly--purchased the acreage for what now is Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Besides a "grander" version of Disneyland, Walt began plans for an Environmental Prototype City of Tomorrow, which eventually became known as Epcot. Disney. however, did not live to see the 1971 opening of his Florida project, which his brother Roy named in tribute to his famous sibling.

Those who have taken over since Disney's passing have not fallen short of the expectations left by his legacy. Walt Disney World has expanded to include Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Florida also is home to two Disney water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. On April 15, 1983, the Disney Corporation opened its first theme park outside the U.S. Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan is home to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Disney eventually expanded to Europe where, in 1992, it opened Disneyland Resort Paris (originally called Euro Disney). Meanwhile, on Feb. 8. 2001, California Adventure opened across from Disneyland. Currently finalizing its construction and expected to open on Sept. 12 is Hong Kong Disneyland, which will bring the company's theme park total to 11.

Although Hong Kong Disneyland will be the newest, its design is the oldest--it is being built as a true replica of California's Disneyland--re-creating the original attractions as they existed when Disneyland first opened.

Some critics complain that, if Disney is such an enterprise of vision and imagination, why has it continued to replicate itself as it expands? While Hong Kong Disneyland is an extreme case of nostalgic imitation, similar attractions dot the Magic Kingdom landscapes in Florida, Paris, and Japan. For instance, they all showcase a familiar spoke wheel design, where visitors enter from a turn-of the-century small town main street, leading to a majestic castle that is circled by a series of themed lands.

Walt Disney began his empire by taking classic tales and brilliantly animating the characters using vibrant colors, breaking into new areas of motion and sound. While Walt's delightfully entertaining stories and characters enjoyed enormous success in motion pictures, cartoons, books, and comics, his ultimate brainchild was for the stories to come to life at his theme parks, as visitors meet their favorite princess, walk through castles, venture into caves, climb magic beanstalks--in other words, become part of the story. Disney fans could live the fantasies they used to experience only vicariously.

Each story begins as the "guest"--as Disney likes to refer to its patrons--approaches the attraction's "reassurance" architecture, which cleverly utilizes scale, color, and design to establish the intended mood. The setting is laid out with the use of elaborate facades to immerse guests in the culture of the attraction. Details were a priority to Disney. Props and settings are designed and created or imported from the actual habitat the attraction is meant to portray.

Many original attractions did not begin the adventure until visitors entered the actual tide. However, as Disney continued to improve and expand on its concept that each attraction tells a story, cues were incorporated. At Space Mountain, for instance, one first enters a space center to prepare for launching. While proceeding along the line, you pass a variety of intricate-looking control panels--the adventure has begun; you have entered space. The surroundings are capped with a starry sky interrupted by blazing rockets that soar through the darkness. These rockets are, in fact, the vehicles that guests will board and, subsequently, launch--into a ride which was, at the time it was developed, one of the most exciting and innovative roller coasters found anywhere. It still is, actually.

Another popular attraction is Snow White's Adventures. The story begins as you encounter the Evil Queen, who gazes into the mirror asking, "Who's the fairest one of all?"--followed by her instructions for Snow White to be taken to the woods for execution. The tale continues as you pass the seven dwarfs, their famous cottage and, of course, the handsome prince. Admittedly, some individuals leave the attraction bewildered. "Where was Snow White? I didn't see Snow White!" is a common response. What those riders have missed is the fact that they were Snow White. The ride is designed to make the guest the main character in the tale.