Disneyland celebrated seven decades of happiness on the anniversary of the Anaheim theme park’s official grand opening with a new animatronic show starring Walt Disney, a new film in the Main Street U.S.A. cinema and a new verse added to the earworm song on It’s a Small World.
Disneyland marked the anniversary date of the park’s 1955 opening with marching bands, parades and fireworks on Thursday, July 17 as part of a yearlong party set to run through summer 2026.
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The 70th anniversary celebration of the original Disney theme park kicked off in May with the “Wondrous Journeys” fireworks show and Paint the Night parade at Disneyland and “World of Color Happiness” water show and the Better Together parade at Disney California Adventure.
Disneyland introduced three more additions on Thursday: “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” animatronic show in the Main Street Opera House, new lyrics on It’s a Small World boat ride in Fantasyland and a “Last Verse” documentary short in the Main Street Cinema.
The “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show starring a robotic doppelganger of Disneyland’s founder used a virtual queue on Thursday with spots in line distributed at 7 a.m. before the park opened and again at noon.
The first virtual queue at 7 a.m. for “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” filled in less than a minute, according to MousePlanet.
The 3 1/2-minute “So Much That We Share: A Tribute to the Sherman Brothers” film pays homage to the Disney songwriting team and details how the new “Last Verse” lyrics were written for the catchy and infectious song and incorporated into the finale scene of the beloved attraction.
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Before the park opened on Thursday, Disneyland cast members posed for photos with a 75-foot-tall hot air balloon on the hub in front of the Tomorrowland entrance. The 70th anniversary balloon has been touring across the United States with stops in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Denver, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento and San Francisco to promote the park.
The Disneyland 70th hot air balloon is out for a special Cast Member event this morning at the park and will be taking off soon! pic.twitter.com/qCVikAdILN
— Disneyland News Today (@dlnt) July 17, 2025
Disneyland reservations for daily ticket holders were still available on the morning of July 17.
Inspire and Believe Magic Key reservations were sold out for Disneyland on July 17. Disney California Adventure access was still available throughout the day which allowed passholders to park hop over to Disneyland after 11 a.m.
Enchant and Imagine Magic Key passholders were blocked out of both parks for the entire month of July.
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Lines to get into Disneyland on Thursday at 7:15 a.m. stretched past the Monorail beam with queues at the Disney California Adventure gate six people deep.
Disneyland is offering deep discounts on tickets during the summer kickoff of its 70th anniversary celebration with prices as low as $100 for a one-day, one-park ticket good through Aug. 14 when prices typically hover between $142 and $206.
The two summer deals include a $400 4-day ticket and a $360 3-day ticket – each good for one park per day.