Cost
FREE with general admission, suggested donation of $5
Date
Nov 14, 2025–Apr 19, 2026
Location
Lower Lobby and Theater Gallery
The Walt Disney Family Museum continues its celebration of the 70th anniversary of Disneyland with the debut of Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story, an original special exhibition curated by award-winning producer and Disney Legend Don Hahn with museum Director of Collections and Exhibitions Marina Villar Delgado. Inspired by the 2025 book, The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland, published by Disney Editions and written by Hahn and historian Christopher Merritt, this treasure trove of Disney history will take guests behind the scenes of one of the most groundbreaking endeavors of the 20th century—the creation and opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will be on view beginning Friday, November 14 in the museum’s Lower Lobby and Theater Galleries.
On July 17, 1955, an estimated 90 million viewers—more than half the population of the United States at that time—tuned in to their television sets to watch the grand opening of Disneyland on ABC. By the time it was unveiled to the public, Walt Disney and his collaborators had been developing the Park for more than two years and gathering inspiration for the better part of a decade. Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will showcase the ideas, designs, and artworks behind the fascinating evolution of Walt’s first theme park—explored through the lens of his relentless imagination.
Guests will discover historic objects from the Park, early concept art, designs for both realized and unrealized attractions, costume development illustrations, stunning hand-drawn maps, and rarely seen historical photographs that chronicle the production, realization, and early guest experiences that Walt envisioned and pioneered. The special exhibition’s interactive elements will also provide a more in-depth look at the Park’s original attractions and the creative risks that defined them.
Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will be open to the public from Friday, November 14, 2025, through Sunday, April 19, 2026, in The Walt Disney Family Museum’s Lower Lobby and Theater Galleries. Entry to the special exhibition is free with general admission, with a suggested donation of $5 to support the museum’s initiative to present world-class original exhibitions.