San Francisco, October 17, 2025—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 Park 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 Gallery.
“There’s a Disneyland that we experience as a child, with our eyes full of wonder at the stories it tells,” says Hahn.
“But as we peeled back those layers, we found another Disneyland story—an incredible origin story of unconventional creativity without boundaries, of upset, failure, persistence, and pioneering that gave birth to a new kind of entertainment that still resonates now more than ever. That’s what this exhibition is about.”
“We are honored to partner with the museum’s longtime supporter and Advisory Committee member, Don Hahn, to showcase artwork and ephemera from this remarkable moment in history,” adds Kirsten Komoroske, Executive Director of The Walt Disney Family Museum. “This new special exhibition will allow visitors to further delve into the stories of innovation behind Disneyland attractions and experiences that have inspired joy and wonder for generations.”
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 original theme park—explored through the lens of his relentless imagination.
Guests will discover historic objects from the Park, early concept art, designs for unrealized attractions, archival footage, 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 offer a more in-depth look at the Park’s original attractions and the creative risks that defined them.
“We were fortunate to have the Walt Disney Archives, Animation Research Library, and Walt Disney Imagineering contribute an incredible range of historical materials to this exhibition,” says Villar Delgado. “Together with treasures from our museum collection, the goal was to balance iconic imagery with rarely seen early artwork that reflect Disneyland’s complex development and highlight the bold ideas and collaborative spirit that made the Park a reality.
The museum theater will also have regular screenings available of the new short film, Happiest Place on Earth: Walt’s Disneyland, produced by Hahn for the special exhibition. This exclusive documentary traces the creation and early years of Disneyland through Walt Disney’s own words and features rare archival interview footage.
Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will be open to the public from Friday, November 14, 2025, in The Walt Disney Family Museum’s Lower Lobby and Theater Gallery. 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