If you’ve ever ridden the Storybook Land Canal Boats in Disneyland then you’re familiar with the detailed miniatures that make up the ride. But if Walt had his way, he would’ve had an entire land of miniatures instead of just one ride.
Walt Disney’s love of tiny things started when he visited the Thorne exhibit at the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco back in 1939. He was captivated by the attention to detail that went into the exhibit’s dioramas of fully decorated rooms with their tiny replicas of furniture and decor from European and American history. Walt would then go on to build and collect miniatures, making it a serious hobby. He collected intricately detailed tiny items like books, silverware, and even working handguns. He also combined his love of both miniatures and trains when he built a small-scale railroad around his backyard called the Carolwood Pacific.
Walt once said, “It’s been a wonderful hobby for me and I find it is something very relaxing to turn to when studio problems become too hectic.” Part of his collection of miniatures can be found at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
When Walt and his brother Roy were trying to sell the idea of building an entirely new kind of theme park called Disneyland in 1953, he wanted to include an entire land devoted to everything tiny called Lilliputian Land.
There were a number of new lands proposed for the original version of Disneyland which were never built.
This land of miniatures would’ve been located right between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland and was to include little mechanical people living in a teeny tiny village. It was also supposed to include a ride with miniaturized replicas of famous world landmarks.
Though plans for Lilliputian Land were eventually scrapped, Walt did get his miniatures with the Storybook Land Canal Boats. Not surprisingly, it became one of his favorite rides in the park.
So the next time you head to Disneyland (whenever that may be), you’ll have a new appreciation for this seemingly simple ride. It’s filled with much more Walt Disney history than you might imagine.
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Would you have liked to see a Lilliputian land at Disneyland? What’s your favorite miniature on the Storybook Land Canal Boats? Have you seen Walt’s collection of miniatures at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco? Let us know in the comments below!