Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their pals pose in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
All photos courtesy of © disneyland resort

A century of magic

The Walt Disney Company marks its 100-year anniversary with the Disney100 celebration at the Disneyland Resort

by Samantha Davis-Friedman

The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded in Burbank, California, on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy Disney. Over the following century, the name Disney and everything connected with it have become synonymous with imagination, innovation and magic. Today we know the enterprise as The Walt Disney Company.

With the 100-year milestone in 2023, it’s no surprise that Disney is pulling out all the stops for what chairman Josh D’Amaro bills as “the biggest celebration in Disney’s history.”

The Disney100 Celebration is centered, appropriately, at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, just 35 miles from the original studio.

The celebration includes two new nighttime events (“spectaculars” in the Disney vernacular), a version of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (a popular Orlando attraction) and the return of a magical daytime parade (see “Magic Happens”). Here’s a look.

Two nighttime spectaculars

One of the events is Disneyland’s fireworks and projection show “Wondrous Journeys,” which showcases all 62 Disney animated films to date.

“Wondrous Journeys,” described as a love letter to 100 years of Disney animation, can be viewed from Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street U.S.A., the “it’s a small world” boat ride and Rivers of America.

“We use the whole park as our canvas,” explains Walt Disney Animation Studios creative director Roger Gould. “There’s no one place where you can see every movie represented, but you’ll experience the emotional throughline and incredible music no matter where you watch.”

The other spectacular is “World of Color – ONE” at Disney California Adventure Park, which illustrates how a single action, like a drop of water (or starting an animation studio), can create ripples that grow into waves of change. “I want guests to walk away [from ‘World of Color – ONE’] with a sense that they can make a difference by doing something they love,” says Disney Live Entertainment director Wendy Ruth.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Already a favorite at Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway takes guests into the wacky world of Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts. The all-new Disneyland-exclusive queue experience features an exhibit curated by Minnie and the Toontown Hysterical Society celebrating “all things Mickey.”

“This is where Mickey and his friends watch premieres of their shorts, so being able to walk through the space is really what makes it special here at Disneyland, especially for the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company,” says Sarah Kibler, an Imagineering interior designer.

The Disney100 Celebration continues through 2023, with The Walt Disney Company’s official 100th anniversary on October 16. Disney fans are advised to keep their mouse ears to the ground (Disneyland.disney.go.com/100th-anniversary) for updates on more celebration news.

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