Disney World and Disneyland

Disney World and Disneyland

Two theme parks built by the Walt Disney Co. (see Disney Co.), a U.S. corporation that became the best-known 20th-century purveyor of entertainment. Disneyland, an interactive, family-oriented fantasy environment that opened in Anaheim, Calif., in 1955, was Walt Disney's response to typical amusement parks, which entertained children but not their parents. The park, which has architecture that is a blend of futurism and nostalgic 19th-century reproductions, has different sections devoted to specific themes. Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Fla., in 1971. Besides containing Epcot Center (an idealized city), Disney-MGM Studios, and the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom theme parks, Disney World was the first amusement park to incorporate hotels (including two designed by Michael Graves) and sports and other recreational facilities into its master plan. In the late 20th century new Disney theme parks also opened in Paris and Tokyo.