Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary: Here's a look at the park then and now

Disneyland is celebrating 70 years of being “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

The summerlong festivities in southern California include the opening of “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” a show featuring a lifelike animatronic of the company's founder that debuts Thursday and also marks Disneyland's official anniversary.

Walt Disney's vision of creating a getaway for families revolutionized the amusement park industry with immersive attractions featuring robotic figures and holographs, and shows and characters appealing to children.

The park's emphasis on storytelling and attention to detail is still evident today in theme parks across the world.

Disneyland now ranks as the world’s second-most visited theme park, closely behind Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida, which opened in 1971. According to the Themed Entertainment Association, Disneyland drew more than 17 million people in 2023, bouncing back from an unprecedented 13-month closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The park was built on what was once orange groves in Anaheim, just outside Los Angeles. It opened on July 17, 1955 — a year that also saw Ray Kroc start his first McDonald’s restaurant and Jim Henson introduce his original version of Kermit the Frog.

Disneyland's first day was famously a disaster, all broadcast on a live television special. The park opened just a year after its groundbreaking and simply wasn't ready for its big day.

Attractions broke down, there weren't enough restrooms, food and drinks were in short supply, traffic backed up for miles and the shoes of the first guests sank into freshly paved asphalt.

Among the original rides still around today are the Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan’s Flight and Jungle Cruise.

The cost to get in that first year was $1 for adults and 50 cents for children, although tickets for most rides were an additional 10 to 50 cents.

Today, a one-day ticket starts at more than $100 and on some days can double that.

Over the years, the park has hosted U.S. presidents, kings and queens, and countless celebrities. A few even got their start at Disneyland — actor Kevin Costner was a skipper on the Jungle Cruise and comedian Steve Martin worked at a magic shop where he learned about being a performer.

The Walt Disney Co. now has six resorts with a dozen theme parks worldwide. The parks have become one of its most successful and important business segments.

The resort in Anaheim now includes Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney, a shopping and entertainment district.

While Disneyland still features many of the touches Walt Disney oversaw himself, the original park is ever-evolving, sometimes to the dismay of its loyal fans.

Some of the moves have been made to keep up with a changing society, while others have been made to introduce more thrilling attractions with the latest technology to keep up with competitors.

Just last year, Disney received approval to expand its Southern California theme parks. A new parking structure and transit hub are the first steps in its plans to open more space for new attractions.

FILE - Walt Disney crosses the drawbridge that serves as the entrance to Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, in Anaheim, Calif., on April 16, 1955. (AP Photo/David F. Smith, File)

FILE - The "Beauty and the Beast" float, along with supporting characters, entertains visitors to Disneyland during "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams" in Anaheim, Calif., May 4, 2005. (AP Photo/Ric Francis, File)

FILE - Actor Cristian de la Fuente, center, poses for photos with Shalmary Arroyo, left, Amethist Martinez, right, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse on the red carpet as 15 young ladies from across the United States and Puerto Rico were given an opportunity celebrate their Quinceañera at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., April 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Mark Avery, File)

FILE - Guests ride Disneyland's "Space Mountain" attraction in Anaheim, Calif., July 15, 2005. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)

FILE - Fans cheer and take pictures as Mickey Mouse arrives at the World Premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., May 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)