Disneyland Dream (1956)

This home movie chronicles the Barstow family of Wethersfield, Connecticut winning a free trip to Disneyland via a contest held by Scotch Tape. The film captures what the newly opened Disneyland looked on color film shortly after opening and from the unique point of view of the guest experience. The trip took place in July 1956. An audio track was added to the footage in 1995 of the father, Robbins Barstow narrating the trip.

The film began showing in film festivals and gained a cult following. The film was added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 2008 and has been hailed on how it captures middle class America and the early home movie and theme park industry in southern California at this time.

Of interesting note, a young Steve Martin is briefly caught in the film. He'd been a boy working various jobs in the park upon opening and what Martin learned from the experience mentored him into one day being the entertainer he later became as an adult.

The Scotch Tape contest display tying in with Song of the South is also included in the film.

In 2011 one of the grown Barstow children, David, went on another trip to Disneyland with his wife, Linda, and filmed the trip. That video was released as Disneyland Dream revisited and chronicled how much the park had changed in over 50 years.

Original release date 1956

Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.