Del Monte Presents Believe You Can...And You Can! - The Grand Opening Of New Fantasyland (1983)

After the Florida Project received nearly a decade and a half of attention with the construction of Walt Disney World and EPCOT Center, Walt Disney Productions finally returned their attention to Walt's original park, Disneyland with the first major remodeling of Fantasyland since a small update in the late 1950's. This update involved rearranging attractions that were there, expanding others, and adding a few new ones. This revised Fantasyland opened in May 1983 as New Fantasyland. This TV special was produced to advertise the new additions to the world.

Presented by Del Monte, the story is about a little girl who's family is moving away so she heads to Disneyland to say goodbye to her friends in Fantasyland only to find it closed. It stars child star Heather O'Rourke who was just made famous coming off from Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist. Comedian Morey Amsterdam, best known for his role in The Dick Van Dyke Show, co-stars as our guide through the New Fantasyland. We get classic Disney songs, comedy, clips from vintage Walt Disney films, and behind the scenes footage. There's also a segment including dozens of the costume characters as they looked at the time that has a bit of edge to it where the little girl is put on trial as a true believer.

It's interesting to note that the clips from Walt Disney animated features are before any major restorations were done to these films. You can see how these films had aged over the years.

While not the best Disney special ever made, it's still a time capsule as it was in 1983 when the New Fantasyland was opened. Although many of these attractions are no longer there and have passed into history, they will forever exist in the vintage broadcast. It's also a glimpse at the final yar of the pre-Eisner Disney.

Original Airdate April 21, 1983

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