DisneyShawn: Opera House

On the blog this week, I'm featuring segments from articles on the new DisneyShawn.com, currently showcasing the attractions of early Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland. Be sure to follow the link for more.

The Opera House, on the east side of Town Square, was the first structure erected at Disneyland. It was initially used as a lumber mill for the construction of the rest of the Park, but it was designed to later be a functioning television studio. Money was tight when Disneyland opened, however, so the Main Street Opera House sat empty for several years. At one point, to promote the new Zorro TV series, Walt Disney had photographs and other publicity materials set up inside, but it wasn’t until 1961 that the Opera House hosted its first true attraction.

For Christmas 1961, the interior of the Main Street Opera House was transformed into the Forest of No Return – plus the Toy Factory and the Village Square – from Disney’s latest musical motion picture Babes in Toyland. The sets were the actual ones used for filming, dismantled and brought to Disneyland for the enjoyment of the Park’s Guests – the few who stumbled in or fumbled in anyway. The movie turned out to be a box office turkey, and its namesake Disneyland attraction didn’t fare much better. For those who did venture inside, there were a few fun surprises to be had, not the least of which were the trees that would unexpectedly spring to life in the Forest of No Return scene (courtesy of strategically placed, costumed Cast Members). The Forest disappeared, never to return, in 1962, and Guests drank their last lemonade for Tom and Mary on September 30, 1963, leaving the door open for other attractions to follow.

Operetta House