When Walt Disney first began planning for what became Disneyland, one of the early ideas was a set of miniature scenes that would be a traveling exhibit (traveling by train, of course). As often happened with Walt, the plans became grander and more elaborate, but the miniatures idea found its home soon after Disneyland opened as Storybook Land Canal Boats.

Unless you visited the park within the first couple of months of opening, you may not know that the first incarnation of this attraction didn’t feature miniatures. In fact, it didn’t really feature anything.

Storybook Land Canal Boats originally opened as Canal Boats of the World. It was supposed to be a ride past miniature recreations of the world’s great landmarks, but time and money prevented its completion. When the park opened, there was nothing to see along the canal, earning it the nickname among park executives as “The Mud Bank Ride”.

After only two months, on September 16, 1955, Canal Boats of the World closed, miniature scenes from Disney animated features and Silly Symphonies were added, and the banks were landscaped with miniature plants, including a bonsai tree planted by Walt Disney himself (or so the story goes–I haven’t yet found conclusive evidence that it’s true, but it does make for a good story). The attraction opened again on June 16, 1956 as Storybook Land Canal Boats.

Alice in Wonderland

Today, your boat glides past tiny re-creations of…

• the village and castle from Cinderella (look for her pumpkin coach!), 
• the pigs’ houses (from The Three Little Pigs), 
• Toad Hall (from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad), 
• the dwarfs’ cottage and mine (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), 
• London Park (from Peter Pan), 
• the Sultan’s palace and the marketplace (from Aladdin), 
• and almost a dozen more.

Cinderella

This is the attraction that I consider the most quintessentially “Disney”. It features miniatures (which were dear to Walt’s heart and the part of the genesis of his idea for Disneyland). It’s a ride the entire family can experience together. It can be appreciated and enjoyed on multiple levels. And its detail is incredible.