From Florida to Paris, Disney's larger-than-life theme parks attract millions of visitors each year. And, with the oldest park dating back to the 1950s, these whimsical worlds have changed considerably over the decades. We take a look at Disney through the ages with these nostalgic photos.

By the early 1950s, Walt Disney had already achieved immense success as an animator – but he wasn't one to rest on his laurels. Inspired by his own visits to amusement spots around the world, he conceived of the grandaddy of all theme parks – a magical place that would enchant both adults and kids alike. In this Fifties shot, he's seen explaining sketches of what would become Disneyland California.

The park's crowning jewel would be the now iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle, a soaring pile, all towers and turrets, that could be plucked straight from a Disney fairy tale. Walt Disney himself is seen here in 1954 in Los Angeles, California, talking through a model of the castle with a team of "imagineers", the band of visionaries that helped Disney realise his dream.

Soon, Walt Disney's dream was manifested. Disneyland (now Disneyland Park) in Anaheim, Orange County threw open its gates to select guests on Sunday 17 July 1955, and scores of Americans gathered around their TV sets to watch Disney give his dedication speech (pictured). The words Disney spoke that day have remained famous: "To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land."

Such was the buzz around Disney's glittering new theme park that thousands more guests than were invited turned up (reportedly some 28,000 people). This photo shows eager visitors queueing at Disneyland's main entrance on 17 July 1955. The huge influx of people meant the opening day didn't run quite as smoothly as planned, but luckily the public's fascination with this magical place was not marred.

In renowned Disney fashion, the California park's opening was marked with loud, proud parades, music and appearances from familiar characters. Here Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck march out hand-in-hand before Sleeping Beauty Castle, as they're serenaded by fanfares from costumed folk on horseback. 

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On the opening day, Walt Disney could hardly contain his joy as he showed California dignitaries around the park. He's snapped here riding the beloved Disney steam locomotive E. P. Ripley, as he gleefully points out the sights to then-state governor Goodwin Knight (pictured middle).

The park's youngest visitors could hardly wait to experience Disneyland's delights either. Here we see hundreds of excited children rush into the Fantasyland area of the park – the photo was taken immediately after the drawbridge entry was lowered on the opening day. The youngsters are headed straight for Sleeping Beauty Castle.

California's Disneyland opened with five enchanting "lands", and versions of each are still present today. These were Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Main Street, U.S.A and Frontierland, the entrance to which is pictured here in 1955. Frontierland was designed to evoke America's Old West with early attractions including a horse-drawn Conestoga wagon and stagecoach and the Golden Horseshoe Saloon.

Another of Frontierland's early attractions was the Mark Twain Riverboat, which still ploughs Disneyland Park's rivers today. Here the paddle steamer, named for the celebrated American writer, is seen from Tom Sawyer Island in 1956. The island, inspired by Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, still remains today too. 

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Disneyland was a family affair from the very beginning – and that included Walt Disney's own clan too. This heartwarming photo was snapped circa 1955, not long after the park's opening, and it shows Disney with his little grandson on a grassy lawn before Sleeping Beauty Castle. You can spot other families in the background enjoying the majestic attraction too.

Another vintage Disney family snap, this one shows the park creator with his grandson and his daughter too. They're whizzing around on Autopia, a miniature speedway that still exists today. It was one of the park's opening attractions, debuting in futuristic Tomorrowland, where it remains.

Even when he wasn't entertaining his family, Walt Disney himself was regularly seen in the California park through the Fifties and early Sixties (Disney passed away in 1966). Rumoured to be Disney's favourite attraction, the Disneyland Railroad (once the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad) sliced through the park, passing scenic attractions like the Rivers of America and the Grand Canyon Diorama. Guests can still ride the railroad's nostalgic steam trains today.

Eventually closed in 1994, the Skyway was another early Disneyland attraction, a kind of gondola-lift ride that whisked guests between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. From these lofty heights, visitors had incredible views of the lands down below and of Matterhorn, a model of the imposing Alpine mountain at the Swiss-Italian border.

More unique attractions awaited at Tomorrowland. Pictured here is the "House of the Future", which was displayed in the land from 1957 to 1967. The sleek house amazed visitors with its new-fangled gadgets and appliances (like a state-of-the-art intercom system) and its futuristic furniture, all of which were well ahead of their time.

Another incredible innovation at Disneyland was the Monorail, an uber-modern transport system initially used for sightseeing in the Tomorrowland area. It began operation in 1959, and is billed as the first daily operating monorail system in the entire Western Hemisphere. In the beginning, the Monorail supported two trains – the red 'Mark I' train, now retired, is pictured here in 1959.

By 1961, the Monorail system was expanded and a new fleet of trains was introduced. It became a key means of transport in the California park, providing a link from Tomorrowland to the Disneyland Hotel, which was opened in 1955. At this point in time, it was also the only monorail system in America to cross a public street. A modern version still whizzes guests around Disneyland Resort today.

This sign – erected in 1958 and snapped here in the 1960s – would become synonymous with California's Disneyland, proudly greeting guests as they entered the park. After more than three decades on display, the classic sign was finally replaced with an electronic version in 1989. Today it remains a nostalgic symbol of the park's early days.

Of course, of all the weird and wonderful sights at Disney's parks, Sleeping Beauty Castle remained – and remains – the most enduring icon. Disney's design was purportedly modelled on Neuschwanstein Castle, a fairy-tale fortress in Germany's Bavaria region, and the palace is pictured here still surrounded by tourists in the 1960s.

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Mad Tea Party, a whirling tea-cup ride inspired by Alice in Wonderland, has also been in operation since Disneyland's opening. Though it has since been remodelled and moved location (to a spot near the Matterhorn), this whimsical attraction still dizzies Fantasyland visitors to this day. 

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Ever the innovator, Walt Disney was a pioneer of animatronics and the animatronic robin in 1964 film Mary Poppins was an early example of this new technology. Here, in 1963, audio-animatronic figures make their debut at the Disneyland park – they formed part of a tropical-themed show featuring hundreds of birds and flowers. Walt Disney looks on in delight.

The Californian extravaganza wasn't Disney's only park for too long, though. In a moment that revolutionised Florida’s tourism industry, the gates to Magic Kingdom – Walt Disney World Resort's first theme park – were opened on 1 October 1971, bringing in 10,000 eager fans. Initially, the resort comprised six individually-themed lands: Main Street, U.S.A, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square and Tomorrowland.

Today Walt Disney World Resort is Disney's flagship site, and is much larger than its California counterpart. Magic Kingdom was the first of four mammoth Floridian theme parks. The Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat (pictured in 1972), named for the retired admiral who oversaw construction of the Disney parks, was an early amusement here.

Just five years after Florida's Magic Kingdom opened, America celebrated its Bicentennial – and, in true Disney style, the theme park marked the special occasion with parties and parades. Here children and adults look on in awe as a float carrying the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf glides through the streets in 1976.

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While Sleeping Beauty Castle takes centre stage at California's Disneyland Park, in Florida it was (and still is) all about Cinderella Castle. Here we can spot the Magic Kingdom attraction peeking out from behind more crowds and floats during Disney's celebrations for the US Bicentennial.

The Skyway, a gondola lift-style ride, was another amusement that appeared in both parks. Just like its sister in California, Florida's attraction soared over Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, and is papped here in 1976. Today's Disney Skyliner (opened in 2019) is a nod to this vintage attraction.

Remaining one of Disney's most popular rides, Space Mountain debuted in 1975, around four years after Magic Kingdom's opening. An indoor, space-themed roller coaster, it was extremely hi-tech for its day, with guests riding in the dark and enjoying stunning projections of stars and planets. Captured here in 1979, the cosmic attraction now has a place in Disney parks around the globe.

By the 1980s, Florida's Disney site had begun to expand into the magical juggernaut that it is today. Curious, futuristic Epcot, which Disney had originally imagined to be a kind of utopian city and community, opened as a park in 1982. Its mammoth centrepiece – a geodesic sphere called Spaceship Earth – is pictured here at the centre of the construction site in the early Eighties.

Disney's Hollywood Studios came later in 1989. The Great Movie Ride (pictured), located in a model of Hollywood's Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, was a major attraction, and only closed down in 2017.

Walt Disney World continued to boom through the 1990s, with Disney's Animal Kingdom eventually opening in 1998. The park even had some special royal guests during this decade. The late Princess Diana, and a young Prince Harry and Prince William holidayed here in 1993. An 11-year-old Prince William is pictured (front right) enjoying a ride on the Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain. 

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Many don't know that Tokyo Disneyland was actually the first Disney theme park to open outside the USA. Debuted in 1983, the park (externally owned, but licensed by Disney) carefully mirrors its American sisters in many respects. Early attractions included "it's a small world" in Fantasyland and the Mark Twain Riverboat in "Westernland", Tokyo's answer to Frontierland. A defining feature of the park is its Cinderella Castle, pictured here in 1998.

Some 15 years after its opening, in 1998, Tokyo Disneyland garnered world attention for the creative way it marked Mickey Mouse's 70th birthday. The celebratory spectacle involved more than 2,000 people holding colourful materials above their heads to form an image of Mickey's beaming face.

Located just east of the French capital, Disneyland Paris (then Euro Disney) opened to visitors on 12 April 1992. The first theme park here was Disneyland Park, which featured many familiar attractions and lands, including Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland and Main Street, U.S.A. Captured in this photo are those lucky enough to enjoy the press preview, which took place on the eve of the park's opening day, on 11 April.

On the official opening day, then-chairman of the Walt Disney Company Michael Eisner gave a speech to an expectant crowd. Here he's seen at the entrance to Main Street, U.S.A holding up the very first entry ticket to the park.

The final hours of Euro Disney's opening day went with a bang. Fireworks shimmered over the new park and floats bright with lights passed in a parade through Main Street.

On 12 April 1997, Disneyland Paris (newly christened in 1994) celebrated its 5th birthday. The milestone was marked with a grand parade featuring hundreds of beloved Disney characters, from Snow White to Donald Duck. The parade saw star-of-the-show Mickey Mouse burst out from a giant birthday cake to the delight of the onlooking crowd.

One of Disneyland Paris' most striking 5th-anniversary floats was the one carrying a mammoth Beast (from Beauty and the Beast) and Belle in her famous yellow dress. In the background of this photo, you can make out the Sleeping Beauty Castle, which was given a new look for the occasion. The so-called Château du Fou was bedecked with jester hats and golden bells, in part to celebrate the release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame film the previous year.

By the 1990s, it wasn't all about Disney's parks either. Disney Magic, the first cruise ship in the Disney Cruise Line's portfolio, was commissioned in the mid-Nineties. Having been built in Italy, the ship is pictured here cruising through Venice in early July 1998 – its destination was Florida's Port Canaveral, where it would set out on its maiden voyage on 30 July 1998.

Disneyland Paris went from strength to strength in the Nineties and Noughties and, by 2001, the park had welcomed a whopping 100 million visitors. The landmark Sleeping Beauty Castle (or Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant) is pictured here that same year: its pointed turrets, glittering moat and pastel-pink façade love the camera.

The year 2002 saw the opening of Walt Disney Studios Park, a glittering Disney park devoted to showbiz, with attractions from Hollywood Boulevard to movie-themed rides. Here, suited and booted, Mickey Mouse and Goofy welcome guests to the Studios' inauguration.

There were grand openings across the pond too. Disneyland's California Adventure Park opened to a fanfare in 2001. The park is themed around the Golden State, and the 150-foot (46m) Ferris wheel (now Pixar Pal-A-Round, then the Sun Wheel) is one of the site's most striking attractions. Today it's emblazoned with Mickey Mouse's face. It's pictured here in February 2001, a few days before the park opened to the public.

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In summer 2016, Shanghai Disneyland Park – the third Disney park in Asia – opened to the public. It had all the usual trappings from themed lands and costumed characters to mega rides and fast-food spots. Best of all, though, is its castle. The Enchanted Storybook Castle is still the biggest in any of the Disney parks and it's devoted to not one, but all of the Disney princesses. It's snapped here on the park's opening day, on 16 June 2016.

Fans of a galaxy far, far away rejoiced as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – a land entirely dedicated to the celebrated sci-fi franchise – debuted at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort in the summer of 2019. This snap shows the attraction's dedication on 28 August, before its grand public opening the next day. Chewbacca and R2D2 join in the celebrations, with Batuu's Black Spires rising up behind them.

Disney's magic was dimmed for a while in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic closed parks around the world. This dusk shot shows the gates of California's Disneyland Park eerily quiet. The park finally opened again in April 2021, after a 13-month closure.

On 1 October 2021, Walt Disney World in Florida began an 18-month-long celebration (tipped as "The World’s Most Magical Celebration") to mark its 50th birthday. The event (ending 23 March 2023) brought new attractions, day and nighttime entertainment, restaurants and merchandise to the resort, while the beloved characters Mickey and Minnie, and their pals Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto, all received a sparkling new looks, custom-made for the event. A new crest adorning the Cinderella Castle was also unveiled for the occasion. 

Among the newly launched shows was Harmonius at EPCOT (running until 2 April 2023). One of the largest nighttime spectacles ever created at the parks, it celebrates the music of Disney and how it inspires people. The scores are performed by a diverse group of artists from around the world, while the setting for the show features massive floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels and choreography including moving fountains, lights, lasers and pyrotechnics.

Remy's Ratatouille Adventure also opened at EPCOT at the start of WDW's 50th birthday celebrations. Dedicated to the Disney classic Ratatouille, the 4D dark ride makes guests feel as though they've shrunk to the size of main character Remi, as they rattle through a vibrant kitchen scene. Restaurant La Crêperie de Paris began dishing up sweet crêpes, savoury buckwheat galettes and French hard cider too. 

The future looks bright for Disney and there's plenty on the cards for 2023 and beyond. One anticipated attraction is Tiana's Bayou Adventure. It's a reimagining of long-time favourite Splash Mountain that's themed around The Princess and the Frog, and it's planned for the California and Florida parks in late 2024. This year, Disney's EPCOT will also get a further makeover: there'll be a new area called 'Dreamer's Point', which includes a bronze statue of Disney himself. 

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