Planned events

Much like EPCOT Center, Disney’s America was intended to be a place to learn as well as have fun. This quote puts the goals of the theme park other than simply entertaining nicely. 

Beyond the rides and attractions for which Disney is famous, the park will be a venue for people of all ages, especially the young, to debate and discuss the future of our nation and to learn more about its past by living it.

– Bob Weis, November 11, 1993

Disney considered elements beyond regular attractions, often referred to as “edutainment.” That was meant to include televised political debates, public forums and gatherings of students, professionals, etc. to talk about the country. Most of the edutainment plans were still in the conceptual stages, but Eisner did at one point declare that the American Teacher Awards, created by Disney, would be broadcast at Disney’s America.

The sort-of dedication for Disney’s America

Since Disney’s America was never built, it naturally never had a grand opening. Without that grand opening there was no opportunity for an official dedication. However, this quote from Disney Promotional Material in 1994 serves as a good unofficial one. Like all Disney dedications, it’s a well-written attempt to capture the spirit of the park.

Every day, a diverse and unlikely society, made up of every culture and race on earth, is working together to build a great nation. We have a single vision – a new order based on the promise of democracy.

Our resources for building this nation are a rich mixture of land, family and beliefs – which we apply with our own fiety brand of spirit, humor and innovation.

As the nation has grown and changed, we are constantly reminded of how impossibly far we’ve come – and how far we still have to go.

DISNEY’S AMERICA celebrates these qualities which have always been the source of our strength and the beacon of hope to people everywhere.

The downfall of Disney's America

As with many theme parks, there was a litany of reasons not to go through with Disney’s America. Even though Michael Eisner earned support for the project from outgoing governor L. Douglas Wilder, incoming governor George Allen and the Virginia Commission on Population Growth and Development, there were still a number of hurdles left to overcome. Here are several possible reasons Disney’s America never made it off the ground.

The name

Just the title of the theme park stirred up a fair amount of controversy. Some critics complained that calling the park “Disney’s America” implied a sense of ownership over the nation on the part of Disney. Because some of the academics who they hoped would support the project were insulted by the title, Disney started considering a name change to something “less presumptuous” such as Disney’s American Celebration.

Climate

The unpredictable weather in the area was another cause for concern. The climate would have likely forced Disney’s America to be closed more frequently than the parks in Orlando and Anaheim.

Powerful influencers?

If true, this is easily the juiciest reason Disney’s America never materialized. Very rich, powerful American families like the Mellon’s and the DuPont’s were not at all pleased to learn about plans for a big theme park to be built so close to their estates. After the announcement of Disney’s America, members of influential American families hired lawyers, politicians, public relations specialists, historians and more kinds of professionals to put a halt to development. 

Historians, some possibly under the thumb of the elite American families, started to claim that presenting history in a less-than-academic way would be harmful, somehow insulting America’s heritage. 

A group called Protect Historic America was launched to combat Disney’s America by Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust for historic Preservation. Protect Historic America argued that the park would intrude Civil War battlefields and even bulldoze historical locations like Bull Run and the Manassas Battleground. The New York Times published an editorial with similar claims. David McCullough, the host for Ken Burns’ Civil War miniseries on PBS, went so far as to compare the building of Disney’s America to the Nazi takeover of Western Europe. That would have been a bit much even if there were merit to the rumors that Disney intended to destroy historic land. However, there was no truth to them whatsoever.

Because of concerns over urbanizing Virginia, which were possibly perpetuated by the rich and powerful, Virginia ultimately lost out on billions in tax revenue over the years, Prince William County didn’t get 3000 new jobs and Disney fans didn’t get their history-focused theme park. In hindsight, some consider residents Disney’s America a lost opportunity. It’s certainly a loss for those of us eager for more Disney theme park fun and a diversification of the brand. All we can do now is look back at what could have been, and hope similar opportunities aren’t similarly passed by.

A brief flicker of hope for Disney’s America

For a time Disney tried to appeal to the owners of theme park Knott’s Berry Farm, who were taking bids for the property, to let them build Disney’s America in its place. However, the Knott family turned them down again and again. They were concerned with the legacy of the park their parents built and didn’t want it to be torn down. So, while there was a flicker of hope it 1995, it was soon snuffed out.

What we ended up with

As has been mentioned in this article, a number of the concepts and attractions intended for Disney’s America would see life at other Disney theme parks. California Adventure, in particular, owes a debt to Disney’s America. After plans for the Virginia theme park were scuttled, Michael Eisner and the Imagineers recycled what they could to fit at the park that actually did get made during Eisner’s time as CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

Of course, California Adventure turned out to be controversial in its way - being slammed by Disneyland regulars for having been built "on the cheap". Finally, after a multi-billion dollar makeover, it is living up to its potential - just as Disney's America may have done, given the chance.