Storybook Land Canal Boats has been apart of the plans for Disneyland from the very start. The attraction’s conception dates back to Walt’s plans for a small park across the street from the Disney Studios in Burbank.

When plans were changed from the small park to the much grander plans of Disneyland, Walt wanted to include a “Liliputianland”, inspired by Madurodam, a miniature city in the Netherlands that Walt Disney once visited. However, the technology to make these miniature animated figures did not yet exist, so the canal ride opened under a different name, Canal Boats of the World.

Canal Boats of the World was intended to be a journey past miniature recreations of the great landmarks of the world, but time and money prevented its completion. However, those weren’t the only problems that plagued this attraction. The boat motors were prone to overheating, often forcing the boats to be pulled by hand. It also earned the nickname as “The Mud Bank Ride” by many park executives since it opened with little landscaping.

After a few short months of operation, the Canal Boats closed on September 16, 1955 for the construction of Storybook Land. The muddy banks were landscaped with miniature plants, including a bonsai tree planted by Walt Disney himself.

This construction also brought Monstro the whale to life. The idea of having Monstro the whale consume the canal boats came from a never-implemented concept for a “Monstro the Whale” ride in which small boats were to be swallowed by Monstro and hurtled down a watery path into a pond below.

The attraction was re-opened on June 16, 1956 under the new (and current) name of Storybook Land Canal Boats. Over the years many scenes have been added and removed from the attraction. Most notably, the Sultan’s Palace from Aladdin appeared where Toad Hall previously stood during a refurbishment in 1994. However, Toad Hall returned in a different location just one year later.

As you glide through Storybook Land, you will see such great scenes like Pinocchio’s cobblestone village complete with Geppetto’s wood shop, Toad Hall, The Sultan’s palace, London Park from Peter Pan, Cinderella’s village, the dwarf’s cottage, an English village with a church and the entrance to the White Rabbit’s hole, the three little pigs homes, King Triton’s underwater castle, and much more.

Additional Trivia and Fun Facts

• This is one of the only two Disneyland attractions where a live host rides with you and narrates the attraction (the other is the Jungle Cruise).
• As part of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary celebration, the Tinkerbell boat was painted gold and the lighthouse was given a gold and maroon theme.
• This attraction is always changing so keep your eyes for up-to-date scenes from recent Disney stories.
• All the boats are scaled down replicas of Dutch, English and French boats and each have been christened with an appropriate female Disney characters name such as Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Alice, Faline, Wendy and Tinkerbell. The only exception is Flower, the male skunk from Bambi.
• Monstro’s eye opens and closes and occasionally steam comes out of his blowhole.
• Since the original version of the Canal Boats didn’t have much to see it wasn’t received well. The spiel for the attraction promised that it would be improved in the future.
• The scenes you see along the during were created at 1/12th scale and are complimented by actual living miniature shrubs, flowers and trees, including 155-year-old miniature pine trees.