The Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story exhibit at The Walt Disney Family Museum debuted last year as Disneyland celebrated its 70th anniversary. This exhibit is found in the lower lobby and theater gallery of the museum. It was curated by award-winning producer and Disney Legend Don Hahn with the museum’s Director of Collections and Exhibitions Marina Villar Delgado. It was due to be coming to the end of its run, but The Walt Disney Family Museum has announced that it will be continuing to be offered longer. This exhibit will now be able to be experienced by guests of the museum through September 13, 2026.
Cost FREE with general admission, suggested donation of $5
Date Nov 14, 2025–September 13, 2026 Closed from 10am–1pm on Mar 29
Location Lower Lobby and Theater Gallery
The Walt Disney Family Museum continues its celebration of the 70th anniversary of Disneyland with the debut of Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story, an original special exhibition curated by award-winning producer and Disney Legend Don Hahn with museum Director of Collections and Exhibitions Marina Villar Delgado. Inspired by the 2025 book, The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland, published by Disney Editions and written by Hahn and historian Christopher Merritt, this treasure trove of Disney history will take guests behind the scenes of one of the most groundbreaking endeavors of the 20th century—the creation and opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will be on view beginning Friday, November 14 in the museum’s Lower Lobby and Theater Galleries.
Special Exhibition Extended Through Summer
We are pleased to announce that special exhibition Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will extend through the Summer, open through September 13, 2026. Also for the Summer, the museum will be open every Monday from Memorial Day, May 25, 2026 to Labor Day, September 7, 2026. Our open-to-the-public schedule during this time will be Thursday through Monday, 10am to 5:30pm, with last entry at 4:30pm.
About the Exhibition
On July 17, 1955, an estimated 90 million viewers—more than half the population of the United States at that time—tuned in to their television sets to watch the grand opening of Disneyland on ABC. By the time it was unveiled to the public, Walt Disney and his collaborators had been developing the Park for more than two years and gathering inspiration for the better part of a decade. Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will showcase the ideas, designs, and artworks behind the fascinating evolution of Walt’s first theme park—explored through the lens of his relentless imagination.
Guests will discover historic objects from the Park, early concept art, designs for both realized and unrealized attractions, costume development illustrations, stunning hand-drawn maps, and rarely seen historical photographs that chronicle the production, realization, and early guest experiences that Walt envisioned and pioneered. The special exhibition’s interactive elements will also provide a more in-depth look at the Park’s original attractions and the creative risks that defined them.
Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will be open to the public from Friday, November 14, 2025, through September 13, 2026, in The Walt Disney Family Museum’s Lower Lobby and Theater Galleries. Entry to the special exhibition is free with general admission, with a suggested donation of $5 to support the museum’s initiative to present world-class original exhibitions.
Film Screening: Happiest Place on Earth: Walt’s Disneyland (2025)
During the run of the special exhibition, we will have regular screenings of a new featurette, Happiest Place on Earth: Walt’s Disneyland (2025), produced by guest curator and Disney Legend Don Hahn. This exclusive documentary traces the creation and early years of Disneyland through Walt Disney’s own words and features rare archival interview footage. (Runtime: 26 minutes)
Please note: Screenings are subject to change, visit our calendar prior to your visit.
Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult who shall be responsible for the child at all times.
Sensory-Friendly Screenings
All 11am screenings of this featurette will be sensory-friendly. To make this film a comfortable experience for all, lights will be dimmed instead of off, volume will be slightly lowered, and closed captioning will be turned on. Guests are welcome to get up, walk around, and enjoy the featurette in whatever way is most comfortable to them.
Have you seen this exhibit yet? If you haven’t, are you going to? What do you think of it getting its run extended? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
Mr. Daps is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Daps Magic! Find Mr. Daps regularly at Disneyland with his trilby and bow tie taking pictures and simply enjoying the Happiest Place on Earth. He is the weekly host of Geeks Corner and your reporter for all that Disney And Positive Stuff. Find videos of all of that one the Daps Magic YouTube channel. Mr. Daps is also a Brand Ambassador with Her Universe! Find Mr. Daps on Twitter,Instagram, and Threads! If you see Mr. Daps in the parks, be sure and say hi!
