Inspired by the tree of the hometown that Walt Disney dreamed of as a child, Disneyland’s new landmark will pay tribute to the vivid imagination of the Anaheim theme park founder, while also serving as a quirky children’s playground.
The new Dream Tree, which appears in Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland, will be inspired by Cottonwood in Marceline, Walt Disney’s hometown, Missouri.
“It had a special meaning for Walt,” wrote Marcy Carricker Smothers, author of Walt’s new Disneyland guide. “When he was a little boy in Marceline, he lay under his spotted leaves and dreamed. He called it the Dream Tree, considering it the birthplace of his imagination. “
Walt Disney Imagineering will reimagine Mickey’s Cartoon City with new interactive play areas for young children as part of the launch of the new dark Mickey and Minnie Railroad at Disneyland in 2023. Children will be able to climb and play on the sculpted roots of the Dream Tree. from the hilly terrain of a new grass-covered playground.
Mickey’s Toontown will close in March 2022 for construction and will not open until 2023.
The new Toontown tree won’t be the only Dreaming Tree at Disneyland to pay homage to Walt Disney.
The original Dream Tree – cotton with characteristic heart-shaped leaves – was struck by lightning and destroyed. According to Carricker Smothers, the three seedlings grown from the seeds of the original were named the Sons of the Dream Tree.
One seedling was planted near the original Dream Tree site on the Disney family farm in Marceline. Another seedling was donated by the Disneyland Museum of Walt Disney’s hometown in 2005 in honor of the park’s 50th anniversary.
“The third secret is in case something happens to the first two,” Carricker Smothers said during an online video interview. “This is insurance in case lightning strikes twice, because it is a very valuable asset to Marceline.”
Disneyland’s Dreaming Tree offspring were originally planted near Mark Twain’s boat dock, but the park’s horticultural team later transported them to the banks of the America River, according to Carricker Smothers.
Today, the Son of the Dreaming Tree at Disneyland can be seen in Lakota Village, behind a large teepee and campfire pit, while traveling by Mark Twain riverboat, Columbia sailboat, or Explorer Davy Crockett’s canoe.
“It is well looked after and preserved,” said Carricker Smothers.
Walt Disney and his sister Ruth studied insects, birds and nature under the original Dream Tree in Marceline and often made their way to the source that still flows nearby. Walt called the outdoor adventure Belly Botany and used his childhood memories under a tree for the early cartoons Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony, according to the Walt Disney Hometown Museum. On his return trips to Marceline, Walt always set aside hours to meditate alone under the Dream Tree.
The Dreaming Tree seedlings, grown in Marceline, were planted in soil brought back from the Magic Kingdom with water from America’s Rivers in Florida during a planting ceremony at the Disney Family Farm, according to the Walt Disney Hometown Museum.
