This undated 1950’s shot of the Disneyland Opera House makes one yearn when the place wasn’t a victim of over-population. Zooming in, we can see that the Opera House still doesn’t have any attractions inside; instead, it touts the “3D Jamboree” movie playing over in Fantasyland.
Its official release date is June 16, 1956, and it played at the Fantasyland Theatre (the space now occupied by the Pinocchio’s Daring Journey dark ride) until January 1964. The movie was comprised of two animated shorts, “Melody” (1953) and “Working for Peanuts” (1953), shown in 3D, presented by the Mouseketeers.
From the D23 website:
The Mickey Mouse Club Theater Theater in Fantasyland at Disneyland showed Disney cartoons; opened August 27, 1955, changed its name to Fantasyland Theater in 1964, and closed December 20, 1981. At one time, the 3D Jamboree was featured, and guests donned polarized glasses to watch Mouseketeers and Disney cartoons in 3-D.
The Mouseketeers pre-filming a sequence in front of the theater for the Opening Day telecast:
Annette is visible in the background, along with Roy Williams at center and Jimmy Dodd on the right, standing next to Minnie Mouse—the creepy version!
Back to D23:
The cartoon fare in the theater changed from time to time, and the theater itself was only open during busy periods. Before the theater was built in the Opera House as the home to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, this was the only auditorium in the park, so it was also used for press conferences and cast member events. It made way for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey in the new Fantasyland in 1983.
One important fact the article left out was the air conditioning, which helped make it a popular attraction on blazing hot summer days!
In this February 1959 shot, the movies have changed to “Pecos Bill” (1948) and “El Gaucho Goofy” (1943).
See more Disneyland Opera House photos at my main website.
