The Ghost of Walt Disney

Ghost Report: The ghost of Walt Disney There are several ghosts believed to haunt Disneyland in Anaheim, California. One of these spirits is believed to be Walt Disney himself.

Several people have witnessed the spirit of Walt Disney at the amusement park. From guests to employees, these reports do indicate the possibility of Walt returning to his beloved "family park" to make sure things are working up to his specifications and quality.

This project was more than a passion for Walt. It was an obsession. Many people had warned him that his dream was unlikely to become a reality for various reasons, and his brother Roy specifically cautioned him that the financial risk was simply too great to consider taking on such a monumental task.

To obtain funding, Disney wanted to produce a television program to finance the development of the Disneyland amusement park. After being turned down by both CBS and NBC, Disney eventually signed a deal with ABC (which had merged with United Paramount Theaters in 1953) on March 29, 1954. The show contained teasers for Walt's park, as well as episodes representing life in one of the park's main "lands": Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Frontierland. It had opening titles used from the early shows until the show's move to NBC in 1961, showing the entrance to Disneyland itself and the "lands," one of which was then identified as the main feature of that evening's program.

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With this weekly show, Walt was able to obtain the financing to complete his dream park, plus he was able to share the progress of the construction with his viewers. This was a great marketing move since it built up the anticipation and dreams of many families and youngsters all over the country that would tune in each week for the show.

Was the root of Walt's obsession that he wanted to create the park to have a "family-friendly" location to come and spend the day in a clean, safe, and quality environment, or was it because people told him that he couldn't make it happen? In any case, his determination to finish this project was unwavering.

Walt's Apartment at the Park

Most visitors to Disneyland don't realize that as soon as they pass under the train tracks and enter the park, there is an apartment on the left, located above the "Disneyland Fire Station," which was Walt's personal apartment. Walt would stay here while the park was under construction to witness the realization of his dream. It was also easier for him to just stay here instead of making his 45–50 minute drive back and forth to his home in Los Angeles. Later on, he would stay here, sometimes with family, and bring special guests in as well. The apartment is minimal, only 500 square feet, and doesn't even have a bedroom. It has a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a large family room that still has the wooden desk that Walt would sit and work at.

The one feature that most should focus on is the light in the window. If you visit Disneyland, make sure you look up and see if that light is on. If it is, that represents that Walt is there in the park. To this day, employees keep that light burning all the time to represent Walt's spirit; however, there are those employees who believe that it cannot be turned off anymore.

Many reports regarding Walt's spirit are centered around this apartment. One of them relates to that light in the window. One night an employee was cleaning the apartment, and she had gone in and turned off the light for the night. When she came down to leave, she looked up, and the light was on again. She went back upstairs and turned it off once more. Again, when she went outside, the light was on. This time, she went back upstairs, turned off the light, and stood there. The light came on again by itself, and she watched the event happen with her very eyes. The light has remained on ever since.

Walt was a lifetime smoker. In fact, he actually passed away due to lung cancer. Another claim surrounding the apartment is the smell of cigarette smoke around the patio and steps outside of it. This is where Walt would go to smoke in secret away from park guests and others.

The following is a YouTube short that we put together for our new series called Ghost Reports. These are very short (less than 1 minute) videos that will help us document paranormal activity reports that we have found.

The following video (not produced by us) documents some of the activity that takes place at Disneyland and has some more details and examples, especially the security camera footage that was captured showing someone (or something) walking down a path within the park:

There have been those who have made other videos debunking this security footage, claiming that Disney had reused the tapes and this recording was the result of bleed-through from other footage on top of the live recordings. Is that possible? Perhaps it is, but it is also possible that what we are hearing is a recording of a spirit. It is difficult to determine with certainty without reviewing and analyzing the actual tape or recording.

Walt's Train

There is also another report about the Disney train that travels around the outside of the park. Employees believe that Walt will still take out one of the trains late at night when the park is closed.

Walt loved trains. He even had a train at his home on Carolwood, which he named the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, that you could ride around the property. Of course, his ideal park would need a full-sized steam engine to transport visitors to its various sections. Sadly, the house on Carolwood and the railroad were demolished in 2001 to make way for a new mansion.

A control panel at the park shows the location and activity of the trains that circle around it. On several occasions, an employee has witnessed a train come onto the control panel and has heard the whistle of the train out in the distance, but after some inspection, all of the engines were stored safely for the night. This happens so often that the "old-timers" at the park would call this "Walt's train."

If it were possible to come back and enjoy some of the places you enjoyed while you were among the living, it would make sense that Walt would come back to Disneyland all the time. If you're in the park, check the window to see if the light is on. Maybe stop on over and give a little wave to Walt.

Let us know if you have visited Disneyland Anaheim in the comments below and if you have had any experiences of your own. You can see more photos from our visit by clicking on the "More Photos" button below.