Sometimes, the best-laid plans don’t work out—even for Walt Disney.
The Ford Wonder Rotunda was among the most-visited attractions at the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair (second only to the GM Futurama II exhibit). With that success, Walt assumed his relationship with Ford would continue at Disneyland Park after the fair.
Before the fair closed, Walt and his team flew up to Dearborn and made a pitch to Ford executives for a Ford attraction as part of the New Tomorrowland project set to open at Disneyland in 1967.
They threw everything they could at chairman and CEO Henry Ford II—stunning concept art, an intricate model (shipped to Michigan at Walt’s expense), even a bouncy song penned by Richard and Robert Sherman (“Get the Feel of the Wheel of a Ford”).
Unfortunately, all the razzle-dazzle fell flat.
“Henry Ford II was not only unresponsive, he was seemingly dismissive of the value of all that Disney talent potentially available to endorse his company’s product,” Disney Legend Marty Sklar remembered. “Mr. Ford hardly seemed to be paying attention.”
Rejected by Ford despite all the effort made and concessions proposed, Walt flew back to California disappointed and angry—and he expressed that anger accordingly on the flight.
“That is the stupidest man I ever met!” Walt told Marty.
But Walt didn’t walk away from the Ford show empty handed. After the fair closed, the dinosaurs from the Ford attraction were shipped to Disneyland and placed along the Disneyland Railroad. The Primeval World diorama opened in 1966 and still exists today.
Fun fact: the Primeval World show building also doubled as the Disneyland administration building. For years, park executives had begged Walt for a proper office space. Walt initially refused, but relented when the Primeval World presented an opportunity to make the office building directly contribute to the guest experience.
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