This week, New Orleans will be well represented when the new attraction Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens at Walt Disney World. The attraction is based on the animated film “The Princess and the Frog.” With that in mind, we recall some of Disney’s other connections to New Orleans.
According to a recent post on the Disney Parks online blog, Walt Disney first visited New Orleans in 1940. He returned in 1956, dining at Antoine’s Restaurant, which became a frequent stop during his future visits to town.
Disney developed an affinity for the city, its culture and jazz, in particular. In 1960, a New Orleans-themed celebration was held at Disneyland, featuring performances from jazz musicians, including some of Disney’s own animation staff, who formed a band known as the Firehouse Five Plus Two.
In 1966, Disney unveiled a permanent tribute to the Crescent City with the opening of a 3-acre section of his Disneyland theme park called New Orleans Square. Disney himself made trips to New Orleans during the research and design process for the $18 million project, which took four years to design and build.
New Orleans Mayor Victor Schiro traveled to Anaheim, California, for the dedication ceremony in July 1966, naming Walt Disney an honorary citizen of New Orleans before the two led a Dixieland jazz parade through the square. It would be one of Disney's last public appearances before his death later that year.
The Orleans Parish Criminal District Court building at 2700 Tulane Avenue dates to 1931.