Donald Duck Goes to Disneyland

Here’s an interesting piece of 1950s Disneyana.

I really love storybooks and comics from this time period that feature Disneyland. This particular item, Walt Disney’s Donald Duck Goes to Disneyland, appears to have been first released around the same time the park opened in 1955. The copy I own is probably an edition that was a subscription offer premium. The following advertisement appeared on the inside front cover of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #218 from November 1958. Like the book featured in the ad, my copy doesn’t have a price marked on it, likely indicating its status as a giveaway.

The book tells the somewhat absurd story of Donald Duck being chased by villainous cowboy Bearclaw Bill, who covets an envelope Donald possesses, containing his birthday present from Daisy. The chase moves across a desert landscape, and then ultimately through Disneyland itself.

I really love the book's title page design:

And artwork featuring some of Disneyland’s attractions:

And here is a very cool illustration that appears on the inside front and back covers:

The book was written by Disney Studios storyman Milt Banta, whose credits included numerous shorts and features, most notably Donald in Mathmagicland, Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty. The illustrations were by Neil Boyle, then a young man in his twenties, who would go on to become a successful commercial artist outside of Disney, and later, a renown painter of impressionist oils.