A list of the Top Theme Parks in the world from No. 1 to No. 25

When Walt Disney first conceived opening a theme park, he acquired a tiny 8-acre plot of land near his studios in Burbank, CA.

His idea was to provide an outdoor amusement area near his studios for fans who wanted to visit, because frankly, there really wasn't much to do and see at the studios. The original name of the place was to be called "Mickey Mouse Park."

However, as people starting working on the project, some of Disney's cohorts suggested the site was too small for his vision and he should look to acquire a larger space. So he bought a 160-acre orange grove and walnut farm in Anaheim, CA.

Disneyland officially opened on July 17, 1955. Temperatures soared above 100 degrees. The pavement was hot and sticky. Local plumbers went on strike. And the park's drinking fountains ran out of water. But going forward, talk about a mouse that roared.

Today, the Walt Disney Company owns the top five theme parks in North America and draws 55% of the total 151 million visitors to the top 20 amusement parks in 2017. That mouse has also done some traveling. Disney themed parks can now be found in Japan, China, France and Hong Kong. The company generates $55 billion in annual revenue and employs 199,000 people.

Here's a list of the Top Theme Parks Worldwide:

	Theme Park	Location	Attendance in 2017
1	Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom	Lake Buena Vista US	20 million
2	Disneyland	Anaheim US	18.3 million
3	Tokyo Disneyland	Tokyo Japan	16.6 million
4	Universal Studios Japan	Osaka Japan	14.9 million
5	Tokyo Disneysea	Tokyo Japan	13.5 million
6	Disney's Animal Kingdom	Lake Buena Vista US	12.5 million
7	Walt Disney's Epcot	Lake Buena Vista US	12.2 million
8	Shanghai Disneyworld	Shanghai China	11 million
9	Disney's Hollywood Studios	Lake Buena Vista US	10.7 million
10	Universal Studios	Orlando US	10.1 million
11	Chimelong Ocean Kingdom	Hengqin China	9.7 million
12	Disneyland Park	Marne-La-Valee France	9.6 million
13	Disney California Adventure	Anaheim US	9.5 million
14	Islands of Adventure Universal	Orlando US	9.5 million
15	Universal Studios Hollywood	Universal City US	9 million
16	Lotte World	Seoul South Korea	6.7 million
17	Everland	Gyeonggi-Do South Korea	6.3 million
18	Hong Kong Disneyland	Hong Kong	6.2 million
19	Nagashima Spa Land	Kuwana Japan	5.9 million
20	Ocean Park	Hong Kong	5.8 million
21	Europa-Park	Rust Germany	5.7 million
22	Disney Studios Park	Marne-La-Valee France	5.2 million
23	De Efteling	Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands	5.1 million
24	Tivoli Gardens	Copenhagen Denmark	4.6 million
25	Universal Studios Singapore	Singapore	4.1 million

Source: Themed Entertainment Association - www.teaconnect.org and AECOM - www.aecomm.com

As you can see Walt Disney's idea had some legs.

Here's what he said at the opening dedication of Disneyland 63 years ago:

"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."

Judging by the list above, the world was certainly inspired by his original idea.

Here's a previous article on the impact of theme parks on the economy.

Note: The Park and Facilities Catalog is a national supplier of park equipment such as park benches, picnic tables, outdoor bike racks, trash receptacles and hundreds of other commercial site furnishings. The company started in 2001 and clients include Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios and dozens of other major amusement and theme parks across the US.