Triplet brothers recall 1965 visit to Disneyland for opening of 'It's a Small World'

MONROVIA, Calif. (KABC) -- Disneyland turns 70 on Thursday, but it was 60 years ago that another big event took place at the park: the grand opening of "It's a Small World."

That memorable moment means a lot for John Watson and his triplet sons. They were invited to the attraction's opening ceremony!

"They were asked to join the International Children's Choir, which was a singing group that represented the countries of the world," explained Watson. "We had been there several times before they performed. It seemed like everybody at Disneyland at that time was a tourist, even if you lived within a few blocks."

Watson said he and his boys - Daniel, David and DeWayne - felt like they were truly in a different world altogether. The brothers were six years old at the time.

"Walt Disney himself was there. All the kids, oh my God, couldn't calm them down," recalled Watson. "They were all hyped up."

Watson's sons have vivid, and very different memories, of the day.

"It was like meeting someone very big," said Daniel Demland. "You just knew in his presence that he was someone larger than life."

For David, he remembers the children being a bit more interested in the rides than the photos.

"I don't think it was planned that we were going to meet him, but the one thing that I do remember is the way that he laughed and smiled and the way he treated every child," said DeWayne Demland. "You still get that sense of feeling today of why he developed that place."

Surely, the beloved ride is popular now as it was back then.

"It was my boys with Walt Disney that put us into a different world, and it took several days to calm down because we all loved what we did there," said Watson. "We thought we had done something really special."

Daniel said he sees similarities from the '60s to today.

"In the world back in the '60s, we had as much turmoil as we're seeing, especially today," he said. "I see some parallels there that we really need to be reminded that we are one people."

"It did what Walt Disney wanted," added David. "He wanted to make a place where we could go, even as adults, and think about our childhood and how joyous life is."

Disney is the parent company of this ABC station.