I was pleasantly surprised the first time that I saw it. I knew that it was a historical film about California and that it was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, but I didn’t realize what an uplifting experience the film actually is. Golden Dreams not only teaches its audience some things about California history, but it does it in an inspirational and entertaining way.

In Golden Dreams, Whoopi Goldberg plays the mythical character Califia, who was the subject of a popular Spanish book in which she ruled over a paradise of gold and riches. As Califia explains, the early Spanish settlers thought they had discovered this paradise and named the newfound territory California. Califia narrates the historic vignettes and even participates in some of the more inspiring events. In Golden Dreams, she symbolizes the hopes and dreams of those who left their old lives behind to go out and seek their fortune in California.

The film is a throwback to the era in which California was seen as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Generations of Americans saw California as a land of opportunity and eagerly pulled up stakes to follow their dreams. While undoubtedly there were people who didn’t exactly find what they were looking for, many folks did find great success. In fact, it could be argued that Disneyland itself would have never existed if Walt had never taken that now legendary train ride from Kansas City to Southern California! (Hmm, how could they have missed up the chance to include that inspiring story in this film?)

So what makes Golden Dreams more than just an interesting historical piece about California? Heather Headley, that’s who! Even though she never once appears on camera, the film ends with her singing a stirring song written especially for the movie- Just One Dream. While Ms. Headley sings this beautiful and inspiring song, we see a montage of both native and transplanted Californians who made their dreams come true- in California. (Walt makes an appearance here as well.) The song serves as a challenge to the people in the audience to make their own mark and pursue their dreams in California.

So why do I like this movie? It never ceases to lift my spirits and make me want to see my dreams come true. (In fact, my recently published book could probably be blamed on this movie; after watching Golden Dreams, I became inspired to make my dreams happen.) In short, Golden Dreams makes me happy to be alive, eager to follow my dreams and just plain inspired. On a more personal level, my great grandparents came to California from Wyoming in search of a better life for their kids and their own piece of the California dream.

It might seem strange, but Golden Dreams, despite being a movie whose adventure factor is minimal, is one of my favorite things to do at the Disneyland Resort. I never miss the film and often find myself attending numerous viewings throughout my Disneyland Resort vacations. Golden Dreams might not have the excitement factor of Soarin’ over California, Space Mountain or Grizzly Peak, but it is definitely one of the smaller things that make the world of Disney so special for me.