Introduction

The Most Magical Place on Earth

Walt Disney World is more than a mere collection of theme parks. It is more than resort hotels, golf courses, water parks, and restaurants. It is more than the sum of its wide-ranging parts. Disney World truly is a magical place where dreams can and do come true.

If you are taking the time to read this book, then you know all of that already. But have you ever asked yourself: what makes Disney World so special? What is it about this central Florida vacation destination that draws millions of guests each year from the four corners of the globe and from all walks of life? What makes Disney World different from every other non-Disney tourist destination? In other words, what makes The Most Magical Place on Earth so magical in the first place?

I imagine that after reading those questions you started thinking about all of the different things that you love about Disney World. For example, you may have thought about the cast members who go above and beyond to put a smile on the face of each and every guest who passes through the turnstiles. Or perhaps you thought about Disney’s resort hotels that allow guests to stay in exotic accommodations that are intricately themed to various geographic areas and time periods without ever having to leave Disney property. The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, and other classic Disney attractions also may have come to mind, along with the opportunity (especially for children) to meet Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Peter Pan, Cinderella, and countless other beloved Disney characters.

Are those the things that make Disney World so magical? Certainly, there is no such thing as a wrong answer because we all love Disney World for different reasons. But from my perspective, I think that all of the specific things that people love about Disney World (including those listed above) contribute to the real “magic” of the Disney parks: Disney provides guests with the rare opportunity to leave the stress and worries of the real world behind by literally stepping inside numerous immersive stories being told on a grand stage throughout the Disney parks.

Turning Imagination into Reality

I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up in Speake, Alabama. My rural hometown roughly consists of a stop sign, a gas station, numerous farms, and a few hundred hard-working and kind-hearted people. As a child, I spent the majority of my days exploring forests, running through cow pastures, and wading through creeks, all while using my imagination to transform these already fun outdoor activities into true “adventures.” On any given day I could be exploring lush jungles, sailing the seven seas with notorious pirates, or flying through space in a rocket ship. More specifically, and thanks to being an enormous Disney fan even at a young age, I lived in a world of Robin Hood and Little John, Davy Crockett and Georgie Russell, Marry Poppins and Bert, and Ichabod and Mr. Toad. I lived in the wonderful world of Disney, where the only limitations were those imposed by the imagination (which for me, meant no limitation at all). Even writing about it today so many years later puts a smile on my face.

For a child with that kind of imagination, an actual trip to Walt Disney World was the ultimate dream. My parents were finally able to scrape together enough money to make that dream come true in 1984. I was seven years old at the time. Walt Disney World gave me the opportunity to step inside the fantastic adventures that I had only dreamed about. I remember distinctly the wonder and amazement that overwhelmed me while boarding a large green submarine on the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage attraction in Fantasyland (which sadly closed long ago). At that moment, I actually was a member of Captain Nemo’s crew, ready to embark on a fantastic journey through the mysterious depths of the sea. I felt that same excitement when I climbed the steps of the Swiss Family Treehouse, when I boarded pirate ships in Peter Pan’s Flight and Pirates of the Caribbean, when I floated down exotic rivers on the Jungle Cruise, and when I witnessed grim grinning ghosts dancing in a grand ballroom in the Haunted Mansion.

During those precious moments, the boundary between my childhood imagination and real life vanished completely. Disney World was the only place where the things I dreamed about became real. While I technically “grew-up” in the years that followed (sorry, Peter Pan), the child-like wonder and amazement I experienced during my very first trip always returns each time I visit Disney World. As Disney Imagineer Kevin Rafferty explained, “Making the make-believe believable is the most important thing an Imagineer can do.” Disney accomplishes this seemingly impossible task by immersing guests in “stories” told throughout the Disney parks.

Storytelling on a Grand Stage

Everything at Walt Disney World tells a story. EVERYTHING. Every land, every attraction, every restaurant, and every shop. For example, did you know that a quaint Christmas shop in Liberty Square is actually home to three separate business proprietors, including a voice instructor from Sleepy Hollow named Ichabod Crane? Do you recognize the name of Barnabas T. Bullion, a ruthless East Coast mining magnate who believes that a once-in-a-lifetime gold strike is his ultimate destiny? Did you know that a quick-service dining location in Frontierland is actually a folk hero hall of fame, complete with numerous mementos including Paul Bunyan’s axe, Buffalo Bill’s boots, and Johnny Appleseed’s tin hat? If the answer to those questions is no, then you don’t know the whole story behind the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, or the Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe.

The above examples only scratch the surface of the immersive storytelling that Disney Imagineers painstakingly craft for guests in the Disney parks. In Walt Disney World: The First Decade (1982), the Disney company described this “storytelling” emphasis when discussing the creative thought process behind the predecessor to Disney World, Disneyland:

To help create his “Magic Kingdom,” Walt Disney had relied not on amusement park experts, but on filmmakers from his own Studio. In their hands, Disneyland was laid out like a gigantic outdoor stage, with sets dressed for comedy, drama and adventure. On each set, everything from architecture, landscaping and costumes, to food, music and sound-effects was orchestrated to the smallest detail, creating a totally “themed” environment.

The sets were “lands” to be entered and explored. Guests were not just spectators at a theatrical production, they were actual participants in the performance. When they strolled down Main Street, U.S.A., they relived hometown America at the turn of the century. When they boarded the “Jungle Cruise” in Adventureland, they journeyed to the outermost reaches of the world’s densest jungles. In Frontierland, they traveled into the days of pioneer America; in Fantasyland, into the timeless world of Disney cartoon classics; and in Tomorrowland, into a world that may await voyagers of the future.

From the time that you walk through the turnstiles you are immersed in a series of magnificent stories told on a grand stage throughout the Disney parks. This immersion is weaved into everything that you see, hear, smell, and touch inside Disney World. As a result of this storytelling emphasis, the Disney parks provide the rare opportunity for you to step into Neverland, Cinderella Castle, the Hundred Acre Wood, Andy’s Room, and a multitude of other stories…and actually live those adventures firsthand.

Imagineers use a variety of tools to immerse you into these fantastic stories, including the architecture of the structures located in the parks, intricate props, immersive backstories, enticing smells, music, carefully crafted and maintained vegetation, costumes, and both cutting-edge and age-old special effects. As Imagineer John Hench put it:

When we design any area of a Disney park, we transform space into a story place. Every element must work together to create an identity that supports the story of that place—structures, entrances and exits, walkways, landscaping, water elements, and modes of transportation. Every element must in its form and color engage the guests’ imagination and appeal to their emotions.

Not only must every space become a story place, but that place must be made special through its relationship to its surroundings.

Your Guide to Walt Disney World Backstories

Unfortunately, most guests who visit Disney World are unaware of the amazingly detailed stories being told all around them. They miss out on the full experience that Walt Disney intended. Given the importance of storytelling in the Disney theme parks, an approach that flows directly from Walt himself, there must be some sort of “Encyclopedia of Walt Disney World Backstories” that explains these stories to guests, or at the very least a “Great Big Book of Imagineering Tales”…right? Wrong! Although some story elements for the lands, attractions, shops, and restaurants in the Disney parks have been discussed piecemeal in other places, there was no complete resource devoted to those stories…until now.

This book is your definitive guide to Disney World backstories and magical secrets, beginning in this first volume with three lands from Magic Kingdom: Main Street, U.S.A., Liberty Square, and Frontierland. In the pages that follow, you will find:

• Backstories. A description of the backstories behind the lands, attractions, shops, and restaurants in the Magic Kingdom. Often, these backstories are “official” in that the Disney company has disclosed them in some form to the public. In other cases, the backstories are wholly fan created or pieced together through different hints and storytelling props used in the particular experience.

• Storytelling Elements. A description of the numerous details, props, set pieces, and storytelling elements found inside the attractions, shops, restaurants, and lands that are painstakingly created and chosen by Imagineers to help convey a particular story—including where you can find them. (As a general note, Disney is constantly adding, removing, and updating various storytelling props throughout the parks. The information contained herein is accurate at press time, but certainly things can and will change. Of course, this is part of what makes exploring Walt Disney World so exciting, as there is always something new to discover.)

  In addition, a full description and walkthrough of the queues for some of the most popular attractions in the Magic Kingdom. For the uninitiated and for those who tend to skip the “definitions” sections of books (including this one), a “queue” is essentially the area where guests wait in line for an attraction. The queues for many attractions in Disney World are crucial to the immersive storytelling effect. They are extremely detailed and carefully planned to transport you into the story of that attraction. In fact, many queues are experiences in and of themselves that you should take the time to experience even if you are not interested in the actual attraction.

• Real Histories. I originally intended for this book to only include the above categories. However, during the research phase for my first book, The Walt Disney World That Never Was: Stories Behind the Amazing Imagineering Dreams That Never Came True, I discovered something very peculiar. In some cases, the only thing more interesting than the fictional story for a particular attraction, land, restaurant, or shop was the real history behind how it came to the parks in the first place. For example, I think that any story about Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, one of the most popular attractions in all of Walt Disney World, must begin with the fact that Disney executives originally did not intend to include it in the Magic Kingdom. In other words, I believe that a true understanding and appreciation for any experience in Disney World must include the story of how it came about.

In short, this is your guidebook to the whole story (both real and fictional) behind your favorite lands, attractions, restaurants, and shops in Walt Disney World.

The famous plaque that hangs above the entranceway to the Magic Kingdom reads: “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.” That simple statement embodies what Walt wanted guests to experience when they entered the parks: to leave the stress and worry of the real world behind by entering a joyous, innocent, and fanciful world that he had created for them. My only hope for this book is that it will help you, by virtue of these stories, to enjoy the Disney parks in the way that Walt intended.