WDW Theme Parks

As late as March 1988 (two months before opening), Maelstrom in the Norway Pavilion was named “SeaVenture” – even on attraction signage. The name “Maelstrom,” a Nordic name for a very powerful whirlpool, was the final choice.

A t-shirt available in the Serka Zong Bazaar specifies some Expedition Everest ride details, although they are not all accurate: 199.5 feet, 60.8 meters, Drop: 80 feet, Track Length 1.7 miles/8976 feet, First Ascent: April 7, 2006 Norbu and Bob Proprietors Himalayan Escapes Tours & Expeditions

The Millennium Falcon docked in the Black Spire Outpost measures more than 100 feet long.

The 1991 feature film The Rocketeer featured a scene in front of Grauman's Chinese theater. This was filmed at the then MGM Studios in front of the reproduced Chinese theater facade at The Great Movie Ride.

In Epcot's Norway Pavilion, the Stave Church’s sharply slanted roof is an architectural trick designed to keep snow accumulation from crushing the structure.

Voice actor Dallas McKennon is the voice of both Ben Franklin in The American Adventure and the safety announcer on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Muppet*Vision 3-D originally opened as Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3-D but Jim Henson's name was removed in 2006.

The Living Seas attraction was known simply as “The Seas” during part of the attraction's development.

When the Festival of the Lion King theater was first constructed in it's original Camp Minnie Mickey location, two of the walls were open to the elements as a cost saving measure. It wasn't until 2003 that the theater was fully enclosed and air conditioning was added.

On one of the computers in the Alien scene of The Great Movie Ride there was a list of names that includes notable Imagineer Eric Jacobson.

The official hat size for the Sorcerer's Hat that appeared on Hollywood Boulevard at Disney's Hollywood Studios was 605 7/8. The hat was removed in 2015.

If you were to connect the average fire hose to a single Crush ‘n’ Gusher (Typhoon Lagoon) jet nozzle, it could shoot water over The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The ship on the roof of the Cool Ship snack stand in Tomorrowland is a refurbished prop from the movie Flight of the Navigator.

The figures of Grumpy, Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, and Happy, seen in the cottage near the end of The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, originally appeared in Snow White’s Scary Adventures, a Magic Kingdom attraction now the site of Princess Fairytale Hall. The two vultures perched on the jib crane near the mine entrance are styled after the vultures in the film and also originally appeared in the Snow White’s Scary Adventure attraction.

In the Library/pre-show room for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, there is a hidden nod to Mickey Mouse in the sheet music, which is for the song “What! No Mickey Mouse?”

In The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction, the shadows of the Dwarfs marching homeward along the track on the lift inside of the mine were rotoscoped from the scene in the original film where the Dwarfs march across a log bridge, singing “…home from work we go.” (Rotoscoping is a technique where the movements of a figure in original live or animated footage are copied, or traced, frame-by-frame).

"The Norseman" viking ship formerly in Epcot's Norway Pavilion was modeled after a ship used by Bjarni Herjulfsson, an explorer that some historians believe landed in the new world in the 10th century.

On the Partners Statue in the Cinderella Castle Hub, the initials on Walt Disney’s tie are “STR.” This stands for “Smoke Tree Ranch,” an area in Palm Springs where Walt once owned a vacation home.

During the production of the Rock n' Roller Coaster pre-show, the filmmakers increased the amount of light during the shoot in order to keep everything in focus in the foreground and background. This made the set incredible hot. As a result of the heat, the actor playing the sound board operator, Ken Marino had to wear safety contact lenses.

Nearly 200 Audio-Animatronics figures perform in the Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction. The Under the Sea scene alone has 128 figures, including 50 spinning starfish.

Rex Allen voices the Grandfather in the version of Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress that has run since 1993. Allen was the original voice of the father in the Disneyland version of the attraction.

One early sketch of the Partners Statue featured Mickey holding an ice cream cone in one hand.

The Partners Statue was sculpted by Disney Legend Blaine Gibson. A former Disney animator and Imagineer, Blaine took one year to create the sculpture and based his depiction of Walt on a bust he originally created in the 1960s.

The Dwarfs cottage on The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a meticulously detailed representation of the cozy home seen in the classic film, down to the wisteria vine and birdhouse at the front door.

Country Bear Jamboree was the first attraction that originated at Disney World to be cloned in Disneyland.

The architecture for the Hollywood Tower Hotel (The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror) was inspired by multiple Southern California buildings, such as the Biltmore Hotel and the Mission Inn.

The four floats used in Festival of the Lion King at Disney's Animal Kingdom were all from The Lion King Celebration Parade from Disneyland.

The queue for The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train features the song, "Music In Your Soup," a song that was cut from the film but re-recorded for the attraction.

Disney plays a recording of a bird in distress in the area around Electric Umbrella to keep real birds from trying to steal the food of the guests.

The now extinct Horizons attraction was originally developed as a retrospective on how Thomas Edison harnessed electricity. When the direction of the attraction changed to focus on inventions that could impact our lives in the future, it was renamed “Century 3” and later “Futureprobe.” “Horizons” was the final pick.

"The Norseman", a 50-foot replica Viking ship that formerly resided at Epcot's Norway Pavilion actually sailed through the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to New York on its journey to Epcot.

The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster "pusher car" for the launch is underneath Row 5, as such that seat appears to be fastest and has the strongest vertical G's. The back row has the strongest lateral G's and the front row appears to be the slowest.

At the beginning of each day, Disney used to hide 6 paint brushes on Tom Sawyer Island. If a guest found one of these paint brushes and brought it to a cast member they would receive a Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain. This ended when Big Thunder Mountain Railroad went down for refurbishment in 2012.

All of the Nile Crocodiles that appear on Kilimanjaro Safaris are male. Without a female present, the males are typically less aggressive than the females.

Imagineer Darryl Picket not only became the voice of the Walt Disney World Railroad in 2012, but he also designed the decorations in the Jungle Cruise that read "Kittens Free to a Good Home" and the menu where every item tastes like chicken.

The Book of the Dead featured in The Haunted Mansion's seance room has an incantation that features text from the 1968 movie Blackbeard's Ghost.

The animatronics of Donald Duck, Jose and Panchito in the final scene of Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros originally appeared in the Mickey Mouse Revue at the Magic Kingdom and then at the same show in Tokyo Disneyland.

The convertibles inside Sci-Fi Dine-In were all built from scratch and are of a non-descript make/model but are heavily influenced by Chevrolet's and Cadillacs. Most of the License plates are Arizona, New Mexico, and California because those are the states where the most UFO sightings occur.

In The Great Movie Ride, the dialogue spoken by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz scene was actually voiced by Liza Minnelli.

Inside the lobby for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a copy of “Four Pages of Hilarious Star Caricatures by Walt Disney” is featured in Photoplay Magazine on the concierge desk.

Each scene of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid was first built as a one-quarter-inch scale model and then as a one‑inch scale model, so Imagineers could “ride” through the attraction scene-by-scene before full construction began.

Akershus (The Table Service restaurant in Epcot's Norway Pavilion), was named after a 14th-century fortress, which was built to protect the capital city of Oslo.

The “Fifth Dimension” scene in The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was inspired in part by the “Little Girl Lost” episode of “The Twilight Zone.”

Guests at Sci-Fi Dine-In originally received popcorn in the first few years of operation, but it ultimately proved to be too messy to continue.

In 2001, Hollywood wanted to do a refurbishment of the real Grauman's Chinese theater, but they lost the original blueprints to the building. Hollywood went to Disney who provided them with the blueprints they had on file for The Great Movie Ride, the MGM Studios counterpart.

Prior to Soarin', Disney had wanted to do a flight simulator attraction for a while but were unable to come up with a way to efficiently load guests into a vehicle. Then, Imagineer Mark Sumner uncovered an old erector set while visiting family for Thanksgiving and came up with the basic premise used for the ride system today.

Each Crush ‘n’ Gusher (Typhoon Lagoon) water jet nozzle puts out 1350 gallons per minute.

A scene in the former Maelstrom attraction featured ancient wall carvings known as “petroglyphs.”

Each Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover train weighs 4,100 lbs. empty. There are 850 speakers along the .86-mile track, and the maximum speed of the PeopleMover is 6.84 mph.

There is a sign in the alley between Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe and Liberty Tree Tavern that reads, "Kepple est. 1779." This is the name of Walt and Roy's grandfather, Kepple Disney. He was born on November 2, 1832 in Kilkenny, Ireland.

The Ursula figure in Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid is the largest Audio-Animatronic figure in the show at 7-feet tall and 12-feet wide. She also has a squash-and-stretch function in her torso and flexible materials so she can bounce along with the music.

The name "Topolino Terrace" at Disney's Riviera Resort is inspired by Italian editor Mario Nerbini who began printing Mickey Mouse cartoons. Nerbini did not secure the likeness rights so he called the character Topo Lino, which translates to "little mouse" in Italian, for legal reasons.

The music from Illuminations: Reflections of Earth was used during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXIV. The show was produced by Disney and was referred to as the Tapestry of Nations halftime show.

The distance between the entrance of Hollywood Studios and the Grauman's Chinese theater facade (The Great Movie Ride/Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway) is the exact same as the distance between the Train Station in Disneyland and Sleeping Beauty Castle.

On Tom Sawyer Island, the noise/creeks that the Harper's Mill makes when revolving plays the song: Down by the Old Mill Stream.

The 83-foot-tall pagoda in the Japan Pavilion is modeled after a similar pagoda in the Horyuji Temple in Nara, Japan. The pagoda is five stories tall, and each story represents one of the five elements: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Sky.

Joey Hagerty is a tumble monkey in Festival of the Lion King at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Hagerty won a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in the all-around gymnastics category.

In the Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction, a special skin technology had to be incorporated into the Audio-Animatronics figures for Ariel, King Triton and Ursula since they have so much skin exposed.

Walt Disney Imagineers viewed 156 episodes of “The Twilight Zone” for research and inspiration when creating The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Cast members at the Sci-Fi Dine-In have the option to wear roller skates as a tribute to the days of carhops at Drive-In Theaters.

At one point in time, when Princess Jasmine first appeared in Mickey's PhilharMagic, the scent emitters would emit the scent of jasmine. Disney discontinued this effect due to allergies of some guests.

Crush ‘n’ Gusher (Typhoon Lagoon) is the only water roller coaster in North America that has three unique and separate rides off of one tower.

The Mickey Mouse figure that stands atop the Crossroads of the World shop in Disney's Hollywood Studios has one copper ear that serves as a lightning rod.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge contains more than 200,000 square feet of themed rockwork, 260,000 square feet of themed plaster and the tallest spire is more than 130 feet tall.

The dragon-headed ride vehicles of Maelstrom and Frozen Ever After were designed after the real ships of Viking Explorer Eric the Red.

Mike Brassell is the narrator of both the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover and the Greenhouse scenes in Living with the Land

The Hollywood Tower Hotel (The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror) features 27,000 roof tiles.

The Fountain of Nations holds 149,000 gallons of water with 30,000 gallons cascading over its tiered sides every minute. Today, 200 pneumatic shooters help create dancing water to various Disney musical selections for guests to enjoy.

The original storyline of Kilimanjaro Safaris featured a dead Elephant carcass at the end of the ride indicating that "Big Red" had been shot. The story was removed before the official park opening after guest complaints during the preview period. The Elephant was placed backstage where it was spotted by a plane flying overhead. The (fake) dead elephant was reported as a sign of Disney abusing animals so Disney then opted to sell the elephant on eBay for over $3000.

Famed voice actor Paul Frees is the voice of the Ghost Host in The Haunted Mansion, the original Auctioneer in Pirates of the Caribbean (prior to the 2018 refurbishment), and Captain Nemo in the extinct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Frees' other credits include Ludwig Von Drake, Boris Badenov (The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show), Toucan Sam, and much more.

The film that was featured in the Post Show for Maelstrom is called "Norway - The Film" and it used the same camera that filmed "Lawrence of Arabia."

The individual mine cars in Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are designed to reflect similar vehicles that appear in the film: handmade of wood by the Dwarfs, shaped with an ax, and used to haul rocks and jewels. Hand-hammered metal bands and nails are used to bind the wood. In the film, the mine cars sit in a cradle that allows them to be tipped to unload their contents. Here, the cradle design allows the cars to swing back and forth as they carry riders along the winding track.

When Disney constructed Mickey Mouse Review and Hall of Presidents they were constructing two large scale animatronic stage shows that required a significant amount of computing power. The buildings are connected so that they can share this infrastructure and during testing some of the dialog from each show played at the other venue.

Voice actor Pete Renaday performed the narration on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority  from 1994 - 2009. Renaday also performed as the voice of Splinter from The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The Little Mermaid animatronic in the Under the Sea scene of the Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction cost $7 million to develop for the Disney California Adventure version of the attraction. This was in part because of the animatronic hair that was replaced shortly after opening and was carried over to the Florida version.

The menu at the Oasis Canteen (Disney's Hollywood Studios) is attached to a crate that is partially visible. At the top, it reads, "Top Secret Intel 9906753". This is the same inscription on the crate in Raiders of the Lost Ark that held the Ark of the Covenant. Below the menu, the crate reads, "Field Tent 61281". That represents the date that Raiders of the Ark debuted in theaters, June 12th, 1981.

In order to appear more life like, the pre-show video for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was shot at 60 frames per second with an IMAX camera.

After a visit to Journey Into YOUR Imagination on October 26, 1999, then CEO Michael Eisner hated it, and approved an additional $5 million of changes to the attraction.

The first two animals that arrived to Disney's Animal Kingdom were two young Reticulated Giraffes: Miles and Zari. They arrived in the summer of 1996 and were dubbed the park's "ambassadors."

The mural in the Grand Canyon Concourse of the Contemporary Resort was designed by Imagineer Mary Blair. Mary also designed much of the artistic style for "it's a small world". In the mural, Mary deliberately placed a 5-legged goat on one of the cliffs. Allegedly, it was an intentional way of honoring the Native American tribes that resided around the Grand Canyon that believed nothing in life, including artwork, could be “perfect.”

The original voice of Figment was actor Billy Barty. When the attraction was remade into Journey Into Imagination with Figment in 2002, Figment was voiced by actor David Goelz. Goelz is also known as voicing Gonzo from The Muppets.

The street that contains The House of Good Fortune is called Xing Fu Jie in Chinese and is translated to "The Street of Good Fortune.

When choosing an expression for Walt’s face, sculptor Blaine Gibson tried to reflect Walt’s goal of making people happy. The statue’s expression is Blaine’s interpretation of Walt watching happy people enjoy the park.

It's Tough to be a Bug was the first time Disney/Imagineering created an attraction before the movie it was based on (A Bug's Life) debuted to the public.

When considering having Mickey hold Walt’s hand for the Partners Statue, sculptor Blaine Gibson consulted footage from the film “Fantasia” for sizing. In the film Mickey shakes the hand of orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski.

Splash Mountain is 87 feet tall and features a 40 MPH drop.

The attraction and pavilion that introduced guests to Dreamfinder and Figment was originally planned to be a part of the “Images & Imagination” Pavilion.

A total of 1105 Fireworks shells were launched during each showing of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. They were launched from 750 mortar tubes located in 34 positions around World Showcase Lagoon.

The guitar outside Rock 'n' Roller Coaster measures 40 feet high.

One of the pre-ride warnings for Slinky Dog Dash dubs the attraction as, "The Wildest Ride in Andy's Backyard." This is a reference to the classic warning that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is, "The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness!"

When the vehicles for Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover travel through Mickey's Star Traders, they can hear Mickey Mouse state the line: That's right, it's out of this world! This is the first appearance in a Disney park of Bret Iwan as the voice of Mickey Mouse.

The area at the back of the Sci-Fi Dine-In that would typically be the snack stand at a real drive in theater is actually the entrance to the kitchen.

13 Zulu tribesman from Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, were brought over to create the thatched roofs throughout Africa including the Harambe Market. The thatch is made of thick bundles of Berg grass that was harvested by the wives, sisters & mothers of these men. They're stitched in twine using an 18-inch-long, half-inch-thick needle called a "tulu." The thatch weighs 70 pounds per square yard, it's 4-6 inches thick & the weight of the thatch roof on the Savannah Overlook is 2.5 tons.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster has more than 900 speakers throughout the attraction and each train has 120 onboard speakers.

In the bushes surrounding Mad Tea Party there is a tribute to former Disney employee Randy Pausch. Randy is best known as the author of "The Last Lecture", a book describing his life and his battle with pancreatic cancer. The tribute comes in the form of a quote on an Alice in Wonderland themed leaf. The quote reads, "Be good at something: It makes you valuable... Have something to bring to the table because that will make you more welcome." - Randy Pausch

An 86-foot long, hand-painted mural greets guests in the loading area of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. The mural depicts Ariel at dusk.

Next to Doc’s workstation in the mine scene of The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the carved wooden clock is a replica of the one seen in the film. It features figures of two miners striking an anvil. As in the film, that motion signals the start of the beloved song, “Heigh-Ho.”

During the holidays, Magic Kingdom is home to 40 trees, 147 wreaths and 590 garlands that measure a total of 5,188 feet.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge spans more than 14 acres, making the Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios lands the largest single-themed lands in Disney Parks history.