The first stop on our journey began with a 7:30 am bus ride over to EPCOT, where we met our tour guides Jenessa and Ashlyn. The tour began as we went behind the Cast Members Only sign into the backstage area. At Disney, anywhere that guests can see cast members in costumes or in a show is considered onstage while the space where all the work happens is considered backstage. Here, we boarded a bus that took us around EPCOT's perimeter road to the World Showcase. The focus of this stop was the American Pavilion where we were able to learn how the American Adventure Show operates. We saw a machine that changed the scenes in this show by lifting specific one on stage and then once they were done with them, the scenes were pushed to the back of the building by the upcoming scene. The American Adventure also demonstrates Disney World's use of audio animatronics, which is essentially bringing robotic figures to life. We found out some surprising facts and tools used in this specific area. First off, Disney often uses forced perspective to make something appear smaller or bigger than it actually is. Tall windows and carefully laid brick make the American Pavilion appear two stories tall with an attic while it is actually much bigger. In fact, there are even parts you cannot see outside as the American Pavilion has ground built around the bottom level putting it on a slight hill since in Florida you cannot really build into the ground. At Disney, attention to detail is always present and can be found in the American Adventure show through the scene with the Declaration of Independence. On the ground, there are crumpled papers to show the ones never used, and these papers are in fact rough draft versions of the Declaration of Independence even though the audience does not see this and would never know. Details like this one are what make Walt Disney World so special.
Our next stop on our tour was backstage in one of Disney's main costuming facilities. This stop was extremely interesting, as we were able to see how almost all of Disney's costumes are made. We started out again looking into how detailed Disney gets but this time with their costumes. We were shown a dress and then asked who it was made for. We all immediately knew that this dress was for the famous Disney princess Ariel, yet this dress was never actually worn by her in the movie or anywhere else. How then did we know this was her dress? The answer to that is simple as there were many intricate details like a starfish necklace, tool at the bottom of the dress that resembled fish netting, and even just the color scheme of the dress (Ariel's signature colors green and purple) that are meant to tell Ariel's story in the dress. Moving on in the costume department, we were able to see things like an embroidery machine in action, many people hand sewing new costumes, and the reference wall that costume designers can look at when they need inspiration on a new costume. One fact that we learned during the tour was that most of Disney's costumes are not allowed to leave Disney property, specifically entertainment ones. There are many ways that these costumes are taken care of and distributed across the parks, with laundry services that do 2.5 million pounds of laundry per week. Costumes then go anywhere from EPCOT to Animal Kingdom, which happened to be our next stop.
Halfway through the day, we stopped for a deliciously unique lunch at Tiffin’s in Animal Kingdom. We enjoyed our choice of tuna, steak, or chicken, followed by a sweet and spicy cheesecake. On the way to our next stop, we went around the property of Animal Kingdom and learned about how well the park cares for the real animals that live there. They abide by the standards of zoos and even surpass them. After lunch, we were able to see the backstage workings of Disney World's most complex light show, the River of Light Show in Animal Kingdom. We were able to watch this show last week as a class, so we had a basic understanding of what goes on. In this show, there are lotus flowers as well as animals that are made on barges uses beautiful colors and lights. One of the techs who works on the show explained how they make everything work from a control room, ensuring everything goes right and troubleshooting any issues along the way. These barges drive like drones rather than a typical boat and weigh between 20,000 and 35,000 pound each, except for the largest lotus that weighs over 100,000 pounds. Everything in the show is done through the software and networks, but when something goes wrong, the techs are there and can use handheld devices to drive the barges manually. We were able to see one of the techs doing testing while we were there to prepare for the show later in the night. Again in the Animal Kingdom we saw how much time and effort goes into producing the magic that guests are able to enjoy.
Our next stop was to a warehouse where attractions are created, inspected, repaired, and maintained. Disney World puts a lot of care into the safety of their guests with regularly scheduled maintenance on every part of every attraction. Each attraction is brought in, taken completely apart, inspected, and then put back together to look exactly the same as before, so guests can be sure they are in good hands. Once again we see that Disney does nothing halfway, especially when it concerns the quality of a guest's experience. Another part of this section was getting to see once again the use of animatronics. In Disney, they use either plastisol, silicon, or hot melt to bring the robotic figures to life. Silicon is used in many modern attractions like the Na'vi River Journey to make figures look fluid and realistic. The movements of the newer attractions are much different than they were in the beginning, like with the birds in the Enchanted Tiki Room, which were the first uses of animatronics. Their motions are much more robotic and stiff. After the birds though Disney created an Abraham Lincoln for the New York World's Fair that could go from a sitting position to a standing one, and this blew people's mind and opened the door for the technology we see today.
Our final stop on the tour was "under" the Magic Kingdom. We went to what cast members call the utilidoor, combining the word utility and corridor. It feels like you are underground; however, once again because of the land of Florida, Magic Kingdom was actually built up, so this space would actually be the main level. This area looks very different from the magic you see on Main Street USA or in Fantasyland because this space is all about efficiency and doing what needs to be done. Cast members of the Magic Kingdom are dropped off about a mile from the entrance and then take a bus. They then use the "tunnels" to get to their area of the Magic Kingdom. Part of the magic comes from each themed land staying true to their story, so cast members must not be seen outside of their area, which is why the tunnels are so important. Since the tunnels are more confusing than the circular nature of the actual theme park, there are maps as well as color codes for each area. For example, when you are under Main Street USA, the walls are a burgundy and blue but change for other areas. The intricacy in the behind the scenes is amazing. Every detail is worked out from emergency procedures to the trash system where a member of the custodial staff gets a notification on their phone from the trash cans’ censors that it needs emptied. Disney thrives off of detail.
Throughout the tour, we learned that even though Walt Disney passed away at the very beginning of the Florida project, with the help of his brother Roy, many of his ideas and his spirit were what brought everything to life. Since our trip focuses on imagineering, this tour was a great way to see this in play. People in jobs from art to design to engineering can be considered imagineers. It is about people with all different talents and backgrounds who put the time, effort, and detail into Disney World coming together to make it the most magical place on earth. Today, our tour ended around 4 pm so most of us split off to enjoy dinner and an early evening after the day's activities. Tomorrow we get to switch with the other group, as we get to leave our hotel around 6 am to get to Hollywood Studios to try and get a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance! Hopefully, the group that gets to go on the tour tomorrow enjoys it as much as we did today!
Lindsay Freije and Melissa Beer
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