17 Obscure Disney World Secrets You Definitely Didn’t Know (Yes, Even If You’re a Hardcore Disney Adult

Get ready for an E-Ticket ride through Disney World history!

Over the last nearly 60 years, Walt Disney World has evolved considerably. What began life as “The Florida Project” – – AKA Walt Disney’s plan to build his original EPCOT – –  in the mid-1960s morphed into the Vacation Kingdom era of the 1970s, the 1990s expansion, and finally, its modern status as the world’s most-visited tourist destination. Over all these years and transformations, several secrets and factoids have fallen through the cracks, lost to the dustbin of history. These are some of my favorites.

NOTE: Some of the more hardcore Disney fans out there may bristle that some of these aren’t secrets, but I assure you, they’re largely unknown to casual Disney park-goers (not that I have any experience rambling them to casual friends and family members to ever-lowering levels of interest or anything…)

Construction Site

During Disney World’s early construction, the Contemporary and Polynesian Resorts were constructed in an… interesting way. The rooms of the Contemporary and Polynesian were prefabricated and furnished off-site, driven to the frame of the hotels, and lifted into place via crane. The site of that prefabrication? A factory located roughly where Port Orleans is currently.

Unbuilt Hotels

Over the years, Disney has planned numerous hotels for the area around the Seven Seas Lagoon, including a Venetian hotel, a Greek hotel, and even a Persian hotel. A combination of factors, including the 1970s gas crisis and issues with the ground soil in the area have scuttled the plans time and time again.

A Cruise on the Rhine

During the planning and construction of EPCOT, a boat ride was planned for the World Showcase’s Germany Pavilion. In fact, portions of the entrance to what would have been the show building were constructed and still stand today. Budget issues led to the ride being canceled, and like many early EPCOT projects, it was never revived.

The End of the Beatles

There’s a link between Disney World and the Fab Four. Specifically, John Lennon signed the papers that officially broke up the Beatles by dissolving their legal partnership while staying at  at the Polynesian Resort in 1974. (If you’re a Beatles freak, you can request to stay in room 1601.)

Figment and Dreamfinder Came from Discovery Bay

The Dreamfinder and (especially) Figment are arguably the most famous original Disney World characters of them all, having been massively popular since they debuted along with EPCOT’s Journey Into Imagination in 1983. This makes it all the more interesting that Imagineering extraordinaire Tony Baxter originally envisioned the earliest versions of the characters for the unbuilt DisneyLAND expansion Discovery Bay.

A Xenomorph in the Magic Kingdom?

The Magic Kingdom’s ExtraTERRORestial Alien Encounter is already one of Disney’s most legendary closed attractions thanks to how frightening it was. However, it was originally supposed to be even scarier. Initial plans for the attraction featured the terrifying Xenomorph – – AKA the titular alien from Alien – – in place of the creature that was eventually created. Depending on what sources you believe, the Xenomorph wasn’t used because licensing fell through or because some older Imagineers pushed that it didn’t belong in the Magic Kingdom.

The Mel Brooks Hotel?

During the initial planning of what would become The Tower of Terror, several alternate themes were considered, including one dedicated to the films of legendary comedy director Mel Brooks that would feature narration from the filmmaker. Once the Twilight Zone theme was decided on, the comedic tone was abandoned.

Reflecting the Magic Kingdom?

Heading back to the Seven Seas Lagoon, it’s interesting to note that the hotels that did end up being built in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area – – The Grand Floridian, The Contemporary, The Polynesian Village, and the Wilderness Lodge/Fort Wilderness Campground each correspond thematically to one of the Magic Kingdom’s lands (Main Street U.S.A, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and Frontierland respectively).

Unbuilt Around the World

The idea of new countries being added to the World Showcase has fascinated longtime Disney fans for decades, despite the fact that none have been added since Norway in 1988. However, did you know that other pavilions haven’t only been planned but OFFICIALLY announced and never built? Specifically, in the early years EPCOT’s operation, Equatorial Africa, Spain, and Israel were all officially announced and promoted in the park and promotional materials, only to never be constructed.

A ‘Temporary’ Show has Lasted a Quarter Century

When Animal Kingdom was under initial construction, the park was supposed to contain a land based on mythological creatures known as Beastly Kingdom. Due to budget issues, the land was bumped to phase 2 of the park’s construction (and like many projects that have been bumped to various “phase 2’s” over the years, it was never built). In order to fill out the space for the park’s opening, the “temporary” land Camp Minnie Mickey was built. Planned to be a placeholder until Beastly Kingdom was built, the “land” was little more than meet & greets and The Festival of the Lion King. Despite the show being mainly made up of recycled parade floats, it quickly became a fan-favorite and it has survived at Animal Kingdom for over 25 years. It was moved to the Africa section of the park when Camp Minnie Mickey was closed to make way for Pandora.

Ever Want to Shoot Gangsters with Dick Tracy?

Of the many Disney Decade projects that were announced and never built for Disney World (a subject that merits its own article), one of the more… interesting is the planned Dick Tracy Crime Stoppers ride. This planned MGM Studios attraction would have used Indiana Jones-style ride vehicles and allowed riders to shoot faux “Tommy Guns” at gangsters. Seriously. The film’s financial underperformance, combined with the disastrous opening of EuroDisney scuttled plans for the attraction, and likely saved us all from debate over whether the ride was appropriate for Disney.

Disney Owns a Power Plant

Despite Walt Disney’s version of EPCOT never being built, many elements of his planned “city of the future” were integrated into Disney World’s overall design. Case in point, the resort is powered by a Disney-owned energy service, and some of its power is drawn from a district-owned power plant north of the Magic Kingdom.

Mary Blair’s Goat

Legendary Disney artist Mary Blair designed the massive tile mural in the Contemporary Resort’s Grand Canyon Concourse. One of its most notable features is a 5-legged goat that has become a favorite of many Disney fans over the years. It’s often referred to as a “mistake” however the extra leg was actually added purposely to show the imperfection in man-made art.

Dino-Elvis

Those who visited the Magic Kingdom in the mid-1990s might remember a stage show that ended with Goofy singing a duet with a gigantic robot-dinosaur dressed like Elvis Presley. No, this isn’t a fever dream, it really happened. The massive robot was actually a redressed prop form the short-lived Splashtacular show at EPCOT, which featured Mickey Mouse and is army of guards battling an intergalactic sorceress and her metallic dino/dragon in front of the Fountain of Nations.

Somehow the robot dinosaur dressed as Elvis is the least weird part of that.

The Western River Expedition Lives On at EPCOT…

Marc Davis’s Western River Expedition might be the most famous unbuilt Disney World ride of all time. The massive complex was scheduled to headline Frontierland until budget cuts and the pivot to adding a Pirates of the Caribbean to the Magic Kingdom led to it remaining a blue sky project, much to Davis’s chagrin. However, some animatronics designed for the attraction live on in EPCOT’s Living With the Land. Also, BONUS TRIVIA: The dog outside of the famous in Living With the Land is the same design as Rover in the Carousel of Progress.

These are just some of the many secrets, nuggets, and factoids buried in Walt Disney World’s long, fascinating history. Stay tuned to AllEars for more!

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What’s your favorite piece of Disney World trivia? Let us know in the comments below.

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