A new video featuring very rare footage of the original Walt Disney World Preview Center and construction of the Magic Kingdom and Resort Hotels has just found its way onto YouTube. This appears to be raw news footage, or, as they say in the biz,… Read More »Watch rare news footage from Walt Disney World preview center, construction
43 Years ago today, Walt Disney World opened to the public. Known early on as “The Florida Project,” it was viewed as a place for Walt to experiment with his ideas for intentional communities, technology advancement, industrial cooperation, and the latest in theme parks and… Read More »Happy Birthday to Walt Disney World
We are 8 years away from Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary. Disney likes to start planning these major anniversaries many years in advance. Plans for anything major, like multiple attractions, innovative parades, or theme park rebranding efforts would have to be in the early stages… Read More »How should Disney World Celebrate 50 Years of Magic?
(click to embiggen)
The 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom was punctuated by big moments at the start and end of the day with long lines for everything in between. Since Disney has chosen to ignore the anniversary in favor of a more bland promotional strategy, my expectations for the October 1st activities were quite low. Indeed, up to 3 days before the event I was told there wouldn’t even be a press event. But at the last minute, things came together and it was actually a decent show.
The morning started early for guests looking to line up for merchandise. Which had its own transportation challenges since there is no transport from the TTC at 6AM. If you entered early enough in the day you got a special map like the above and a 40th anniversary button. Both very nice. Both were essentially gone by 3pm. (click to embiggen)
Video highlights of the morning and more photos below the jump:
Continuing the series on celebrating the 40th anniversary of Walt Disney World, here’s a 10 minute clip that looks at the first ever holiday season for the Magic Kingdom back in December 1971. There’s a little Busch Gardens there in the middle (No live animals… Read More »Magic Kingdom 1971 – Walt Disney World 40th Anniv
Fans of the horror film genre know that the soundtrack is often the key component of the tension required to really put the scare on. It works the same at Disney’s parks, only it’s not tension that’s building, but atmosphere. It takes a lot of… Read More »John Beal, composed early Disney World tunes, interviewed