Secrets & Little Known Facts about rides

[jmercer25]

This may have been said, but Tower of Terror is exactly 199 feet tall because if it was any taller, a red light would have to be installed for Orlando International Airport.

 

[tinkntraining]

Just FYI to anyone who wants to set off the rain: it's the grille on the ground that you step on to set off the water...not the handle. As a CM, we would see people just tugging on that thing and then complaining that it wasn't working. A quick trip over to step on the grille and they were all set.

Oh.....oops! Too funny

 

[Bethann23]

Ok ... I read most of these and I wish I had something to add, but I don't.... But I love reading everyone else's... Thanks for all the GREAT INFO....

 

[WDWCrazyfromGA]

My DD's favorite is riding "Cinderella's Horse" on the Golden Carousel. Her horse is the one with the gold ribbon on it's tail. On a few occasions - the CM has whispered something to her about being 'privledged' to ride Cinderalla's horse - my daughter is extremely shy and this always brings out a beautiful "I've got a secret" smile on her face!

 

[jkid721133]

Our Imagineers did not develop it... just like Primeval Whirl we bought it from an outside source. Trust me, you do not want to know the dirt behind PW - that attraction has some serious issues!

I, on the other hand, hated this ride. The wife an I rode it on our honeymoon, and I felt like I was assaulted when I was finished riding it. With that being said, I am interested in the dirt as well.

 

[demonskrye]

Don't know if these have been mentioned yet (due to the giant unwieldy thread).

In Journey into Imagination with Figment, the TV in Figment's House is playing the 2D animation of Figment from the "science" segment of the original ride.

Over at Toy Story Mania, there's an enormous Little Golden Book of "Tin Toy," one of Pixar's Oscar winning shorts and a predecessor of the "Toy Story" films. You can see the front and back covers from the queue near the loading area and two interior pages as you exit.

Luxo Jr.s Ball (yellow with a red star and blue stripe) can be seen in a toy basket painted on a wall near the loading area.

 

[cpdwiz]

Ah, yeah, that's a myth. Not true. Convincing, though.

The real story is that some of the old mountainclimbing Cast members would pass the time inside the top of the Matterhorn very bored, and one day, a fellow brought a basketball hoop (or something of that sort). Thus, the Matternhorn court was born. I think it might be on Snopes.

Actually, just saw this the other day on Charter in Demand.......There was a CA law that said for a structure to be as high as Matterhorn, there had to be some type of sports related to it..thus the hoop......

 

[jediobiwan]

Actually, just saw this the other day on Charter in Demand.......There was a CA law that said for a structure to be as high as Matterhorn, there had to be some type of sports related to it..thus the hoop......

No, that show said that was the myth, not the truth. You had to watch the entire thing but it went on to talk about how that was just something some of the CMs came up with to put in the empty space.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

The 13 Tombstones in the family graveyard at the Haunted Mansion are named for Imagineers who worked on both the HM and the WDW Resort.

REQUIESCAT
Francis Xavier
NO TIME OFF
FOR GOOD
BEHAVIOR
RIP​

X. Atencio. (The "X" standing for Xavier.) He joined the Disney Studio in 1938 and worked on numerous animated features through the 1950s. He was the person behind the clever animated title sequences from The Parent Trap and Babes in Toyland. In 1964, Walt Disney asked Atencio to transfer to WED Enterprises to assist in the creation of the Primeval World diorama for Disneyland. He went on to develop dialog and music for attractions such as Adventure Thru Inner Space, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion for which he co-wrote the song Grim Grinning Ghosts. But most importantly, he is the one who penned nearly all the clever verses featured on the now infamous 13 tombstones that make up the family plot at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion.

DEAR SWEET LEOTA
BELOVED BY ALL
IN REGIONS BEYOND NOW,
BUT HAVING A BALL​

As most Haunted Mansion enthusiasts know, Madam Leota is the Mansion's resident medium. Leota Toombs was an artist at WED Enterprises. During the Mansion's development, Toombs served as a model stand-in during concept testing for the crystal ball character in the attraction's seance room. She did such an excellent job that the test performance was used in the final version, and the character was named in her honor. This tombstone, which features simple small-scale animated effects, was added in 2002. The epitaph was written by Imagineer Jason Surrell (who later wrote the book "The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies" [Disney Editions, 2003]).

DEAR DEPARTED
BROTHER
DAVE
HE CHASED A
BEAR INTO
A CAVE​

Dave Burkhart began his career with Disney in 1967 serving as an artist model maker, building architecture and show models, including some full scale sets and props. He subsequently became a show designer and field art producer, working on attractions such as the Haunted Mansion, Swiss Family Treehouse and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

RIP
GOOD FRIEND
GORDON
NOW YOU'VE
CROSSED THE
RIVER JORDON​

Good friend Gordon refers to Gordon Williams, who was an audio designer and also an authority on audio-animatronics. He was the Imagineer largely responsible for all of the sound effects in the Haunted Mansion.

IN MEMORIUM
UNCLE MYALL
HERE YOU'LL LIE
FOR QUITE A WHILE​

Chuck Myall was an art director for WED Enterprises and contributed his skills to attractions such as It's a Small World and the Haunted Mansion. He was also one of the master planners of Walt Disney World.

REST IN PEACE
COUSIN HUET
WE ALL KNOW
YOU DIDN'T DO IT​

Cliff Huet was an architect for WED Enterprises and one of the lead interior designers of the Haunted Mansion.

MASTER GRACEY
LAID
TO REST
NO MOURNING
PLEASE
AT HIS
REQUEST
Farewell​

Yale Gracey joined the Walt Disney Studios in 1939 as a layout artist on Pinocchio. He also worked on Fantasia as well as numerous cartoon shorts throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In 1961 he came to WED Enterprises as a special effects and lighting artist. His expertise in the field of special effects was gained via his own personal research and hands-on experimentation. He was responsible for nearly all the special effects in the Haunted Mansion.

HERE LIES
A MAN NAMED
MARTIN
THE LIGHTS WENT
OUT ON THIS OLD
SPARTAN​

While working at 20th Century Fox in the mid-1950s, Bill "Bud" Martin was recruited by Walt Disney to help in the design and building of Disneyland. His first major area of responsibility was as an art director of Fantasyland. In 1971, he was named Vice President of Design at WED Enterprises, overseeing the master layout of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Among his projects were Main Street U.S.A. and Cinderella Castle, and he was one of the key designers of the ultilidors than run beneath that park.

RIP
MISTER SEWELL
THE VICTIM
OF A DIRTY
DUEL
Peaceful Rest​

Bob Sewell came on board at WED Enterprises shortly after the opening of Disneyland in 1955. A model shop veteran, Sewell was often in charge of show installations at the park. He was involved in the development of a diverse array of attractions including Nature's Wonderland, the Grand Canyon Diorama, the Submarine Voyage, the Swiss Family Treehouse and the Enchanted Tiki Room.

IN MEMORY OF
OUR PATRIARCH
DEAR DEPARTED
Grandpa
Marc​

One of Disney's legendary "Nine Old Men" of animation, Marc Davis also stands as one of the most influential and creative forces in the history of theme park design. His clever and highly detailed concepts were the basis for the audio-animatronic vignettes of both Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, and his unrealized designs for Walt Disney World's Western River Expedition are among the great lost treasures of Disney Imagineering. He also contributed to other celebrated attractions including the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Jungle Cruise and It's a Small World.

HERE RESTS
WATHEL R. BENDER
HE RODE TO
GLORY ON
A FENDER
Peaceful
Rest​

Wathel Rogers was a long time veteran of the Animation Department before moving to WED Enterprises in the mid-1950s. Initially part of the model department, Rogers' true calling emerged when Wat Disney drafted him for his now famous "Project LittleMan" which was the genesis of the development of audio-animatronics. Within the halls of WED Enterprises, he became known as Mr. Audio-Animatronics and went on to contribute his design and engineering skills to countless theme park attractions until his retirement in 1987.

HERE LIES
GOOD OLD
FRED
A GREAT BIG ROCK
FELL ON HIS HEAD
R.I.P.​

Fred Joerger joined the Walt Disney Studios in 1953, coming on board as a set designer and model builder. He, Harriet Burns and Wathel Rogers were the members of WED Enterprises original model shop. He was a master of rock formations, as noted in this passage from his Disney Legends biography:

"Fred's unusual knack for creating gorgeous rockwork out of plaster led to his reputation as Imagineering's "resident rock expert." Among his rocky mountain highlights are the huge stones featured on the Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. In fact, he designed and constructed most all rockwork at the Florida theme park for its 1971 opening, including the breathtaking atrium waterfall featured in the Polynesian Resort."

At Peaceful
Rest Lies
BROTHER
CLAUDE
PLANTED HERE
BENEATH THIS
SOD​

Brother Claude refers to Walt Disney Studios animation veteran and pioneering Imagineer Claude Coats. He began his career with Disney in 1935 as a background painter, and contributed stunning water color backgrounds to numerous cartoon shorts and also to feature films from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs all the way through Lady and the Tramp. In 1955, Walt Disney recruited Coats to work on concepts and designs for Disneyland, and he subsequently became one of the key talents at WED Enterprises, the precursor to Walt Disney Imagineering.

Bringing his background artist skills to bear, Coats was largely responsible for designing the Haunted Mansion's interior environments.

 

[tommymomo]

I am addicted. I need more......

 

[torsie24]

Sorry if this has been mentioned already (loong thread and I'm yet to get though it all.

But this is a really fun one!

One of the old Dreamfinder animatronics now lives in Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion) at Disneyland Paris as the Ghost Mayor!

Here he is.

I make sure to say hi whenever we see him!

The best part is when he lifts his hat to greet you, his whole head comes up with it!! Good job figment isn't there to see it!!

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

I can't remember if it's been posted or not yet, but here is one many of you will already know: Ride TTA when Space Mountain is broken down and you might get to see Space Mountain with the lights on! I got footage on camcorder of it once. You can also see it on youtube, but it's not that clear. Nothing beats the real experience.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

I have another one. Supposedly the candy lady in Japan is the only woman in Japan who was taught this art form.

During Epcot construction, a group of endangered birds called the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker was discovered nesting in a wooded area destined for development. The entire construction site had to be moved 300 feet in order to preserve that area's natural state. A back service road was named after the birds as a reminder of the company's conservation efforts.

(these two were copied from another website)

 

[RAPstar]

As a CM we are trained that they are indeed cookies - specifically Chips Ahoy. Believe what you will, but you can get the best view of them during the TTA. I wonder if they'll be changed during the referb?



Some of the information about the mystical land in DAK is a little off. True, there was supposed to be a mystical part of DAK (hence the dragon in the green welcome sign and the unicorn parking lot). It was supposed to focus on all of the "mystical" creatures that have never been proven to be real. We did in fact purchase the Dueling Dragons with the intention of placing it there.

However, the concentration of DAK is conservation, which unfortunately the mystical land didn't fit into (and I assume probably budget as mentioned). We then sold the rollercoaster to Universal.

Our Imagineers did not develop it... just like Primeval Whirl we bought it from an outside source. Trust me, you do not want to know the dirt behind PW - that attraction has some serious issues!

Well, I know someone died on it recently. But then again, if I remember correctly, it was CM who was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. I'd like to hear the rest of the story behind it too. lol

 

[TripTime]

Whew finally found it on page 83!!

Wasn't this the picture that everyone kept editing by adding stuff to the pictures and taking stuff out.That thread was the best. We sholud start a new thread of that.

 

[darby01_2007]

Oh my gosh! I just rode Mission: SPACE for the first time last week, and I thought I saw the logo! My dear, beloved Horizons .

And that makes soo much sense about left/right brain. I noticed all of this, and knew that there had to be a reason for it, but couldn't figure it out!

Thanks, everyone for contributing to this thread! It's really interesting, and gives me more to see when I go back. After so many trips I feel like a pro, but it's fun to always look for something new.

THe logo is also on the registers in the gift shop, and the big planter outside is shaped like the Horizons pavilion!!
When Test Track is shut down at night there are claims of seeing the white horse from World of Motion!!!

 

[darby01_2007]

I have another one. Supposedly the candy lady in Japan is the only woman in Japan who was taught this art form.

During Epcot construction, a group of endangered birds called the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker was discovered nesting in a wooded area destined for development. The entire construction site had to be moved 300 feet in order to preserve that area's natural state. A back service road was named after the birds as a reminder of the company's conservation efforts.

(these two were copied from another website)

The road you mention is "Woodpecker Lane" it starts at the cast lot and ends at the guest lot!

 

[DisHornFan]

On Space Mountain (WDW) after getting into the ride, and going through the safety belt check you move forward to an area where you pause again before launching on to the ride. At that pause, the vehicle is being weighed and the weight of your vehicle is being compared to the weight of the vehicle in front of you to calculate how much time to leave between the vehicle launches.

Don't know if this will change with the renovations.

I think you are thinking of the DL version because this does not happen at WDW. You can tell because some of the trains won't even stop in that brake at all. The train timing is automatic, any extra time allowances are made manually by the CMs you see in the control tower. This actually goes directly to the reason why Space Mountain is down so much, but that is even more OT.
I have heard though in DL that some trains get stored automatically bc they are too heavy, so guests actually go backstage into the storage area, maybe that's what you're thinking of.


I didn't see this one on here, sorry if I missed it:

There is no train #13 at Space Mountain, the Imagineers thought it would be bad luck. However, most days we run 13 trains on each side, so the joke was really on them!

 

[LadyGracey]

Sorry if this has been mentioned already (loong thread and I'm yet to get though it all.

But this is a really fun one!

One of the old Dreamfinder animatronics now lives in Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion) at Disneyland Paris as the Ghost Mayor!

Here he is.

I make sure to say hi whenever we see him!

The best part is when he lifts his hat to greet you, his whole head comes up with it!! Good job figment isn't there to see it!!

Oh my...poor Dreamfinder!
Well at least he "lives" on...somewhere.

Oh, I just thought of another one:
On Peter Pan's Flight, in the scene where you're "flying" over London, the little moving car headlights are actually bicycle chains painted with dots of blacklight paint.

 

[kimis]

I am sorry if this has been mentioned..... In Epcot on the way to EE we stopped at some restrooms. I was sitting on the benches by the water when I heard what sounded like "Mike & Mike" on ESPN. However it was a "radio station" broadcasting expeditions that had been going on and were going on at Mt Everest. It was so funny. It actually sounded live. I may have only heard it because it was early and there werent many people around yet. However listen for it next time you go.