Your best Disney fact or insider story...

[WDWlover89]

I won't tell him! He can be impressed by my score!

And don't forget to get your button! When you get 999,999 points go to the Photopass counter to get a button that says you are a Galactic Hero!

 

[bcrook]

And don't forget to get your button! When you get 999,999 points go to the Photopass counter to get a button that says you are a Galactic Hero!

No Way! I am definitely going to try that. My cousin will be there too. I would like that. He kicked my tail-end last year at TSMM.

 

[lucas]

Here's a very little known fact...it USED to be Leota Toombs face in the Crystal Ball but they upgraded the animation technology a few years ago and it didn't look quite right anymore to use Leota so the face you see now is actually modeled by her daughter. They don't advertise that much because the story of Leota being a beloved Disneyland employee is so dear that it sounds better. And when you hear Leota's real voice at the end of the ride you hear why they couldn't use her voice. It's just so sweet.

I have also heard the Imagineers aren't so crazy about the dinner plate hidden mickey in the ballroom scene since it was placed by CMs not the imagineers and they consider the hidden mickey something of a signature on their work of art.

You're right - good one!

From: http://davelandweb.com/hauntedmansion/40th.html

(August 9, 2009) BACKSTORY: Two panel discussions occurred to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Mansion; one held at the Grand Californian Hotel and one held during the dinner served over in California Adventure. The first discussion had Tony Baxter, Kim Irvine, and Jason Surrell (Imagineer and author of The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies).

Kim showed up in full face makeup as Madame Leota, with her blond hair teased out appropriately. She truly does resemble her mother (the original Madame Leota, Imagineer Leota Toombs). Most touching part of the discussion was hearing Kim talk about her mother, whose voice as Madame Leota was dubbed by actress Eleanor Audley. Leotas actual higher-pitched voice can be heard at the end of the attraction, where she acted and spoke for herself as Little Leota, the ethereal bridal figure that repeats "Hurry Back. Kim said that when she went on the attraction with her children, she would always point to "Grandma" at the end of the ride. When Madame Leota had to be re-created for the Nightmare Before Christmas Holiday overlay at Disneyland, Kim stood in for her mother. With advancements in life-mask creation, the detail of Kim's head turned out to be much more lifelike than the one created 40 years ago from her mother's face. When the original film of her mother was projected onto her (Kim's) life-mask, it was a perfect fit because of the similar bone structure between mother and daughter. So when you enter the seance room, it is Kims head in the crystal ball year-round with her mother's face projected onto the head during the off-holiday season. Kim discussed the process at both lectures and how her head was put in a brace so that it wouldn't move while being filmed for the Seance projection; at the 2nd lecture, she let the audience know that her mom came home from the process and told her that X Atencio tied her hair to the chair when she did it; what a kinky bunch those early Imagineers must have been! Kim was once recognized by a woman who asked her if she was the woman in the Seance room at the Mansion; when Kim replied "yes," the woman said, "Don't you get tired of sitting under that table with your head in that crystal ball all day long?" Kim had many other fond memories of her mother (as well as a large blow-up of an opening day photo with her mom) and was proud to be carrying on the tradition of working at Disney.

 

[PrincessTori96]

Some more facts about the Haunted Mansion; Constance Hatchaway (attic black widow bride) details.
In Constance's wedding portraits, she gains a new pearl necklace with each marriage. She started off by marrying a farmer's son and was given a single set of pearls which she wore with her wedding dress. With each new husband she gains a new necklace and her mouth goes from a frown to a sinister smile, since each husband is wealthier than the last. The gifts she receives also get more extravagant. Yet she wears the same dress in each picture.
One of the gifts she received for her marriage with Frank Banks is a cabinet. In it there is a woman figure looking down at a man figure who has fallen and lost his head.
George Hightower's grave can be seen in the stretching room portrait as well as a woman sitting on it holding a rose. Constance is holding a rose in the last picture in the attic.
There is also a hat rack that holds the hats of Constance's dead husbands.

 

[DVC Mary]

According to Hidden Magic, feral cats roam the parks to keep the rodent population down. That is funny in the house of the mouse.

Feral cats, bugs, & I thought all the animals were at AK!

You never see a cat. Do they come out at night & then respond to a whistle like the animals at AK?

 

[TARAMEOW]

What kind of bugs??

Eek!

According to the book I have one kind is the Delphastus puslius it's a beetle that can eat up to 500 whitefly eggs per day.

Another factoid: Liberty Squares liberty bell was cast from the same mold used to create the original bell in Philadelphia.

 

[dizzycrazy]

I am amazed by how much you all know! What great facts!

 

[Lintasare]

And here's another one to add, though this one might have been said. Because most humans have a natural instinct to look or lean towards the right, Disney built all of the locations that would better appeal to entering the park on MSUSA on the right as you enter the park. In the morning, grab a bagel and a cup of (soon to be Starbucks) coffee at MSB. During any time, get the energy to tour the park by grabbing some candy to munch on at the Confectionary or have lunch at Tony's.

Conversely, as you exit the park (so on the right as you are leaving), you'll find locations catering to folks who want to "remember" your day. Obviously, the Emporium provides souvenirs but the photo center lets you take home photos, too.

Another couple of factoids about MSUSA as told by our KTTK guide, I hope these aren't repeats. MSUSA slopes upwards slightly towards the castle and the buildings get taller as you walk towards the Hub. This gives the illusion of the castle being further away when you enter the park. Conversely at the end of the day and you are tired MSUSA slopes downwards towards the train station and the buildings get shorter to make the walk seem shorter.

 

[csummerlin55]

DiVine mesmerizes me. According to this site, she is played by many different women. Divine doesn't make eye contact, sign autographs or pose for pictures as she maintains character as an ivy or plant. Although, on several occasions, I have found her to be a little flirty! Oh that temptress.

She posed around my grandma and her wheelchair the one time we have been able to catch her. (Grandma was embarrassed at all of the attention it drew.) I don't think this is a regular practice and it wasn't upon request, just spontaneous. She also made eye contact with me a few times and my grandma while she was posing around her (I believe or is that just my wishful thinking, lol). Of course, I wasn't shy about telling her how beautiful she looked. We must have watched her for a good 20 minutes or more.

 

[Just_Trish]

According to Hidden Magic, feral cats roam the parks to keep the rodent population down. That is funny in the house of the mouse.

I wondered about that! Every now and then my DD and I will catch a whiff of cat pee and say, "Smells like home!". LOL, we have a lot of feral cats that live in the woods nearby.

 

[pampam]

Feral cats, bugs, & I thought all the animals were at AK!

You never see a cat. Do they come out at night & then respond to a whistle like the animals at AK?

We saw a cat at Pop Century, one night. It skitted into the hedge as soon as we saw it. However, I doubt that Disney put it there. I'm thinking some people must have abandonened it or its ancestors nearby.

 

[bcrook]

While investigating a a question for another thread, I found this interesting story about the worlds first truly themed water park -River Country.

It includes nice photos, brain eating amoebas, and great memories. I went to River Country in 1977 (but not with my dad - my parents had divorced before my 1973 trip). That day at that waterpark was my favorite day at any theme park ever. I was 9 years old and in heaven (of course I didn't know about the amoebas! ).

I have never been to either of the current waterparks.

Speaking of water parks, if you haven't read this thread - do yourself a favor and check it out. It is describes some hilarious adventures in the waterparks. The opening story about May Day Falls cracks me.

 

[bcrook]

She posed around my grandma and her wheelchair the one time we have been able to catch her. (Grandma was embarrassed at all of the attention it drew.) I don't think this is a regular practice and it wasn't upon request, just spontaneous. She also made eye contact with me a few times and my grandma while she was posing around her (I believe or is that just my wishful thinking, lol). Of course, I wasn't shy about telling her how beautiful she looked. We must have watched her for a good 20 minutes or more.

Good story. I would love to see that picture! The way Divine moves is truly Art.

 

[tzvdmd]

I thought of one not mentioned!

The Cinderella fountain behind the Castle, if you look from below up at the Cinderella statue towards the mural behind her, you can "crown" her (there is a crown in the mural).

You also have to bend over to get a drink from the low fountains so it looks like you are bowing to her.

 

[AuroraMeansDawn]

You're right - good one!

From: http://davelandweb.com/hauntedmansion/40th.html

(August 9, 2009) BACKSTORY: Two panel discussions occurred to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Mansion; one held at the Grand Californian Hotel and one held during the dinner served over in California Adventure. The first discussion had Tony Baxter, Kim Irvine, and Jason Surrell (Imagineer and author of The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies).

Kim showed up in full face makeup as Madame Leota, with her blond hair teased out appropriately. She truly does resemble her mother (the original Madame Leota, Imagineer Leota Toombs). Most touching part of the discussion was hearing Kim talk about her mother, whose voice as Madame Leota was dubbed by actress Eleanor Audley. Leotas actual higher-pitched voice can be heard at the end of the attraction, where she acted and spoke for herself as Little Leota, the ethereal bridal figure that repeats "Hurry Back. Kim said that when she went on the attraction with her children, she would always point to "Grandma" at the end of the ride. When Madame Leota had to be re-created for the Nightmare Before Christmas Holiday overlay at Disneyland, Kim stood in for her mother. With advancements in life-mask creation, the detail of Kim's head turned out to be much more lifelike than the one created 40 years ago from her mother's face. When the original film of her mother was projected onto her (Kim's) life-mask, it was a perfect fit because of the similar bone structure between mother and daughter. So when you enter the seance room, it is Kims head in the crystal ball year-round with her mother's face projected onto the head during the off-holiday season. Kim discussed the process at both lectures and how her head was put in a brace so that it wouldn't move while being filmed for the Seance projection; at the 2nd lecture, she let the audience know that her mom came home from the process and told her that X Atencio tied her hair to the chair when she did it; what a kinky bunch those early Imagineers must have been! Kim was once recognized by a woman who asked her if she was the woman in the Seance room at the Mansion; when Kim replied "yes," the woman said, "Don't you get tired of sitting under that table with your head in that crystal ball all day long?" Kim had many other fond memories of her mother (as well as a large blow-up of an opening day photo with her mom) and was proud to be carrying on the tradition of working at Disney.

Thank you for posting this. I knew the essence of the story but not all of the back story. Our KTTK Guide was a little shocked when I asked her about it and gave us bare bones info and said "you're not supposed to know that" but I think that was part of her making us feel were were getting really great insider info.

 

[AuroraMeansDawn]

Don't think I've seen these here yet but if you walk from Frontierland to Liberty Square and look up at the addresses on the buildings they represent the years that the construction represents. Also look at how Pecos Bills goes from stucco, to partial stucco and brick to full brick construction.

And my personal favorite was about opening day. Most of us know Walt voiced Mickey at the beginning. When his beloved big brother Roy opened the MK at WDW he said a few words and then whispered to the man next to him and a few minutes later, Mickey appeared with him and he said something along the lines of "If my brother could not stand next to me I wanted the next best thing" There wasn't a dry eye on our tour on that note. Even my big old burly DH and 18 YO DS got misty. Heck, I teared up typing it.

 

[hardrocker1]

This is a great thread! I am learning a lot. Can someone tell me more about the Keys to the Kingdom Tour? How much it cost, where to get the tickets, etc?

Thanks!

 

[PanamaMike]

WDW releases 10.5 million insects each year into the resort to get rid of unwanted plant pests.

According to the Disney horticulture fact sheet I have, it's only 4 million and includes lacewings, predatory mites, wasps and beetles.

 

[lucas]

This is a great thread! I am learning a lot. Can someone tell me more about the Keys to the Kingdom Tour? How much it cost, where to get the tickets, etc?

Thanks!

It is a 5 hour walking tour that includes lunch/drink and a special pin. Also before the tour you can get a free coffee and a bottle of water to carry during the tour. There are about 20 people per tour and you are given a headset so you can hear your guide. We got to ride the Jungle Cruise and the Haunted Mansion without waiting in line. And you get to go behind the scenes and down in the tunnels under the MK. Definitely worth the money and time. I'm really glad we finally did it after years of going to WDW.

Make sure you ask for discount if appropriate....AAA, AP, DVC (15%), Disney Visa (20%). We called for the ressies and you sign-in at the MK 15 minutes prior to the tour start time.

Here is the info: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/keys-to-the-kingdom-tour/

 

[MHSweb79]

On our KTTW tour we were told that sometimes Tinkerbell gets stuck on the zip line (due to headwinds) and if that happens, they turn off her lights and she has to pull herself down, hand over hand.

The elaborate pulley system of doors shown in Monsters, Inc. was modeled after the dry cleaning facility used to clean CM's costumes. We saw a film about it down in the utilidors.

This is a great thread. I have gotten 999,999 on Buzz twice and never knew there was a button! I will have to get one next time. It will drive my DH insane.