Things that regular guests "OVERLOOK"

I thought it would be neat to start a thread that we could all compile a list together of HIDDEN DISNEY THINGS and attention to detail that regular guests never really notice. It might also surprise some people on these boards. I will start. Here are the rules, you can name UP TO 3 things per post, that waywe don't have HUGE lists to read through.

1. In Liberty Square you will notice that the roads around the buildings are brown, while the street is not... back in those times people dumped garbage out of their windows, so Disney made the walkway near the buildings to be "dirty".

2. Most people know that the names on the windows of Main Street are pretty much real people that contributed to the Disney Co. The only time you will see Walts full name in ANY of the parks, is only at WDW on the Ice Cream Parlor Window, and it is the ONLY name that faces the castle. Walt also loved ice cream.

3. Most people do not know that some sections of Main Street (especially the hitching posts) get re-painted (usually) EVERY night, to have a fresh clean look every morning.

In the Muppet pre-show/queue area the Net full of Jello "Annete Funicello"

The forced perspective of the Main Street buildings to make them look taller than they actually are.

How many bricks in Cinderlla's castle? NONE...

Isn't it really cool how much Disney puts into things, that the guests really never notice? SO MUCH DETAIL...

Those are very interesting. Especially number 3. How did you find this out or were you just looking and found it?

Originally posted by mkepcotmgmak
2. Most people know that the names on the windows of Main Street are pretty much real people that contributed to the Disney Co. The only time you will see Walts full name in ANY of the parks, is only at WDW on the Ice Cream Parlor Window, and it is the ONLY name that faces the castle. Walt also loved ice cream.

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Actually, there now are names in the window over Casey's facing the castle.

Merchant's Hotel
First Class Particulars
Steam Heat Throughout
Howard Roland furnishings
John Curry owner representative
Stan Garnes engineering

Personally, if they were going to do another window facing the castle, I would have hoped that it would be for more historically significant people. (No offense meant to those on the window.)

1. The wishing well beside Cinderella castle. It's a very quaint little spot, with occaissonal sound effects of the voice in the well.

2. The fake air conditioning duct in Merchant of Venus into which the creature from Alien Encounter sometimes comes looking for victims. Watch it for a few minutes and it may come alive, with sparking wires, bubling tubes, and a horrifying pair of glowing red eyes.

3. El Rio Del Tiemp. I've never waited in line for this thing.

The Fact that The Kingdom is about 20 feet above seven seas lagoon, so you are constantly looking up at the Park. The utilidors are at ground level.

Originally posted by Bairstow
2. Most people know that the names on the windows of Main Street are pretty much real people that contributed to the Disney Co. The only time you will see Walts full name in ANY of the parks, is only at WDW on the Ice Cream Parlor Window, and it is the ONLY name that faces the castle. Walt also loved ice cream.


1. The wishing well beside Cinderella castle. It's a very quaint little spot, with occaissonal sound effects of the voice in the well.

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2 things to add.....
another reason for the ice cream parlor is that Walt took his daughters to an ice cream parlor identical to the main street one every sunday

also, the drinking fountains at the wishing well ar low to the ground, as to make adults bow to the princess statue, and when bowing the gold crown on the wall behind her appears to fit right onto her head. Children do not need to bow (something about innocence? i made htat up) and can see the crown regardless :sohappy:

these are awesome! i didn't know a lot of these tid-bits, and i've been to WDW 14 times! i'll have to check out the princess waterfountain thing (btw, TTA Traveler, are you talking about the same wishing well? i think Bairstow was refering the the 'traditional' fairy tale type wishing well along the walkway between Fantasyland the the bridge that goes beside Cosmic Ray's. and i think you may be talking about the one with the statue of Cinderella with a bird on her hand...i'm being technical, i know, but i just want to make sure.)

how about all the Hidden Mickeys? first-timers in particular don't usually pick up on the Hidden Mickeys. of course, we all know about them.

Originally posted by Dizknee_Phreek
these are awesome! i didn't know a lot of these tid-bits, and i've been to WDW 14 times! i'll have to check out the princess waterfountain thing (btw, TTA Traveler, are you talking about the same wishing well? i think Bairstow was refering the the 'traditional' fairy tale type wishing well along the walkway between Fantasyland the the bridge that goes beside Cosmic Ray's. and i think you may be talking about the one with the statue of Cinderella with a bird on her hand...i'm being technical, i know, but i just want to make sure.)

how about all the Hidden Mickeys? first-timers in particular don't usually pick up on the Hidden Mickeys. of course, we all know about them.

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the statue one

Originally posted by TTA Traveler
the statue one

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k

heres one

when you leave haunted Mansion, under the archway right before you see the ghost horse and stuff, you can see master gracy's ring in the concrete that he threw off the top of the mansion when his wife died. There used to be 2 but 1 was dug out or sumthin

it's real cool, most people walk rite over it

and oh

most of the architecture on the outside of the mansion is used from chess pieces. All except the knights.

the ring from the HM is really a good detail to the storyline that I bet 99% of parkgoers miss!

heres another...

1. the singing/dance lessons upstairs on Main Street... (in the little inset on the right hand side going into the park) if you stand there and listen you can hear them going on.

2. the only place in the park you can go without hearing music is between fantasyland and tomorrowland right beside cosmic rays. disney feels that these two lands are too close together to play themed music in this area... i personally think there should be something there to seperate them better...like a BIG WALL themed on both sides...

3. Main Street USA is sloped up towards the castle for multi purposes... to make the castle seem bigger/further away, and at the end of the day, it is easier walking downhill on the guests leaving...

Re: heres one

Originally posted by walthimself05
when you leave haunted Mansion, under the archway right before you see the ghost horse and stuff, you can see master gracy's ring in the concrete that he threw off the top of the mansion when his wife died. There used to be 2 but 1 was dug out or sumthin

it's real cool, most people walk rite over it

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And handily, it also works perfectly for holding a pole for a rope barrier. :animwink:

The tunnels, probably none of the guests know about, unless you take a tour of them. That's probably the biggest.

-Sir Hiss527-

"Stop Hissing in my Ear":king:

Originally posted by mkepcotmgmak
3. Main Street USA is sloped up towards the castle for multi purposes... to make the castle seem bigger/further away, and at the end of the day, it is easier walking downhill on the guests leaving...

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Walt's theory was that guests arrive at the park bright and early, and energetic....walking up the street is nothing, by the end of the day theyre tiered and the sloping makes the walk go by easier....something that you dont notice but u know its there....Disney magic .....4days btw

Originally posted by TTA Traveler
Walt's theory was that guests arrive at the park bright and early, and energetic....walking up the street is nothing, by the end of the day theyre tiered and the sloping makes the walk go by easier....something that you dont notice but u know its there....Disney magic .....4days btw

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I wish Disney would have done this to the walk UP TO the Monorails.


Sometimes the walk up those ramps at MK and EPCOT and TTC after being in the Parks all day is a KILLER.:brick:

it sounds like alot of us have been on the Keys to the Kingdom tour. has everyone been on it? My tour guide was Paul (a.k.a. Tall Paul)

he was like the perfect cast member

Haven't been on Keys to the Kingdom, but I have been on two Disney Children's Tours which I took back in the early 90's.
The first was the Art of Disney tour where we started in MGM and quickly went to the Magic Kingdom in a van while the instructor told us about Disney art theory, the importance of detail and design, etc. Once at the MK we rode the Haunted Mansion, then walked to the center of Fantasyland where we were given a lecture and demonstration of exactly how forced perspective works. We trotted back to Mainstreet, looking at everything with newly critical eyes, and then took one of the side streets and exited behind the scenes to see what the rear of mainstreet looks like. Very industrial and green, to be exact. We never went down into the utilidoors, but we did get a neat look at the Magic Kingdom service roads and supply buildings. Then it was back to the MGM Studios to take the Animation Tour. Once the tour was over we went downstairs to meet an animator (which wasn't part of the standard tour in those days) and walked about the animators' desks. Unfortuneatly they were off duty, but I was able to look at all the interesting things they put on their desks. (Tiki god carvings and Gundam models). We got another lecture in one of the conference rooms of the Animation Studio, and although I can't remember what it was about I do remember the instructor making a point that Disney was at the top of the totem pole when it came to animation quality, warner brothers second, and Charlie Brown Peanuts animation at the bottom. None of us were old enough to disagree with her. For the last bit of the tour we rode vans over to the then-brand new Disney Institute and were taught how to draw mickey's head, and we all animated something of our choice. This was all done in a really neat spiral-bound book they issued us reviewing the finer points of the course.
The other tour I took was with my little sister. Some kind of Discovery Island nature thing of some sort. All I know is that involved us holding a parrot and pouring plaster into pre-made molds of animal feet. Not nearly as cool as the youth art tour.

Originally posted by Bairstow
Very industrial and green.

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The two colors disney paints the backstage areas/show buildings are Go Away Green and Blend In Brown. These two colors were made by Disney to paint things they did not want to be noticed.