Walt Disney World Backstage Magic

...experience the Backstage Magic of Walt DisneyWorld.

EMBARCATION

We were a varied bunch - mostly American (there was Phil and his wife from Tucson Arizona and a family from upstate New York) although we represented the UK and there was a mother and daughter on vacation from Israel - but we all shared a passion for Disney and a hunger for more information and the hidden secrets.

We were shepherded past ...
...from the 1950s introduced by Walt himself to get us into the mood.

Our destination was the American Adventure pavilion in World Showcase. As we drove it was immediately apparent that perspectives and distances are different Backstage than on stage. Unlike the structures within the parks which are meticulously finished and maintained, buildings here are for the most part utilitarian in construction. It was pointed out however that some ... more

We arrived at the meeting point at ten to nine on what was already promising to be a hot July day. Casually signposted between the exit ramp from the Monorail station and the already busy ticket booths, the first flush of the day's visitors to Epcot were already traipsing through the bag check and milling around the turnstiles without giving us a second glance. We exchanged nervous glances with others seated on the concrete flower tubs, all wondering whether indeed we were at the right place and on time. Over the next ten minutes group had grown to some forty souls.

On the stroke of nine o'clock we were approached by four individuals each wearing a blue shirt on the pocket of which was inscribed the motto 'Disney Institute'. We were soon sorted into our definitive groups. We signed our joining document and disclaimer, were given a personalised name badge and were invited to introduce ourselves to our fellow travellers. We were a party of nineteen and our guide for the day was Nancy. For the next seven and a half hours we were going to experience the Backstage Magic of Walt DisneyWorld.

EMBARCATION

We were a varied bunch - mostly American (there was Phil and his wife from Tucson Arizona and a family from upstate New York) although we represented the UK and there was a mother and daughter on vacation from Israel - but we all shared a passion for Disney and a hunger for more information and the hidden secrets.

We were shepherded past the ordinary queues and into the park. Part way up the slope to the right hand side of Spaceship Earth we were guided to a quiet corner by a high fence. Here Nancy took the opportunity to tell us what to expect during our tour. Disney employees are called Cast Members; visitors are Guests. Designers and planners are Imagineers. Everywhere that Guests see and go (all the public areas) is referred to as On Stage; everywhere else is Backstage. For much of the day that is where we would be. We were to be shown how the whole show was kept running smoothly down to the smallest detail and we would be taken to see things about the organisation that was usually kept hidden from public view. We could talk to Cast Members. The only stipulation was that when we were Backstage we would not be allowed to take photographs.

We then went through a gate in the fence and were indeed Backstage. A perimeter road starts from this point and runs all the way around the outside of Epcot. Buses run at regular intervals ferrying Cast Members to and from their place of work. Waiting for us was a coach and driver provided by Mears (painted somewhat incongruously in the livery of Virgin Holidays!) which was to be our transport for the day. It was air conditioned and had a couple of freezer boxes full of bottles of water. There was also a rack of umbrellas in case of inclement weather. As we settled down for the short journey to our first port of call, Nancy showed us a video of a black and white Disneyland film from the 1950s introduced by Walt himself to get us into the mood.

Our destination was the American Adventure pavilion in World Showcase. As we drove it was immediately apparent that perspectives and distances are different Backstage than on stage. Unlike the structures within the parks which are meticulously finished and maintained, buildings here are for the most part utilitarian in construction. It was pointed out however that some of the structures at the back of World Showcase (including America and China) could be seen from the upper floors when the Swan and Dolphin hotels were built and the tops of these buildings received embellishments to beautify them. The only part of Epcot that Guests regularly get Backstage is on the outside race of Test Track (it runs out over the staff car park) but they are travelling so fast at that point that they would not notice. Even so there are brand new cars (General Motors, of course) parked directly underneath!

The American Adventure is housed in a building which is seven storeys high but is given the perspective of three storeys by the outsized doors and windows. It is colonial in style, built with 90,000 authentic bricks. Also authentic of the period is the flag flying from its ramparts which has 15 stars and 15 stripes.

The showpiece of the pavilion tells the story of America and its people in a series of dramatic tableaux played out in front of a film. The theatre on the first floor contains over 1000 seats facing the curved rear projection screen (the largest of its kind in the US). We were taken into the gloomy ground floor area where the 35 audioanimatronic figures (including the likes of Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin) which make up the individual scenes are housed in special frames on a massive horizontal 'elevator'. This glides silently and without vibration backwards and forwards under the stage as the show progresses and each scene is raised up to stage level as required under computer control. Each figure (now 'Mark IV') is modelled on pictures of the person and under the latex skin is an array of hydraulic joints and levers which control everything from hand and arm gestures to the movements of an eyebrow. Each has its own controlling computer. Although the first show is not until just before noon, maintenance commences at 5am everyday. Each model has two suits of cloth (Velcro for easy dressing) and two wigs made of human hair. There is a team of tailors and hairdressers on hand to correct defects between shows. We were able to examine Mark Twain's spare head (without its wig), feel its lifelike skin and see its glass eyes (made by an artificial eye manufacturer)

BACKSTAGE EPCOT

It was after 10am when we came out of the pavilion but as World Showcase was still closed to the public (it opens at 11am) this still counted as Backstage. All around us were crew sweeping up the overnight fallen leaves and pressure hosing the pavement. Nancy gave us a running commentary about the development of this part of the park. The original plan was for the American pavilion to be at the entrance to World Showcase (geographically it would have been between Canada and Mexico) but the available area was too small. All around there are many 'in jokes' which the designers put in but which the average visitor will not even notice. Between France and Morocco for instance there is a strip of the sidewalk which appears to have been dug up and patched. In fact this was put there to represent the Straits of Gibraltar.

There are currently eleven countries displayed in World Showcase and despite the original intention only one of these (Morocco) is sponsored by its national government. The remainder are funded by private companies and corporations. There is still space for another eight countries. In the past there were plans for the inclusion of Africa, Persia, Russia and Israel but they each came to nothing. At any one time there are a number of foreign Cast Members (about 100 from each country) working in World Showcase. Many are students but older (some would say mature!) people also apply. The contract is for 12 months and Disney recruits in the home country and obtains the necessary Q1 visas. At the moment foreign exchange Cast Members are housed in the Treehouse Villas complex near Downtown Disney.

We were next taken on a tour of the Cast Member buildings. The main block (situated somewhere behind Test Track) houses offices, training rooms, a library, shops and a bank. The corridors were decorated skilfully and tastefully by Cast Members. They are expected to know everything and anything that night be asked about their particular area and are encouraged to keep themselves up to date. The costuming warehouse is a huge barn of a place were racks of rails and hangers house the staff uniforms (shirts, skirts, trousers, jackets - but not character costumes). Epcot alone has 225 different costumes. The clothing is made abroad on contract but tailored on site. Every item has its own bar code and laundered on property. Next door is a huge locker room (male and female). The floor in between these rows and rows of lockers is covered with carpet samples testing for wear around the parks and in hotels. The traffic is so heavy that these are changed every six weeks or so. Each Cast Member is issued with five changes of clothing - they are only responsible for their own shoes. Cast Members must also change into outdoor clothes before leaving the park.

ON TO MGM

We boarded our bus for the next stage of the tour, MGM Studios. On the way, we made a brief detour to Walt DisneyWorld Florist. Situated on a side road near the rear exit of the Port Orleans Resort this establishment is responsible for all the floral decorations around the resorts and in the parks and also has a retail arm that sells flowers for weddings, receptions and other celebrations (they deliver to a radius of 40 miles). It has a staff of 47 full timers and 41 part timers. Flowers are received into the cold room which is maintained at 38ºF. They also prepare gift parcels and baskets which can be shipped worldwide. They make their own baskets and Mickey ribbons (and no, there weren't any samples!)

On the road again we passed the WDW electricity generating and recycling plants. This led us to a bit of the history of the place. During the 1960s, Walt Disney set out to buy parcels of land in central Florida (at the time it was mainly scrub pasture and not swamp as was generally thought) and he used a whole range of dummy corporations to keep his activities secret. Eventually he ended up with 47½ square miles which was spread across two Florida counties (Orange and Osceola). After much negotiation and trading - particularly with the carrot of massive tourism development for the region - he was granted the status of an automonous authority. DisneyWorld officially is the Reedy Creek Improvement District and runs all its own services (roads, fire, water etc) except for a police force. It has its own security division but has no powers of arrest or committal. At the moment 30% of the WDW land area is developed and 30% has been set aside as nature reserve and will not be developed. The other 40% is undecided. As recently as 2005, the then CEO, Michael Eisner, declared that there would not be a fifth park in Florida and that future developments would be in the Far East.

Walt wasn't successful in buying up the whole area. One parcel remained in 'foreign' hands. As you drive along Buena Vista Drive towards MGM Studios there is a signpost to Bonnet Creek Resort where there is a hotel and timeshare complex. It is bounded on three sides by WDW and on the fourth by the interstate - and visitors have to pass through WDW to get to it.

WDW generates 30% of its total energy (parks and hotels) on property but in a quirk of economics it sells its output to the Florida Light and Power Corporation and buys it back cheaper on tariff! It sits on a huge subterranean aquifer and with its twelve wells is self sufficient in water supply. The company also boasts that it recycles almost 100% of water, materials and waste foodstuffs

CREATIVE COSTUMING

If you have taken the Backlot Tour at MGM Studios you may remember one area in a gloomy tunnel where you get a fleeting glimpse from your transport through windows displaying models and creations from previous film productions. This is Creative Costuming.

We went Backstage through an inconspicuous gateway in an apparent dead end called Minnie Lane by the side of the 'Journey Into Narnia' exhibit. We entered the building and were announced over the tannoy (presumably to advise Cast Members to make sure that they were doing only Disney things!) The foyer was decorated with paintings and half size models of Ariel, Cinderella and Belle (the princesses) in foyer. We were taken though the genesis and development of a character costume which was through a series of computer programmes. The initial designs were created with Adobe Illustrator and these were then transferred to Excel to create templates and store size information. From these technical drawings were made and these were used to create muslin patterns which were pinned out onto models. From there a CAD programme was used to digitise the model which then drove a cutting machine. The order of the day of our visit was a supply of ballet pumps for the ostriches in the Magic Kingdom's night time Spectromagic parade.

They carry out repairs here. One of the fascinating items was Minnie's jacket from the same parade (Minnie wears a white costume which is lit up with alternating white and coloured fairy lights). It was made of a heavy cream white material onto which are stitched strings of LED lights. Inside are layers of fire retardant material and wadding. With its battery pack the jacket alone weighed over 50 pounds.

In the same room were thirty or forty seamstresses and tailors (mostly middle aged and from the Asian continent) seated in rows busy with their JUKI machines. Wherever we went the environment felt industrious but quiet and unhurried.

LUNCHEON

We walked back On Stage. At each of these crossing points there was a full length mirror so that the Cast Member could make one final check of costume and demeanour before greeting the Guests.

Lunch was scheduled at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano. We were seated at two reserved tables and were served a three course meal 'family style' (help yourself from communal servings). After starters of Italian salad with bread and oil dips we were treated to a range of chicken and seafood pasta dishes and roast vegetables. Afterwards there came lava cake and gelato.

This was a gratefully received period of forty five minutes to take pause and rest from the heat and walking of the morning. We left through the restaurant's back door and found ourselves Off Stage again.

ON TO MAGIC KINGDOM

After lunch we returned to our bus for the trip over to the Magic Kingdom. Our first stop (again Backstage) was the Holiday Services building (1450 Facilities Way). This is another huge barn of a warehouse where the Christmas decorations for the whole of the Disney operation worldwide (not just Florida) are created, maintained and stored. It is an all year activity and the department has a staff of 20.

Putting up the decorations for the Holiday Season starts on October 31st. Each hotel is completed overnight in just one night; each theme park takes three nights. The decorations are then taken down again in reverse order starting on January 6th. In recent years fairy lights have been replaced by strings of LEDs. There are 45,000 lights on the main tree at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and the cable plugs into a single socket. Row upon row of bales of decorations are labelled with the destination site and stacked up to the ceiling. There are boxes and chests of tree branches, candy canes, cones and baubles. I counted at least 140 different coloured baubles with such names as Red Velvet, Port Velvet, Burgundy Red, December Red and Bubble Gum.

Along the street at 1301 Facilities Way is the Central Shops building (Motto: "The Can Do People"). This was the first structure to be built at WDW, Florida and it designs and manufactures makes everything for theme parks, the rides and resorts. It is the biggest of the constructions around here and is divided up into a number of departments (weld, paint, machine, animation shops). There is an accent on health and safety. We were issued with eye protectors at the door. Each corner seemed to boast its safety record with such banners as: "Celebrating 1000 accident free days"

The current project is the design and installation of a Captain Nemo ride for Epcot. We were also shown the prototype carriages for Splash Mountain in Disneyland, California. They were like log canoes with the passengers sitting single file. It is here that there is a continuous repainting and regilding of the 90 antique horses from Cinderella's Roundabout in FantasyLand. Each horse takes about six weeks to complete.

Nothing is ever wasted around WDW. There are 'bone yards' in all the parks. Characters that have been 'retired' may also end up being recycled in these buildings. As a demonstration of an old Mark I audioanimatronic model (these were pneumatically operated and had few moveable joints) we were allowed to play with one of the original Tiki Birds (from the Tiki Room in Adventure Land) and Bonnie Appetite (who used to star in 'Kitchen Cabaret', one of the shows when the Land Pavillion at Epcot first opened).

This street also houses the three WDW laundries. One services the resorts, one the costumes and a third the restaurants - which includes the linens from the resort at Vero Beach.

We also noted that the Magic Kingdom fireworks are set off each night near here - which is a quarter mile back behind Cinderella's Castle.

ONWARDS AND DOWNWARDS?

If you have ever been to the Magic Kingdom you may have wondered why certain of the rides appear to start off underground. You go down a ramp to get on to 'It's A Small World' or 'Pirates of The Caribbean'. What you may not have realised is that the public areas of Main Street, USA and most of the satellite Lands are on the first floor.

At the very outset, Walt Disney wanted to make sure that he kept the underlying workings of the Magic Kingdom (supplies, cleaning, refuse) away from the Guests. A Cast Member from Tomorrowland should not be seen walking through Adventureland in costume. The first phase of construction was the creation of Bay Lake (yes it is man made) around which the monorail runs and there are now three resort hotels. At the same time, the logistical area of the Magic Kingdom was laid down (offices, wardrobes, changing rooms, services, staff cafes, corridors and a complex of entry portals) and was then buried with the excavated material. We were on our way to the fabled Utilidors of DisneyWorld.

These Utility Corridors are not tunnels (you would soon hit the aquifer if you tried burrowing underground). Fifteen feet wide by about twelve feet high they form a one and a half mile circuit under the Magic Kingdom. There is also a central through route and one extension out to Frontierland. Services to the buildings upstairs are accessible in the ceiling. Notable amongst these are the pipes of the AVAC (automatic vacuum assisted collection) trash system. Rubbish collected from around the parks is sorted. Non recyclable material is poured into the AVAC shoot which sucks it to a central point at speeds of 60 miles an hour. The system is divided into sectors; the walls are colour coded and direction signs are labelled with Disney characters. Nancy said that even after 18 years at WDW she still got lost in there on occasions.

Cast members are bound by the Seven Rules of the Kingdom in how they interface with Guests (see below). This is where Cast Members go to get changed, move around the Magic Kingdom, eat, socialise and cool off from the heat of the day. They have their own magazine "Eyes and Ears". They are also urged to recycle everything - there was even a box in which to place the stubs from their pay checks. The only one thing that is not Disney is the background music piped through the corridors. This comes from a local radio station.

MAIN STREET USA

We were led back On Stage just before the afternoon parade was due to come down Main Street. With crowds sitting either side of the street and cordoned off by rope bearing marshals there was still time to see some of the overlooked features of the Magic Kingdom. Again the buildings are not built in perspective. At street level there are shops and cafes. The upstairs house offices but none of these have windows that look out over the park. The visible windows are false. If you look closely many have been decorated with tributes in gold lettering to the development of DisneyWorld. The Main Street Market House names many of the original shell companies (Reedy Creek Ranch Lands, Latin American Development, Bay Lake Property) One business is even named with the pun M.T. Lott.

As we waited for the parade to start Nancy pointed out what looked like plugs of chewing gum on street but which is putty covering the sensors for PAGEANT (Parade and General Entertainment Audio Network). This is a network of sensors which synchronises the sound track to the passage of the pageant floats. There are speakers behind the upper storey windows which automatically open at the appropriate time.

The current daytime parade is based on a series of large snow globes - each containing a character from one of the films. Contrary to popular belief, these globes are not air conditioned (they would mist up with condensation on the inside if they were). Cast members are auditioned and have to "fit" their Characters. Mickey Mouse can be up to 5 feet tall; Goofy is over 6 feet. Character costumes are not air conditioned either. On Summer days characters are allowed out with their guide for twenty minutes at a time. As soon as they go BackStage they are given drinks and checked over by a nurse.

Once accepted as a Character Cast Member you may be assigned to one of several in a particular height range. Characters are not gender specific either. Special performers (dancers etc) may have to go through an arduous training regime and they have their own costumes made for them. A particular case is that of Tinkerbelle (she slides down a wire at the beginning of the Magic Kingdom firework display). When that was being set up, 200 people were auditioned and three were chosen (one Tinkerbelle and two reserves). They had to be between 5 feet and 5 feet 2 inches tall and weigh about 100 pounds. Tinkerbelle gets paid a full shift for 2½ hours work.

There are currently over 55,000 Cast Members at WDW. Pay rates start at about $9 an hour. Cast members are provided with subsidised housing, usually just off property and transport.

We watched the parade go by at its exit by the old fire station at the end of Main Street. We were on the edge of On Stage and Backstage for the last time. We headed back to the bus for our return trip to the entrance at Epcot. We were given one more souvenir - a limited edition 'Backstage Magic' pin badge. This and our name badge were taken from a 1930s cartoon of Mickey Mouse going through the mirror into Wonderland. The pin badge is back to front.

COSTS, COMMENTS AND ALTERNATIVES

There are now over forty tours on varying length (half or full day), cost and description around WDW covering such topics as The Gardens of World Showcase; Disney Transportation and Animation and Design. They are however not well advertised but are extremely popular and book up very quickly. They are listed under 'Tours' on the Disney web site.

Content does vary with time and with different guides. I have been on a couple of other tours which have offered the following: a walk inside the dinosaur house at Universe of Energy (Epcot), the vehicles of Spectromagic (Magic Kingdom), VIP tickets to ride Test Track, entry to a VIP area to watch the fireworks of Illuminations.

This tour "BackStage Magic" runs five times a week, is limited to 20 people and has an age limit (16 years). Disney does not want to risk spoiling the magic with children seeing two headless Donald Ducks in one place. We saw only one character down there - one Captain Hook adjusting his dress before going On Stage.

You book the tour by telephone from your hotel - 1 (407) WDW-TOUR. BackStage Magic costs $199 per person (which includes lunch) and is chargeable to a credit card (not a Disney room key). You are instructed to meet outside Guest Relations at Epcot at 9am prompt and to bring some form of photo identity with you. You do not need to buy separate park admission on the day of your visit.

This is not for the first time visitor. However if you have been here a couple of times before, have more than a passing interest in things Disney and think you know the place, think again. This tour is exceptional value in experiences, history and memories and will change your perceptions of WDW for ever.

POSTSCRIPT

The Seven Rules for Cast Member contact with Guests at WDW:

1. Make eye contact and smile.
2. Greet and welcome each and every guest.
3. Seek out guest contact.
4. Provide immediate service.
5. Display appropriate body language at all times.
6. Preserve the "magical" guest experience.
7. Thank each and every guest.

Utilidor Map and photograph from:
http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/WDW/MagicKingdom/Secrets/General/Underground.html
 

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